Jean-Pierre Marielle 12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019 was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (Les Galettes de Pont-Aven), to a serial killer (Sans mobile apparent), to a World War II hero (Les Milles), to a compromised spy (La Valise), to a has-been actor (Les Grands Ducs), to his portrayal of Jacques Saunière in The Da Vinci Code. He was well known for his distinctive cavernous voice, which is often imitated by French humorists who considered him to be archetypical of the French gentleman.
Early life
Marielle was born in 1932 in Paris to an industrialist father and a dressmaker mother. His first acting experiences dated back to his high school years during which he staged some of Chekhov’s plays with his comrades. He initially wanted to study literature but one of his teachers encouraged him to become an actor instead, so that he joined the Conservatoire National where he became close friends with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Rochefort and from where he left with the comedy second prize in 1954.
Career
Marielle’s early career consisted of stage roles with the Grenier-Hussenot company, notably in Harold Pinter’s plays, and some small appearances on the large screen by the late 1950s, with his particular voice giving him the abilities to play older characters. However, disappointed by his first movie roles, he turned to cabaret for a certain time.
He obtained a little more consistent roles in the 1960s in movies such as Faites sauter la banque! (1963), starring alongside Louis de Funès, Weekend at Dunkirk (1964) and in particular Un monsieur de compagnie (1965), where French director Philippe de Broca gave him the opportunity to express all of his talent. But his popularity really exploded during the 1970s as he appeared in a lot of comedies. In La Valise (1974) he played an Israeli spy having to hide in a trunk in order to be extracted from a country in the Middle East. Les Galettes de Pont-Aven (1975), Que la fête commence (1974) and Coup de Torchon (1981) confirmed him as a great actor.
One of his best performances, which is also probably his darkest, lies in his wonderful interpretation of a disillusioned and suicidal cop in Les mois d’avril sont meurtriers (1987). The other major role of his career was Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe in Tous les matins du monde (1994).
In parallel he made a brilliant stage career and received the highest French award for a theater actor, the Molière, in 1994. He played Jacques Sauniere in The Da Vinci Code (2006). He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1992.
Personal life
Marielle was married to French actress Agathe Natanson from 4 October 2003 until his death and had a son from a previous union. He was a great fan of jazz music and New York City.
Marielle died on April 24, 2019 at the age of 87.
Awards
- 1995 : Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor (2nd Shanghai International Film Festival) for the film Les Milles.
- 1992 : 7 d’Or Award for Best Actor for the TV film La controverse de valladolid.
- 1987 : Mystfest Award for Best Actor for the film Les mois d’avril sont meurtriers.
- 2008 : Honorary Lumières Award (13th Lumières Awards)
Nominations
- 2004 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film La Petite Lili.
- 1993 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Max et Jérémie.
- 1992 – César Award for Best Actor for the film Tous les matins du monde.
- 1989 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Quelques jours avec moi.
- 1982 – César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Coup de Torchon.
- 1976 – César Award for Best Actor for the film Les Galettes de Pont-Aven.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Le grand bluff | Philippe Norbert | Patrice Dally | |
| Fernand clochard | Pierre Chevalier | |||
| Tous peuvent me tuer | Jérôme | Henri Decoin | ||
| Charmants garçons | The Deauville’s receptionist | Henri Decoin (2) | ||
| 1958 | La fille de la pluie | Xavier de la Mauge | Jean Prat | TV movie |
| 1960 | Les trois soeurs | Toujenbach | Jean Prat (2) | TV movie |
| La papesse | René Lucot | TV movie | ||
| La brune que voilà | Cauteret | Robert Lamoureux | ||
| Le mouton | The chief of the police headquarters | Pierre Chevalier | ||
| Pierrot la tendresse | Emile | François Villiers | ||
| Les joueurs | Outiechitelny | Marcel Bluwal | TV movie | |
| 1961 | La caméra explore le temps | Philip IV of France | Stellio Lorenzi | TV Series (1 Episode: “Les Templiers”) |
