Louis de Funes is one of the world's most famous film actors. He played in a large number of films. The most famous were the stories involving the artist about Fantômas and the gendarmes. Our hero received several prizes and awards. He received the Order of the French Legion.
The actor was creatively developed from childhood. He drew well and played the piano.
The great artist of world cinema was married twice. He called his second wife his guardian angel until his death. The comedian was proud of his three sons. The only thing that upset him was that none of his sons connected their lives with cinema.
Height, weight, age. Years of life of Louis de Funes
The world cinema star, despite his passing away in the 80s, is of interest to numerous fans now. It is documented what the comedian's height, weight, and age were. The years of Louis de Funes' life are officially known. The man would have celebrated his centenary in 2014. Events dedicated to this were widely held not only in France, but also in other countries. In 2014, movie lovers in Russia were able to watch almost all the films in which the comedian played.
Louis de Funes, whose photo in his youth and now can be found quite easily, died at 69 years old. This became a real tragedy not only for the artist’s family, but also for numerous fans.
The world cinema star was short in stature, he barely exceeded 150 cm. And the man weighed 55 kg. For many years, Louis played sports, he ran in the morning, did push-ups and swam. The artist paid special attention to his daily routine. He did not drink alcohol or fatty foods. Every day De Funes drank milk at night, he assured that it would prolong his days. When health problems arose, our hero carefully followed all the doctors’ recommendations.
- Jake Gyllenhaal biography, personal life, family, wife, children - photo
- Alexander Vasiliev biography, personal life, family, wife, children - photo
- Oscar Kuchera: biography, personal life, family, wife, children - photo
- Sergei Puskepalis: biography, personal life, family, wife, children - photo
"Don't talk too much about me, my children!"
Patrick de Funes and Olivier de Funes, whose photos you can see below, together with their mother wrote a book dedicated to their legendary father. The book contains the sons' memories of their father, and they, unlike the pleasant humorous memories of the fans of the great comedian, are in many ways not joyful.
For example, Louis de Funes was an almost complete copy of the characters he played in the movies. And if in comedy films the eccentric miser brought a smile, then in life Louis was so greedy that it reached an almost manic state. Of course, such behavior of the head of the family had an extremely negative impact on relationships within the family.
However, this does not mean that the book contains only negative and negative memories of Louis de Funes; on the contrary, most of the book is still devoted to pleasant moments.
One of its most important advantages is sincerity, as well as authenticity, since it was written from the brothers’ own memories. No one can describe Louis de Funès more accurately than his own children. After all, they knew him when they themselves were children. The book is written without embellishment and reflects the personal memories and feelings of the actor’s sons.
Biography and personal life of Louis de Funes
The baby was born in 1914 in a small French town. Louis's mother and father moved to France because the young people's relatives objected to them getting married.
Since childhood, the world cinema star has been able to speak several foreign languages. He could speak English, French and Spanish. The guy was an excellent drawer, so he was destined for a career as an artist. De Funes learned to play the piano. He loved jazz music most of all and amazed his friends. In difficult times, our hero earned money by playing the piano in one of the Parisian restaurants.
Louis entertained the audience with his acting and funny grimaces. At this time, his biography took a new turn. And the personal life of Louis de Funes began to flow with a girl named Germaine. After the birth of their son Daniel, the lovers separated. The reason was the man's new love.
Within a few months, the marriage was officially registered, in which two sons were born. Our hero named the first Patrick, and the second Olivier. The marriage lasted more than 40 years. Only the death of the great comedian ended the relationship between the spouses.
In the mid-40s, our hero began to play in films. At first these were episodic roles. But the artist does not lose hope of playing with the most popular film directors.
Since 1961, Louis was offered to play in films about Fantômas. From that moment on, he became incredibly popular. After this, the man played in several dozen more films. He was awarded several prizes and awards from the French Film Academy, among which a special place is given to the Order of the Legion of Honor.
In 1980, de Funes tried his hand at directing. He made the movie "The Miser." The actor had another film in his plans, which was never made.
The world cinema star wrote scripts for several films. His scripts were used to film Oscar, Frozen, The Gendarme and the Aliens, Cabbage Soup and others.
Although the man passed away in the early 80s of the last century, the number of admirers of his talent does not decrease. Every year the artist’s work attracts a large number of fans.
The departure of Louis de Funes occurred in 1983. The man had a heart attack. The doctors did not have time to help the artist. The ambulance that was called only confirmed the death of the Fantômas star.
Filmography: films starring Louis de Funes
The great actor played in a large number of films. He became one of the most sought after artists. Currently, his filmography includes more than 2 hundred paintings. Films starring Louis de Funès began to appear in the early 60s of the last century.
Since appearing in “Captain Fracas,” the actor has become incredibly in demand. Famous directors began to invite him. Then the actor played in “American Beautiful,” “Vendetta,” “The Devil and the Ten Commandments” and others.
