François Périer

François Périer (; born François Pillu; 10 November 1919 – 28 June 2002) was a French actor renowned for his expressiveness and diversity of roles.

Career He made over 110 film and TV appearances from 1938 to 1996, with notable excursion into the French avant-garde. He was also prominent in the theatre. Among his better-known parts was that of Hugo in the first production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains Sales in 1948. He was the narrator of the French-language version of Fantasia, and he made several commercial audio recordings (with commentary) popularizing classical music in France. In 1957, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Gervaise.

Personal life Périer was born in Paris, France on 10 November 1919. He had two children with his first wife, Jacqueline Porel: photographer Jean-Marie and journalist Anne-Marie. He died on 29 June 2002 in Paris of a heart attack during his sleep.

His remains were interred at Passy Cemetery in Paris next to those of the stage and silent film actress Réjane (1856–1920), who was the grandmother of Périer's first wife.

Filmography

1938: Mother Love (directed by Jean Boyer) - Batilly 1938: Hôtel du Nord (directed by Marcel Carné) - Adrien 1939: La Fin du jour (directed by Julien Duvivier) - Le journaliste 1939: The Fatted Calf (directed by Serge de Poligny) - Gaston Vachon 1939: Nightclub Hostess (directed by Albert Valentin) - Jean 1941: Le Duel (directed by Pierre Fresnay) - Jean 1941: First Ball (directed by Christian-Jaque) - Ernest Vilar 1941: Happy Days (directed by Jean de Marguenat) - Bernard 1942: Love Marriage (directed by Henri Decoin) - Pierre 1942: Love Letters (directed by Claude Autant-Lara) - François de Portal 1943: The White Truck (directed by Léo Joannon) - François Ledru - un jeune garagiste 1943: La Ferme aux loups (directed by Richard Pottier) - Bastien 1944: Bonsoir mesdames, bonsoir messieurs (directed by Roland Tual) - Dominique Verdelet 1944: L'Enfant de l'amour (directed by Jean Stelli) - Maurice Orland 1946: Sylvie and the Ghost (directed by Claude Autant-Lara) - Ramure 1946: La Tentation de Barbizon (directed by Jean Stelli) - Le diable et Ben Atkinson / The Devil 1946: Au petit bonheur (directed by Marcel L'Herbier) - Denis Carignol 1946: Un revenant (directed by Christian-Jaque) - François Nisard 1947: Le Silence est d'or (directed by René Clair) - Jacques Francet 1948: Une jeune fille savait (directed by Maurice Lehmann) - 'Coco' Levaison 1948: The Loves of Colette (directed by Jean Faurez) - François Lecoc 1948: Woman Without a Past (directed by Gilles Grangier) - Michel 1949: Jean de la Lune (directed by Marcel Achard) - Clotaire dit Cloclo - le frère fantasque et envahissant de Marceline 1949: Retour à la vie (directed by Georges Lampin) - Antoine (segment 2 : "Le retour d'Antoine") 1950: Sorceror (directed by Henri Calef) - Michel Riverain 1950: Orphée (directed by Jean Cocteau) - Heurtebise 1950: The Little Zouave (directed by Gilles Grangier) - M. Denis 1950: Old Boys of Saint-Loup (directed by Georges Lampin) - Charles Merlin 1950: Souvenirs perdus (directed by Christian-Jaque) - Jean-Pierre Delagrange (episode "Une couronne mortuaire") 1951: L'Affaire Manet (directed by Jean Aurel) (court-métrage) (voice) 1951: Sous le ciel de Paris (directed by Julien Duvivier) - Récitant (voice) 1951: My Seal and Them (directed by Pierre Billon) - François Verville 1952: Love, Madame (directed by Gilles Grangier) - François Célerier 1952: She and Me (directed by Guy Lefranc) - Jean Montaigu 1953: A Woman's Treasure (directed by Jean Stelli) - François Delaroche 1953: Jeunes mariés (directed by Gilles Grangier) - Jacques Delaroche 1953: Capitaine Pantoufle (directed by Guy Lefranc) - Emmanuel Bonavent 1953: (directed by Jean Image) - Narrator (voice) 1953: It Happened in the Park (Villa Borghese) (directed by Vittorio De Sica and Gianni Franciolini) - Il professore di greco (segment: Pi-greco) 1954: Quelques pas dans la vie (Tempi nostri) (directed by Alessandro Blasetti and Paul Paviot) - Lui 1954: Secrets d'alcôve (directed by Jean Delannoy) - Bertrand Germain-Latour (segment "Lit de la Pompadour, Le") 1954: Scènes de ménage (directed by André Berthomieu) - Trielle 1954: Cadet Rousselle (directed by André Hunebelle) - Cadet Rousselle 1955: Stopover in Orly (directed by Jean Dréville) - Pierre Brissac 1955: Le Ciel de lit (directed by Marcel L'Herbier) (TV Movie) 1955: The Fugitives (directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois) - François 1956: The Man Who Never Was (L'Homme qui n'a jamais existé) (directed by Ronald Neame) - Clerk of British Embassy (uncredited) 1956: Gervaise (directed by René Clément) - Henri Coupeau - le second compagnon de Gervaise, un ouvrier zingueur 1956: I'll Get Back to Kandara (directed by Victor Vicas) - André Barret 1957: Que les hommes sont bêtes (directed by Roger