| 1962 | Climats | Philippe Marcenat | Stellio Lorenzi (2) | |
| Il est minuit docteur Schweitzer | Doctor Albert Schweitzer | Gilbert Pineau | TV movie | |
| La caméra explore le temps | Louis XIII of France | Guy Lessertisseur | TV Series (1 Episode: “La conjuration de Cinq-Mars”) | |
| La nuit des rois | Malvolio | Claude Barma | TV movie | |
| 1963 | L’inspecteur Leclerc enquête | Michel Duquesnoy | Maurice Cazeneuve | TV Series (1 Episode: “Le passé d’une femme”) |
| Sweet and Sour | Monsieur Rakanowsky | Jacques Baratier | ||
| Peau de banane | Paul Reynaldo | Marcel Ophüls | ||
| 1964 | Faites sauter la banque! | André Durand-Mareuil | Jean Girault | |
| Dernière enquête de Wens | Jo Adams | Ivan Govar | ||
| Relaxe-toi chérie | David Kouglov | Jean Boyer | ||
| Échappement libre | Van Houde | Jean Becker | ||
| Les cabinets particuliers | Jacquart | Alain Boudet | TV movie | |
| Male Companion | Balthazar | Philippe de Broca | ||
| Weekend at Dunkirk | Pierson | Henri Verneuil | ||
| 1965 | La bonne occase | Landrut | Michel Drach | |
| Cent briques et des tuiles | Justin | Pierre Grimblat | ||
| 1966 | Monnaie de singe | Raymond Vernet | Yves Robert | |
| Roger la Honte | Lucien de Noirville | Riccardo Freda | ||
| Tendre Voyou | Bob | Jean Becker (2) | ||
| 1967 | All Mad About Him | Reverend Father Fouquet | Norbert Carbonnaux | |
| 1968 | L’homme à la Buick | The Marquis | Gilles Grangier | |
| 1969 | The Devil by the Tail | Jean-Jacques Leroy-Martin | Philippe de Broca (2) | |
| Quarante-huit heures d’amour | Mazoillac | Jacques Laurent | ||
| Les Femmes | The editor | Jean Aurel | ||
| 1970 | La perfection des jeunes filles | Narrator | Ulysse Laugier | Short |
| Les caprices de Marie | Léopold Panneton | Philippe de Broca (3) | ||
| Le pistonné | Le lieutenant Casanova | Claude Berri | ||
| 1971 | L’amour c’est gai, l’amour c’est triste | Maxime | Jean-Daniel Pollet | |
| The Married Couple of the Year Two | Narrator | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Voice, Uncredited | |
| On est toujours trop bon avec les femmes | Mac Cormack | Michel Boisrond | ||
| Without Apparent Motive | Perry Rupert-Foote | Philippe Labro | ||
| Four Flies on Grey Velvet | Gianni Arrosio | Dario Argento | ||
| 1972 | Sex-shop | Lucien | Claude Berri (2) | |
| Le Petit Poucet | The Ogre | Michel Boisrond (2) | ||
| P’pa je serai serrurier | Ulysse Laugier (2) | Short, Voice | ||
| 1973 | L’affaire Crazy Capo | Commissioner Martin | Patrick Jamain | |
| La Valise | Major Bloch | Georges Lautner | ||
| Charlie et ses deux nénettes | Tony | Joël Séria | ||
| 1974 | Comment réussir quand on est con et pleurnichard | Gérard Malempin | Michel Audiard | |
| Un linceul n’a pas de poches | Doctor Carlille | Jean-Pierre Mocky | ||
| Dis-moi que tu m’aimes | Richard Le Royer | Michel Boisrond (3) | ||
| 1975 | The Common Man | Léo Tartaffione | Yves Boisset | |
| Let Joy Reign Supreme | The marquis de Pontcallec | Bertrand Tavernier | ||
| La traque | Albert Danville | Serge Leroy | ||
| Les Galettes de Pont-Aven | Henri Serin | Joël Séria (2) | Nominated – César Award for Best Actor | |
| 1976 | Calmos | Paul Dufour | Bertrand Blier | |
| On aura tout vu | Morlock | Georges Lautner (2) | ||
| Cours après moi que je t’attrape | Paul | Robert Pouret | ||
| Sturmtruppen | Salvatore Samperi | Salvatore Samperi | ||
| 1977 | The More It Goes, the Less It Goes | Inspector Pignon | Michel Vianey | |
| Comme la lune | Pouplard | Joël Séria (3) | ||
| The Accuser | Roustev | Jean-Louis Bertuccelli | ||
| Un moment d’égarement | Pierre | Claude Berri (3) | ||
| 1979 | Cause toujours… tu m’intéresses! | François Perrin | Édouard Molinaro | |
| 1980 | L’entourloupe | Castelard | Gérard Pirès | |
| Voulez-vous un bébé Nobel? | Victor Delacroix | Robert Pouret (2) | ||
| 1981 | Asphalte | Albert Pourrat | Denis Amar | |
| Pétrole! Pétrole! | Jean-Marie Tardel | Christian Gion | ||
| Coup de Torchon | Georges Le Peron | Bertrand Tavernier (2) | Nominated – César Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1982 | Emmenez-moi au théâtre: L’étrangleur s’excite | Gene Cornflakes | Alexandre Tarta | TV movie |
| L’indiscrétion | Daniel | Pierre Lary | ||
| Jamais avant le mariage | Patrick Le Kermadec | Daniel Ceccaldi | ||
| 1983 | Signes extérieurs de richesse | Jérôme Bouvier | Jacques Monnet | |
| 1984 | …e la vita continua | Arnoldo Betocchi | Dino Risi | TV movie |
| Les capricieux | Simon | Michel Deville | TV movie | |
| Partenaires | Gabriel Gallien | Claude d’Anna | ||