After the role of Ludovic Kruchov “The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez”, the artist began to be considered a comedian. The President of the French Republic awarded Louis de Funès the first prize. Then he impressed with his comic talent in “Fantômas”, “Revelers”, “The Great Walk” and many others. Every year the star starred in several films. He was incredibly in demand and popular. De Funes was invited to meetings with fans around the world. He also came to the Soviet Union.
Louis's last film was the continuation of the story about the adventures of the gendarme Louis Cruchot in "The Gendarme and the Gendarmetes." The actor had plans for the next film, which was never made.
From French pianist to cinematic comedians
Louis de Funes received his first leading role in the film Not Caught - Not a Thief Late Enough - at the age of 44 , 13 years after the start of his filmography. The actor came to cinema immediately after the end of World War II and began to actively fill out his filmography. Before the start of the war, he was fond of playing the piano, and during the occupation of France he taught at a music school.
The late start to his acting career and belated recognition did not overshadow the comedian. Later, de Funes, looking back on the path traveled, will note that his extensive experience playing minor characters in his filmography helped him hone his skills as a comedian, without which he would not have been able to become successful. Indeed, it was thanks to his unusually lively performance of roles in the 60s that he gained popularity at home and throughout the world.
The most striking and memorable roles were the roles of gendarme Cruchot and police commissioner Juve from the filmography of Louis de Funès . It is noteworthy that these characters appeared on the screens at the same time - in 1964 the films Gendarme from Saint-Tropez and Fantômas were released. The success of the adventures of the gendarme and the confrontation between the commissar and the brilliant masked villain was so deafening that it led to the shooting of four more films about Cruchot and two about Juve. Although these two characters are the cherries on top of his acting career, the actor has starred in a number of other equally hilarious comedies in his filmography.
List of films with Louis de Funes that are worth watching:
- Razinya and The Big Ride are two cult French comedies that cemented the success of Louis. In both films, the actor plays in tandem with another famous comedian, Bourvil;
- Monsieur Septim's Restaurant tells the story of the espionage adventures of the obnoxious (and therefore comical) restaurant owner played by de Funès;
- Oscar, adapted from the play by Claude Magnier;
- Big holidays are included in Louis's filmography;
- Frozen;
- One Man Band is a film in which the actor’s eldest son also stars in one of the main roles. He plays the nephew of Louis de Funès's character, a ballet impresario who tries to keep his company and family under control, but still ends up in a whirlwind of comical events;
- Delusions of Grandeur - a comedy about two rogues who decide to seduce the Spanish queen;
- The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob from the filmography of Louis de Funes received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film;
- the family comedy A Wing or a Leg, which reveals not only the comedic talent of Louis de France and the delights of French cuisine, but also the problem of “fathers and sons”;
- The Miser is a film directed and written by Louis himself. The film was awarded the French national film award Cesar.
Family and children of Louis de Funes
The family and children of Louis de Funes mourned greatly after the departure of the star of “Fantômas” and “Gendarmes”. They have preserved and preserve the memory of the world cinema star to this day. A man lived happily with his second wife for 40 years. They traveled, worked and relaxed together. After the actor’s death, the woman lived for another 10 years. At the end of the last century she passed away.
Louis de Funes had three sons. Only Olivier played in several films with his father. But he did not devote himself entirely to cinema.
Our hero's father was a lawyer. But I didn’t work in my specialty for a day. The guy fell in love with the girl with whom he fled from Seville. Carlos Luis began working with diamonds in France. He closely followed the fate of his son. In the 60s, the man passed away. He is buried in one of the French cemeteries.
The hero's mother was born in the Spanish city of Seville. The girl ran away from her parents with her lover in order to preserve her relationship. The woman did not work. She took care of the house and her son, for whom she developed creative talent. After her husband's death, my mother lived with Louis. She died in the late 60s and is laid to rest next to her husband.
Sons of Louis de Funes - Daniel, Patrick, Olivier
The sons of Louis de Funes - Daniel, Patrick, Olivier were born in two marriages of the actor. They were far from cinema and did not want to continue their acting profession.
Daniel was born in the late 30s. He became the first-born of the actor. After the boy was born, his parents divorced. Louis met Daniel often. He took it on weekends. The guy decided to connect his profession with creativity. He worked in one of the French musical groups. Daniel was married and had a son and daughter, whom their grandfather never saw.
In the 40s, our hero became a dad for the second time. They decided to name the boy Patrick. The guy became a professional doctor. He married twice and became the father of a son, whom he named after his father Louis.
The world cinema star named his last son Olivier. The guy played in several films. But Olivier chose the profession of a pilot. For many years he worked for one of the French airlines.
All three sons came to our hero's funeral. They organized the funeral. The men maintained friendly relations. The division of the great comedian's inheritance did not become the reason for the artist's three sons to stop communicating.
The ex-wife of Louis de Funes - Germaine Louise Elodie Carruyer
The young people met in the 30s. Louis played in one of the restaurants, and Germaine worked there as a waitress. Soon they began dating, and then officially registered their marriage. The ceremony was quiet. Only a few people attended. Soon the family was replenished with a boy.
