Gérard Philipe

Gérard Philipe (4 December 1922 – 25 November 1959) was a prominent French actor, who had appeared in 34 films between 1944 and 1959.

Born Gérard Philip in Cannes, France as a teenager Philipe took acting lessons before going to Paris to study at the Conservatoire of Dramatic Art. When 19 years old, he made his stage debut at a theater in Nice; and the following year his strong performance in the Albert Camus play, Caligula, brought an invitation to work with the Théâtre national populaire (T.N.P.) in Paris and Avignon, whose festival, founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, is France's oldest and most famous.

Philipe made his film debut in Les Petites du Quai aux Fleurs (1943) and after a few more minor film roles, he rocketed to fame as a result of his performance in Claude Autant-Lara's Devil in the Flesh (1947). Adored by women for his good looks, Gérard Philipe was also a very talented actor and highly regarded by his peers. He played roles as diverse as Faust and Modigliani and he was sought out by France's preeminent directors for his versatility and professionalism.

In 1951, Philipe married Nicole Fourcade (1917–1990), an actress/writer, with whom he had two children. She adopted the pseudonym, Anne Philipe, and wrote about her husband in two books, the first called Souvenirs (1960) and a second biography titled Le Temps d'un soupir (No Longer Than a Sigh, 1963).

Recognized worldwide for his talent, he was at the pinnacle of his career when he died from liver cancer while working on a film project in Paris, a few days short of his 37th birthday. (His doctors concealed from him the nature of his disease.) He is buried in the village cemetery in Ramatuelle, Var near theMediterranean Sea coast.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of film in 1995, the French government issued a series of limited edition coins that included a 100 Franc coin bearing the image of Philipe. Among the most popular French actors of modern times, he has been elevated to near-legendary status in his homeland, not least because of his early death at the peak of his popularity. In 1986, his portrait appeared on a French commemorative postage stamp. There is a film festival named in his honour as well as a number of theaters and schools (such as the College Gérard Philipe - Cogolin) in various parts of France. In Germany he has been scarcely less respected than in his native country; a theater has been named after him in Berlin.

• Les Petites du Quai aux Fleurs (1944)
• L'Idiot (1946)
• Devil in the Flesh (1947)
• La chartreuse de Parme (1948)
• Une si jolie petite plage (1949)
• La Ronde (1950)
• Juliette ou La clef des songes (1951)
• Fanfan la Tulipe (1952)
• The Seven Deadly Sins (1952)
• Les Belles de nuit (1952)
• It Happened in the Park (1953)
• Si Versailles m'était conté (1953)
• Les Orgueilleux (1953)
• The Red and the Black (1954)
• Monsieur Ripois (1954)
• Les Grandes Manœuvres (1955)
• Si Paris nous était conté (1956)
• Montparnasse 19 (1957)
• Le Joueur (1958)
• La Vie à deux (1958)
• Les Liaisons dangereuses (1959)
• La fièvre monte à El Pao (1959)