| 1985 | L’amour en douce | Antoine Garnier | Édouard Molinaro (2) | |
| Hold-Up | Simon Labrosse | Alexandre Arcady | ||
| 1986 | Tenue de soirée | The Rich and Depressed Man | Bertrand Blier (2) | |
| 1987 | Les mois d’avril sont meurtriers | Fred | Laurent Heynemann | Mystfest – Best Actor |
| Les idiots | Kubac | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe | TV movie | |
| Les 2 crocodiles | René Boutancard | Joël Séria (4) | ||
| 1988 | Un château au soleil | Artus de Montdeny | Robert Mazoyer | TV Mini-Series |
| A Few Days with Me | Monsieur Fonfrin | Claude Sautet | Nominated – César Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1989 | Bouvard et Pecuchet | François Bouvard | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe (2) | TV movie |
| 1990 | Six crimes sans assassins | Commissioner Bastien Darnancourt | Bernard Stora | TV movie |
| Clérambard | The Count Hector de Clérambard | Marcel Bluwal (2) | TV movie | |
| Uranus | Archambaud | Claude Berri (4) | ||
| 1991 | Tous les Matins du Monde | Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe | Alain Corneau | Nominated – César Award for Best Actor |
| 1992 | La controverse de Valladolid | Bartolomé de las Casas | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe (3) | TV movie 7 d’Or – Best Actor |
| Max & Jeremie | Almeida | Claire Devers | Nominated – César Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1993 | 1, 2, 3, Sun | The lonely man | Bertrand Blier (3) | |
| 1994 | Le parfum d’Yvonne | Dr. Rene Meinthe | Patrice Leconte | |
| Le Sourire | Pierre-François Le Clainche | Claude Miller | ||
| 1995 | Les Milles | Commander Perrochon | Sébastien Grall | Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor |
| 1996 | Les Grands Ducs | Georges Cox | Patrice Leconte (2) | |
| L’élève | Armand | Olivier Schatzky | ||
| 1999 | One 4 All | Commissioner Bayard | Claude Lelouch | |
| 2000 | Les Acteurs | Himself | Bertrand Blier (4) | |
| 2001 | Madame De… | The general | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe (4) | TV movie |
| 2003 | Le nouveau testament | Jean Marcelin | Yves Di Tullio Bernard Murat |
TV movie |
| Little Lili | Simon Marceaux | Claude Miller (2) | Nominated – César Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 2004 | Tomorrow We Move | Popernick | Chantal Akerman | |
| Pride | James’s voice | John Downer | TV movie | |
| Atomik Circus – Le retour de James Bataille | Bosco | Didier & Thierry Poiraud | ||
| 2005 | Galilée ou L’amour de Dieu | Pope Barberini | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe (5) | TV movie |
| Les Âmes grises | Pierre-Ange Destinat | Yves Angelo | ||
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | Jacques Saunière | Ron Howard | |
| Le Grand Meaulnes | M. de Galais | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe (6) | ||
| 2007 | Let’s Dance | Salomon Bellinsky | Noémie Lvovsky | Nominated – César Award for Best Actor Nominated – Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor |
| Ce que mes yeux ont vu | Jean Dussart | Laurent de Bartillat | ||
| 2008 | Livrez-nous Grynszpan | Narrator | Joël Calmettes | TV movie |
| Elles et Moi | Emile de Montellier | Bernard Stora (2) | TV Mini-Series (1 Episode) | |
| 2009 | Micmacs | Placard | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | |
| Darwin (r)évolution | Charles Darwin | Philippe Tourancheau | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Pièce montée | Victor | Denys Granier-Deferre | |
| La peau de chagrin | Oswald | Alain Berliner | TV movie | |
| Santa’s Apprentice | Luc Vinciguerra | Voice | ||
| Le mystère | Octave | Jean-Teddy Filippe | ||
| 2011 | Bouquet final | Jean-Pierre | Josée Dayan | TV movie |
| Chez Maupassant | Sosthène | Gérard Jourd’hui | TV Series (1 Episode : “Mon oncle Sosthène”) | |
| 2012 | Nos retrouvailles | The psychoanalyst | Josée Dayan (2) | TV movie |
| Rondo | Abraham | Olivier van Malderghem | ||
| Les seigneurs | Titouan Leguennec | Olivier Dahan | ||
| Max | Nick | Stéphanie Murat | ||
| La fleur de l’âge | Hubert Dassonville | Nick Quinn | ||
| 2013 | Indiscrétions | Bernard Lefort | Josée Dayan (3) | TV movie |
| 2014 | The Missionaries | Himself | Tonie Marshall | |
| Des roses en hiver | Jean | Lorenzo Gabriele | TV movie | |
| Do Not Disturb | Michel’s father | Patrice Leconte | ||
| 2016 | Phantom Boy | L’homme au visage cassé | Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol | Voice |
| 2016 | Capitaine Marleau | Frantz Meyer | Josée Dayan (4) | TV Series (1 Episode) |