Patrick Dewaere

Patrick Dewaere (26 January 1947 – 16 July 1982) was a French actor.

He was born in Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, France, the son of the French actress Madeleine (Mado) Maurin. For 11 years he was married to French actress Sotha. He committed suicide at age 35 by shooting himself with a rifle in Paris.

Short-lived Patrick Dewaere was one of the most promising and popular French actors of the '70s. In 1968, he joined Café de la Gare, the troupe of performers which also included such future stars as Gérard Depardieu and Miou-Miou. After initially appearing under the pseudonym Patrick Maurin, he finally opted for Dewaere, which was his grandmother's maiden name.

Onscreen from 1971 in various bit parts, Dewaere made the breakthrough with his first major role in Bertrand Blier's anarchic comedy Les Valseuses (1974) where he and Gérard Depardieu starred as two young delinquents. The actor would team up again with Depardieu in Blier's Oscar-winning comedy Preparez Vos Mouchoirs (1978).

Despite Dewaere's obvious talent for comedy, he was often successfully cast as a fragile, neurotic individual. Shortly after the release of Paradis Pour Tous (1982), a black comedy where his character committed suicide, the actor shot himself in his house. The Patrick Dewaere Award was established in France in 1983. The actor was the subject of the French documentary Patrick Dewaere, which was shown at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

Recently, Raphaël, a French singer, wrote a song in his honour, Chanson pour Patrick Dewaere (Song for Patrick Dewaere).

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