Jacques Sernas

Jokūbas Bernardas Šernas (30 July 1925 – 3 July 2015), commonly known as Jacques Sernas and sometimes credited as Jack Sernas, was a Lithuanian-born French actor with an international film career.

Biography

He was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, the son of Jokūbas Šernas, a signatory of the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania, who died when Sernas was one year old. His mother took him to Paris, France, where Sernas received his formal education. During World War II, he joined the French Resistance and was captured and interned at the Nazi Buchenwald concentration camp, near Weimar, Germany. After the war, Sernas was considering a career in medicine and then in journalism before turning to films. His first role was in Miroir (1946).

In June 1955 Sernas married the Roman journalist Maria Stella Signorini. They had a daughter Francesca born in 1956.

Career Sernas worked first as a leading man and later as a character actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Paris in the epic film Helen of Troy (1956).

Sernas also appeared on American television, including the lead role in the 1956 Warner Brothers time travel production "Man from 1997" featuring James Garner.

His more recent appearances have included appearing as a Cardinale Feltin in the television biographical film John XXIII: The Pope of Peace (2002) and as Ambasciatore in the television comedy film (2005). For the last 30 years Sernas lived and worked in Rome.

Filmography

Title Year Genre Role Notes Mirror 1947 Battling-Joe L'idole 1948 Lost Youth 1948 drama Stefano Manfredi Nastro d'Argento Best Actor Letter at Dawn 1948 Mario Maggi La Révoltée 1948 Rudy Jean de la Lune 1949 Alexandre - le nouvel adorateur de Marceline The Mill on the Po 1949 drama Orbino Verginesi Il falco rosso 1949 Raniero d'Atri The Wolf of the Sila 1949 drama Salvatore Barra Golden Salamander 1950 adventure Max The Sky Is Red 1950 Tullio Pact with the Devil 1950 drama Hearts at Sea 1950 Paolo Silvestri Fugitive in Trieste 1951 historical Giulio Barbe-Bleue 1951 Giglio Bluebeard 1951 Florian The Last Sentence 1951 drama Piero Red Shirts 1952 Historical Gentile I figli non si vendono 1952 Carlo Dazzeni / Roberto Dazzeni The Angels of the District 1952 Mario The Mute of Portici 1952 drama Uncredited Finishing School 1953 Jean-Jacques Lulu 1953 comedy Mario L'envers du paradis 1953 Blaise d'Orliac I Always Loved You 1953 Carlo Sua altezza ha detto: no! 1953 Dieci canzoni d'amore da salvare 1953 drama Pietro Niccoli, The songwriter Terra straniera 1954 100 Years of Love 1954 Roberto aka Roby, Lucia's Husband (segment "Amore 1954") Maddalena 1954 drama Giovanni Belloni Il grande addio 1954 Barrier of the Law 1954 Aldo Loving You Is My Sin 1954 drama Count Giorgio Danieli Jump into Hell 1955 adventure Captain Guy Bertrand Helen of Troy 1956 epic Paris Altair 1956 drama De Montel The Goddess of Love 1957 Laertes C'est la faute d'Adam 1957 Gérard Sandret Pia de' Tolomei 1958 Ghino Perticari Vite perdute 1959 The Baron Venetian Honeymoon 1959 Bob Lebel Nel Segno di Roma 1959 Julianus World of Miracles 1959 Marco Valenti The Secret Nights of Lucrezia Borgia 1959 Frederico 1959 The Baron (Vite perdute) The Loves of Salammbo 1960 Mathos La dolce vita 1960 Divo Culpables 1960 Emilio The Huns 1960 Malok (La regina dei tartari) Love in Rome 1960 Tony Meneghini Maciste contro il vampiro 1961 Kurtick Duel of Champions 1961 Marcus The Centurion 1961 historical drama Caius Vinicius Duel of the Titans 1961 Curtius 1961 Jefferson Thompson The Slave 1962 Vetius - companion of late Spartacus 55 Days at Peking 1963 epic Maj. Bobrinski Last Plane to Baalbek 1964 Nick Mann The Dirty Game 1965 Spy film Sernas Balearic Caper 1966 Pierre For a Few Extra Dollars 1966 Spaghetti Western Major Sanders American Secret Service 1968 Midas Run 1969 comedy Paul Giroux Hornets' Nest 1970 war Major Taussig Super Fly T.N.T. 1973 Matty Smith E cominciò il viaggio nella vertigine 1974 Children of Rage 1975 war Dr. Ben-Joseph Last Feelings 1978 Sports Director The Skin 1981 Gen Guillaume L'Addition 1984 Prison guard Io, Peter Pan 1989 Bernard Luna di sangue 1989 Dottor Marc Duvivier The Miser 1990 Don Guglielmo The African Woman 1990 Dr. Wargnier Caldo soffocante 1991 Il presidente Coppia omicida 1998 Godard Amor nello specchio 1999 Principe Bassompierre John XXIII: The Pope of Peace 2002 biographical Cardinale Feltin TV movie 2005 comedy Ambasciatore TV movie