Richebé) - Roland Devert 1957: The She-Wolves (directed by Luis Saslavsky) - Gervais Larauch / Bernard Pradal 1957: Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria) (directed by Federico Fellini) - Oscar D'Onofrio 1957: Anyone Can Kill Me (directed by Henri Decoin) - Paul - le directeur de la prison 1957: Charming Boys (directed by Henri Decoin) - Robert 1958 : La Création du monde (directed by Eduard Hofman) - Récitant / Narrator (voice) 1958: La Bigorne (directed by Robert Darène) - La Bigorne 1958: Maxime (directed by Henri Verneuil) - Récitant / Narrator (voice, uncredited) 1958: L'Américain se détend (directed by François Reichenbach) (court-métrage) - Récitant (voice) 1959: (directed by Étienne Périer) - Tony Varlet / Bobosse / Les six jurés / Le président du Tribunal / L'avocat général / L'avocat / Le garde 1959: Les Affreux (directed by Marc Allégret) - (voice) 1959: Il Magistrato (directed by Luigi Zampa) - Luigi Bonelli 1960: Le Testament d'Orphée (directed by Jean Cocteau) - Heurtebise (uncredited) 1960: Lovers on a Tightrope (directed by Jean-Charles Dudrumet) - Daniel 1960: La Française et l'amour (directed by Christian-Jaque) - Michel (segment "Divorce, Le") 1960: Jack of Spades (directed by Yves Allégret) 1960: Zaa, petit chameau blanc (directed by Jacques Poitrenaud) (court-métrage) - (voice) 1961: Les Amours de Paris (directed by Jacques Poitrenaud) - Maurice Lasnier 1961: L'Amant de cinq jours (directed by Philippe de Broca) - Georges 1961: Réveille-toi chérie (directed by ) - Robert 1962: Girl on the Road (directed by Jacqueline Audry) - L'homme de 40 ans 1962: Le Crime ne paie pas (directed by Gérard Oury) - Récitant / Narrator (voice) 1962: Mandrin (directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) 1963: The Bamboo Stroke (directed by Jean Boyer) - Léon Brissac 1963: Les Veinards (directed by Jean Girault) - Jérôme Boisselier (segment "Le manteau de vison") 1963: Dragées au poivre (directed by Jacques Baratier) - Legrand (le nounou 1) 1963: Les Camarades (I Compagni) (directed by Mario Monicelli) - Maestro Di Meo 1963: La Visita (directed by Antonio Pietrangeli) - Adolfo Di Palma 1964: Week-end à Zuydcoote (directed by Henri Verneuil) - Alexandre 1967: Un homme de trop (directed by Costa-Gavras) - Moujon 1967: Le Samouraï (directed by Jean-Pierre Melville) - Le Commissaire 1969: Z (directed by Costa-Gavras) - Le procureur 1968: Les Gauloises bleues (directed by Michel Cournot) - Le juge 1970: Les Caprices de Marie (directed by Philippe de Broca) - Jean-Jules de Lépine 1970: Le Cercle rouge (directed by Jean-Pierre Melville) - Santi 1970: Tumuc Humac (directed by Jean-Marie Périer) - Le juge 1971: Max et les ferrailleurs (directed by Claude Sautet) - Rosinsky 1971: Juste avant la nuit (directed by Claude Chabrol) - François Tellier 1972: La Nuit Bulgare (directed by Michel Mitrani) - Lafond 1972: L'Attentat (directed by Yves Boisset) - Le commissaire René Rouannat - un flic honnête 1973: Témoignages (directed by Jean-Marie Périer) (TV series) - Lui 1973: Nous voulons les colonels (directed by Mario Monicelli) - Onorevole Luigi Di Cori 1974: Antoine and Sebastian (directed by Jean-Marie Périer) - Antoine 1974: Stavisky... (directed by Alain Resnais) - Albert Borelli 1975: Sara (directed by Marcel Bluwal) (TV movie) - Restif de la Bretonne 1975: Docteur Françoise Gailland (directed by Jean-Louis Bertucelli) - Gérard Gailland 1976: Police Python 357 (directed by Alain Corneau) - Commissaire Ganay 1977: Baxter, Vera Baxter (directed by Marguerite Duras) - Jean Baxter (voice) 1978: La Raison d'état (directed by André Cayatte) - le professeur Marrot 1978: Mazarin (directed by Pierre Cardinal) (TV miniseries) - Mazarin 1979: The Police War (directed by Robin Davis) - Colombani 1980: Le Bar du téléphone (directed by Claude Barrois) - Commissaire Claude Joinville 1983: Le Battant (directed by Robin Davis and Alain Delon) - Gino Ruggieri 1983: Thérèse Humbert (directed by Marcel Bluwal) (TV movie) - Me Dumort 1984: La piovra (directed by Damiano Damiani (TV miniseries) - Avvocato Terrasini 1984: Le Tartuffe (directed by Gérard Depardieu) - Orgon 1984: Jacques le fataliste et son maître (directed by Claude Santelli) (TV movie) - Denis Diderot 1985: La piovra, (directed by Florestano Vancini) (TV miniseries) - Avvocato Terrasini 1987: La piovra, (directed by Luigi Perelli) (TV miniseries) - Avvocato Terrasini 1987: Soigne ta droite (directed by Jean-Luc Godard) - L'homme 1990-1991: (directed by Jean Delannoy) (TV series) - Berthomieu / Berthomieu, dit 'Le vieux' / Le Vieux 1990: Lacenaire (directed by Francis Girod) - Le père de Lacenaire 1991: Madame Bovary (directed by Claude Chabrol) - Récitant / Narrator (voice) 1991: La Pagaille (directed by Pascal Thomas) - Gabriel 1992: Voyage à Rome (directed by Michel Lengliney) - Le père 1996: Mémoires d'un jeune con (directed by Patrick Aurignac) - Le père de Frédéric