Claude Giraud

Claude Pierre Edmond Giraud (; 5 February 1936 in Chamalières – 3 November 2020 in Saint-Priest-des-Champs) was a French actor.

Career Claude Giraud studied with Tania Balachova at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier; Berthe Bovy and Jean Meyer at the École de la rue Blanche (École nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre, ENSATT). In November 1957 he was accepted as a student at CNSAD Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique, where he studied with Jean Debucourt and Fernand Ledoux. Upon his graduation he was the first male student to win all three categories during the Concourse (Classical Comedy, Modern Comedy, Tragedy). In 1962 he was the first recipient of the newly created Prix Gérard Philipe. He was engaged at the Comédie Française in 1962 as a pensionnaire. Besides his debut role as Valère in Molière's The Miser, he played Arsace in Corneille's Bérénice, and the narrator in the stage adaptation of André Gide's short story Le retour de l'enfant prodigue (The Return of the Prodigal Son). Disappointed that he was only cast in small roles, he left the Comédie Française after a few months to start his film career. He played the leading role as Capitaine Langlois in François Leterrier's movie adaptation of Jean Giono's novel A King Without Distraction in 1962. He was Oedipus in the film adaptation of Jean Cocteau's The Infernal Machine. He joined the Compagnie Marie Bell to play a US tour in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., and Princeton in October–November 1963. For his presentation of Hippolite in Phèdre and Titus in Bérénice at The Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, he was awarded the Theater World Award. He played the role of the soldier Georges in Roger Vadim's Circle of Love, a film adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's scandalous play La Ronde (play). Between 1964 and 1966, Claude Giraud played the part of Philippe de Plessis-Bellières beside Michèle Mercier in three Angélique films: Angélique, Marquise des Anges, Marvelous Angelique, and Angelique and the King. He returned to the Comédie Française in 1972 and became the 460th sociétaire in 1976. He left again in 1982 to join Jean-Laurent Cochet's newly created Théâtre Hébertot.

Giraud gained fame in TV series as hero Morgan/Jacques de Saint-Hermine in the adventure series Les Compagnons de Jéhu by Michel Drach adapted from the eponymous novel by Alexandre Dumas. Bernard Toublanc-Michel engaged him in 1967 for the role of d'Aulnay in Adolphe ou l'âge tendre. The TV series Les rois maudits, where he played the role of Sir Roger Mortimer, was another huge success. In 1973, he played the fictional Arab revolutionary leader Mohamed Larbi Slimane, who poses as Rabbi Zeiligman in The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob with Louis de Funès. In the TV movie Mamie Rose (1976) he played Claude Jade's husband Régis, whose marriage is saved by an au-pair granny played by Gisèle Casadesus.

Other TV series include Mathias Sandorf (1979), in which he played corrupt banker Silas Toronthal, based on Jules Verne's eponymous novel.

Personal life and death Giraud married Catherine Marquand (1943-2012), a fellow acting student at the Conservatoire, in 1963. They had a son, Louis (*1963), and a daughter, Marianne (*1966), who is also an actress and married to French actor and director Jean Martinez.

Since 1987, he lived in Vernadel near Saint-Priest-des-Champs in Auvergne, where he owned a Connemara stud farm, Haras du Boissis.

Claude Giraud died age 84 on 3 November 2020 in Saint-Priest-des-Champs and was buried there on 7 November 2020.

