Louis de Funès is a legend of French cinema. The actor was born in 1914 to a Spanish family living near Paris. His father was a respected lawyer, but gave up his career to deal in diamonds. The business quickly turned out to be a mistake, leading the family to bankruptcy. The actor’s mother could not cope with the problems, and her constant mood swings reflected on the children. It was her crazy behavior that de Funès modeled his heroes on.
Career beginnings. The turbulent life of Louis de Funès
Acting predispositions were discovered already at school, when he parodied teachers. Despite the makings of an actor, he chose a profession, from which he was quickly expelled. He planned to join the army, but his small stature caused the board to reject his application. Before he went to art school, he took various jobs: decorating shop windows, was an assistant accountant and even a painter.
His first wife was French tennis champion Germaine Carwire and they had a son, Daniel. De Funès did not participate in the upbringing of his son from the beginning. Shortly after his birth, World War II broke out, and the actor was drafted into the reserve for two years. Then he started working, playing the piano in various clubs and bars, which also meant that he was rarely at home.
During the theater workshops he attended, he met Jeanne Augustine Barthelemy. The acquaintance with the aristocrat soon turned into a romance and, at her instigation, de Funès abandoned the family, breaking off all contact with his firstborn. He married his mistress, and soon the couple welcomed two sons, Olivier and Patrick, into the world. It was thanks to his second wife that de Funès landed his first film role, which instead of being a success turned out to be a 43-second episode. The next chance did not come until a decade later.
The most famous comedian in the history of cinema. Health problems and unexpected death
By the end of the 1950s, de Funès had already scored several dozen episodic roles. The film “Black Market in Paris”, in which he played the role of Jambier, turned out to be a career pass, and subsequent roles only confirmed his skills. He was characterized by an unusual sense of humor, naturalness and expressive facial expressions. His breakthrough came when he was offered a role in Jean Girault’s comedy, in which he played Inspector Ludovic Cruchot. The role, which he reprized six more times, is the most famous of his career.
In 1975, the actor suffered a heart attack and had to stop working to take care of his health. He slowed down for a while, gave up the cigarettes he was addicted to, and started a restrictive diet. When he returned to the set, he stopped saving himself, which resulted in another heart attack.
In 1982, during a family trip to the mountains, the actor fell ill with the flu. For several weeks, he was treated with home remedies, because he was about to start working on the 7th part of “Gendarme” soon. Unfortunately, the improvement was not significant. On January 27, 1983, he went to bed earlier than usual. A few hours later, he suffered a third heart attack, which this time was fatal. Louis de Funes died at the age of 69.
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Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