In the early 40s, the couple began to quarrel, and then our hero left the family. The ex-wife of Louis de Funes, Germaine Louise Elodie Carruyer, did not interfere with communication between her ex-husband and son. The woman lived alone for several years, and then met a new love. It was with him that Germaine lived until her death. A woman came to the star's funeral.
In the late 80s, Carruyer passed away. She is buried in one of the Parisian cemeteries.
Louis de Funes' wife - Jeanne Augustine de Barthelemy de Maupassant
Having met Jeanne Augustine, the future star of world cinema left the family, despite the appearance of his son Daniel in the family. At first, the lovers lived in a civil marriage, and then registered their union quite officially. The ceremony was quiet. Only the parents of the newlyweds were present.
Louis de Funes's wife, Jeanne Augustine de Barthelemy de Maupassant, was the great-niece of the famous French classic Guy de Maupassant. The woman supported her husband in everything. She always traveled with him. The actor ate only food prepared by his wife.
The wife of the world cinema star gave birth to two sons. The woman considered her husband and children to be her greatest wealth.
After the death of Louis, Jeanne Augustine worried a lot. She lived with her youngest son, Olivier. The woman passed away quietly. She was buried next to de Funes's grave.
Personal life
Despite his small height (1 m 64 cm) and weight (55 kg), and not very presentable external data, Louis adored women, and they always reciprocated his feelings. He was called a nimble “Napoleon”; his sensuality combined with arrogance and frantic pressure conquered the fair sex.
De Funes first married early, at the age of 22. His wife was Germaine Louise Elodie Carruyer. They got married in 1936, and six years later, in 1942, they separated. In the marital relationship of Germaine and Louis, a boy, Daniel, appeared.
During the occupation of Paris, when de Funes worked part-time at a music school, he met his secretary Jeanne Augustine de Barthélemy de Maupassant. The woman was the great-niece of the great writer Guy de Maupassant. Louis and Jeanne began dating, sometimes his lover came to the restaurant in the evenings to listen to “the little man playing jazz like God.” In September 1943, they legalized their relationship, they were together for forty years, until they were separated by the death of the actor.
De Funes loved his wife, idolized her and was very proud of her. After all, the granddaughter of such a celebrity gave her heart to a then unknown musician. The family became everything for Louis, for her sake the man was ready for any actions and sacrifices. He loved his family, was endlessly worried and tirelessly cared for them.
Zhanna, in turn, also supported her husband always, everywhere and in everything. She was his impresario, always watching how well he was photographed, how the lighting was chosen for filming. It was his wife who chose Louis de Funes's permanent partner, Claude Jansac (together they starred in ten films).
His wife gave him two sons - Patrick and Olivier. Patrick became a doctor. And Olivier acted with his father several times, after which Louis dreamed that his son would also build a career as an actor. But the guy chose to become a pilot and worked in aviation.
But we must pay tribute to the actor, he also did not forget his first son. During the war, immediately after the divorce, his first wife and their little son Daniel settled in the town of Clermont-Ferrand (a southern commune in central France). Louis, secretly from his new family, visited Daniel, brought him gifts (the boy especially loved oranges), taught him to draw and talked about cinema. As he grew older, Daniel attended his father’s premieres and performances, but when he was 11 years old, the connection was interrupted. Many years later, he was not even notified of the death of Louis de Funes and was not invited to his father’s funeral; he heard this sad news on the radio.
Wikipedia Louis de Funes
A lot is known about the great world actor. Most of the information is contained in Wikipedia Louis de Funes. Here you can read about a man’s parents, his wives, and children. The page lists all the films in which the man played. This includes information about prizes and awards received by our hero.
Louis did not work on social networks, since at the time of his life there was no Internet. On Instagram, Odnoklassniki and VKontakte there are pages named after the star “Fantômas”. Here you can read about many events in the artist’s life. Here you can also view excerpts from various films by de Funes. They are often viewed by fans who regret that the great master of cinema passed away so early.
Writing activity
In addition to the above-mentioned book “Don’t talk too much about me, my children!”, written together with his brother, Patrick is the author of several other literary works.
Unfortunately, other books written by Patrick have not been translated into Russian, so they can only be found in the original language, that is, in French. The titles of the books in French are:
- Médecin malgré moi, Le Cherche midi (2008). In this literary work, Patrick tells the story of his professional medical activities, as well as how he made the choice of his profession. In fact, this book is his memoirs.
- La Folie de la grandeur, Le Cherche midi (2012). This book is also autobiographical and, traditionally for Patrick, is filled with sparkling humor and self-irony.
Patrick's literary talent is what made him famous. It was thanks to Patrick’s ability to beautifully express his thoughts in the text that the documentary film “Louis de Funès: The Comedy Man” (2003), for which he wrote the script, became one of the best documentaries about the legend of French humorous and family cinema Louis de Funès .