Theater Year Title Author Director Role Name of Theater Notes 1962 Bérénice Jean Racine Arsace Comédie-Française 17 performances 1964 Qui a peur de Virginia Woolf ? Edward Albee Franco Zeffirelli Nick Théâtre de la Renaissance 1962–64 Phèdre Jean Racine Raymond Gérôme Hippolyte Théâtre du Gymnase Marie Bell Claude Giraud was awarded the Theatre World Award 1967 La Promesse Aleksei Arbuzov Michel Fagadau Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse 1969 Macbeth William Shakespeare Jean Meyer Théâtre des Célestins, Lyon 1969 Le Gardien (Pinter) (The Caretaker) Harold Pinter Jean-Laurent Cochet Mick Théâtre de Paris, previously called Théâtre Moderne 1971 Le Gardien (Pinter) (The Caretaker) Harold Pinter Jean-Laurent Cochet Mick Théâtre des Célestins, Lyon Tournées Herbert-Karsenty 1972 Tu étais si gentil quand tu étais petit Jean Anouilh Jean Anouilh and Roland Piétri Égisthe Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau 1972 Œdipe roi, Œdipe à Colone Sophocles Jean-Paul Roussillon Comédie-Française at The Festival d'Avignon 1972 Richard III William Shakespeare, adapted by Jean-Louis Curtis Terry Hands Édouard IV Comédie-Française 1973 L'Impromptu de Versailles Molière Pierre Dux Comédie-Française 1973 Les Caprices de Marianne Alfred de Musset Jean-Laurent Cochet Octave Comédie-Française 1974 La Nostalgie, camarade François Billetdoux Jean-Paul Roussillon Comédie-Française (Odéon) 1974 Coriolan William Shakespeare Jean Meyer Festival de Lyon 1975 Horace Pierre Corneille Jean-Pierre Miquel Curiace Comédie-Française1976 La Nuit des rois (Twelfth Night) William Shakespeare Terry Hands Antonio Comédie-Française (Odéon) 1976 Cyrano de Bergerac Edmond Rostand Jean-Paul Roussillon Christian Comédie-Française (Odéon) 1976 Le Misanthrope Molière Jean-Laurent Cochet Festival de Sarlat 1976 Lorenzaccio Alfred de Musset Franco Zeffirelli Scoroncocolo Comédie-Française 1977 Les Bacchantes Euripide Michael Cacoyannis Penthée Comédie-Française (Odéon) 1977 Doit-on le dire ? Eugène Labiche Jean-Laurent Cochet Gargaret Comédie-Française 1978–1979 La Trilogie de la villégiature Carlo Goldoni Giorgio Strehler Leonardo Comédie-Française (Odéon) 1979 Le Malade imaginaire Molière Jean-Laurent Cochet Béralde Comédie-Française 1980 Simul et singulis – 1ère période 1680–1780 Simon Eine Comédie-Française 1980 La Révolte Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam Alain Halle-Halle Félix Comédie-Française 1981 Médée Euripide Jean Gillibert Créon Comédie-Française Festival d'Avignon 1983 29 degrés à l'ombre Eugène Labiche Jean-Laurent Cochet Théâtre Hébertot 1983 Moi (Labiche) Eugène Labiche Jean-Laurent Cochet Théâtre Hébertot 1983 Le Misanthrope Molière Jean-Laurent Cochet Théâtre Hébertot 1987 Ponce Pilate, procureur de Judée Robert Manuel Performed on cruise liner Mermoz (later renamed MV Serenade) 1990 La Cerisaie Anton Chekhov Jacques Rosny Théâtre de la Madeleine 1990 L'Aiglon Edmond Rostand Jean-Luc Tardieu Festival d'Anjou 1992 Chantecler Edmond Rostand Jean-Paul Lucet Théâtre antique de Fourvière 1997 Dimanche prochain Pierre Charras Gérard Maro Théâtre de l'Œuvre 1998 Horace Pierre Corneille Marion Bierry Théâtre de l'Œuvre 2000 Henry Becque Jean-Laurent Cochet 2005 Charlotte Corday Daniel Colas Daniel Colas Petit-Hébertot

Filmography Year Title English Title Director Role Notes 1963 Un roi sans divertissement A King Without Distraction François Leterrier Le capitaine Langlois Screenplay by Jean Giono, based on his eponymous novel 1963 La Machine infernale The Infernal Machine (play) Claude Loursais Œdipe Television film1964 Cinna (Corneille) Cinna (play) Jean Kerchbron Cinna Pierre Corneille 1964 Angélique, Marquise des Anges Angélique, Marquise des Anges Bernard Borderie Philippe de Plessis-Bellière Based on the eponymous novel by Anne Golon and Serge Golon 1964 La Ronde Circle of Love Roger Vadim Georges Based on La Ronde (play) by Arthur Schnitzler 1965 Merveilleuse Angélique Merveilleuse Angélique Bernard Borderie Philippe de Plessis-Bellière Based on the novel by Anne Golon and Serge Golon 1966 Angélique et le Roy Angelique and the King Bernard Borderie Philippe de Plessis-Bellière Based on the eponymous novel by Anne Golon and Serge Golon 1968 Bernard Toublanc-Michel d'Aulnay Based on the 1816 French novel Adolphe by Benjamin Constant 1968 Phèdre (film, 1968)|fr Pierre Jourdan Hippolyte Based on the tragedy by Jean Racine 1973 Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob Gérard Oury Mohamed Larbi Slimane / Rabbi ZeiligmanGolden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Film (France) 1974 La guerre du pétrole n'aura pas lieu La guerre du pétrole n'aura pas lieu Souheil Ben-Barka Tourner Entered into the 9th Moscow International Film Festival. 1989 Roger Coggio Le comte Almaviva 1989 Patrice Ambard Laporte 1994 L'Ange noir Jean-Claude Brisseau Romain Bousquet

TV films and series

1963: La Machine infernale by Jean Cocteau, directed by Claude Loursais: Œdipe 1964: Le Commandant Watrin, adapted from the eponymous novel by Armand Lanoux, directed by Jacques Rutman: François Soubeyrac 1965: Cinna by Pierre Corneille, directed by Jean Kerchbron: Cinna 1966: Les Compagnons de Jéhu, adapted from the eponymous novel by Alexandre Dumas, directed by Michel Drach : Morgan (Jacques de Saint-Hermine) 1967: Sébastien parmi les hommes (Belle, Sebastian and the Horses (TV Mini-series) by Cécile Aubry: Pierre Maréchal 1971: Tartuffe by Molière, directed by Marcel Cravenne: Cléante 1972: Les Rois maudits by Claude Barma : Lord Roger Mortimer (2 episodes, 1973: Le lis et le lion; La louve de France) 1974: Madame Bovary by Pierre Cardinal : Rodolphe Boulanger 1975: Mamie Rose (TV film) by Pierre Goutas : Régis 1976: Milady after the eponymous novel by Paul Morand, directed by François Leterrier: Grumbach 1977: Le Loup blanc after the eponymous novel by Paul Féval, directed by Jean-Pierre Decourt: Hervé de Vaunoy 1977: Richelieu, le cardinal de velours by Jean-Pierre Decourt: La Valette (4 episodes) 1979: Mathias Sandorf by Jean-Pierre Decourt: Silas Toronthal 1979: La Trilogie de la villégiature by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Giorgio Strehler: Leonardo 1981: Les Fiancées de l'Empire by Jacques Doniol-Valcroze: Maxime d'Aurillac 1982: Venise en hiver by Jacques Doniol-Valcroze: André Merrest 1983: L'Homme de la nuit by Juan Luis Buñuel: Franck 1986: À nous les beaux dimanches by Robert Mazoyer: Charles-Edgar Moreau 1988: Les Cinq Dernières Minutes, by Gilles Combet, 1 episode (Un modèle de genre): Paul 1992: La Cavalière (TV film in 2 parts) by Philippe Monnier (part 2): William Gordon-Thomas 1993: Des héros ordinaires by Yvan Butler (1 episode, Les Saigneurs): Plessis 1994: Les Cordier, juge et flic (Une mort programmée): Ackmann 2000: Julie Lescaut (Soupçon d'euthanasie): Danteille 2000: Une femme d'honneur by Philippe Monnier: Michel Durieux 2005: Le Fantôme du lac by Philippe Niang: Victor Lanzi

Recordings (selected) 1965, La Compagnie Marie Bell, Phèdre (Racine)