Jean Desailly

Jean Desailly (24 August 1920 – 11 June 2008) was a French actor. He was a member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 to 1946, and later participated in about 90 movies.

Life and career Desailly studied at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts and the Conservatoire de Paris winning first prize, joining the Comédie-Française in 1942. In 1946 he became a leading member of the Jean-Louis Barrault-Madeleine Renaud company at the Théâtre Marigny, playing in a wide repertoire from Les Fausses Confidences, Bérénice and Le Songe d'une nuit d'été.

With the Renaud-Barrault at the Odéon-Théâtre de France he played both leading roles in le Mariage de Figaro: Figaro on tour in the provinces and Count Almaviva in Paris.

Desailly's second wife was the French actress Simone Valère, with whom he formed a theatre company which they directed successively at the Théâtre Hébertot and the Théâtre de la Madeleine. A wide repertoire was played at the two theatres from 1972 to 2002.

In music he was the narrator on the 1965 recording of Stravinsky's Oedipus rex conducted by Karel Ančerl for Supraphon and on the 1971 recording of Honegger's Le roi David under Charles Dutoit for Erato (with Valère as the prophetess).

Partial filmography

1943: Strange Inheritance - Gilles Mauvoisin 1945: Father Goriot - Bianchon 1945: The Last Judgment - Kyril 1946: Sylvie and the Ghost - Frédéric 1946: Pastoral Symphony - Jacques Martens - son fils 1946: Patrie (directed by Louis Daquin) - Karloo 1946: The Revenge of Roger - Raymond de Noirville 1947: Loves, Delights and Organs - Jean Pelletier dit 'Pivoine' 1947: Four Knaves - Jacques de la Bastide 1948: Une grande fille toute simple - Michel 1949: L'échafaud peut attendre - Michel Vincent 1949: Daybreak - Larzac 1949: The Widow and the Innocent - Claude Girelle 1949: Keep an Eye on Amelia (Occupe-toi d'Amélie) - Marcel Courbois 1950: Chéri - Fred Peloux, dit 'Chéri' 1950: Véronique - Florestan 1951: Tomorrow We Get Divorced - Max Blachet 1952: Jocelyn - Jocelyn 1954: Royal Affairs in Versailles - Marivaux 1955: Les Grandes manoeuvres (directed by René Clair) - Victor Duverger 1955: On ne badine pas avec l'amour - Perdican 1958: Maigret tend un piège - Marcel Maurin 1958: Les Grandes Familles (directed by Denys de La Patellière) - François Schoudler 1959: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Sen noci svatojánské) (animation directed by Jiří Trnka) - Narrator (French version) (voice) 1959: 125 Rue Montmartre - Commissaire Dodelot 1959: Le secret du Chevalier d'Éon - Louis XV 1960: Préméditation - Le juge Lenoir 1960: The Baron of the Locks - Maurice Montbernon 1960: Le Saint mène la danse - Fred Pellmann 1960: Love and the Frenchwoman - Voice of the speaker (segment "Adolescence, L'") 1961: Un soir sur la plage - Dr. Francis 1961: La Mort de Belle (directed by Édouard Molinaro) - Stéphane Blanchon 1961: Legge di guerra - Rade 1961: Famous Love Affairs - Le baron de Jonchère (segment "Comédiennes, Les") 1962: The Seven Deadly Sins - Monsieur Duparc - le père de Bernard (segment "Luxure, La") 1962: Le Doulos (directed by Jean-Pierre Melville) - Le commissaire Clain 1964: Graduation Year - M. Terrenoire 1964: The Soft Skin (La Peau douce) (directed by François Truffaut) (nominated for the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 1964; received the Bodil Award for Best European Film in 1965) - Pierre Lachenay 1965: The Two Orphans - Le comte de Linières 1966: De Dans van de Reiger - Edouard 1967: The 25th Hour - Cabinet Minister 1967: Le Franciscain de Bourges - Monsieur Toledano 1967: La Vie parisienne (directed by Yves-André Hubert) (television version of 1958 stage production by Jean-Louis Barrault) - Raoul de Gardefeu 1970: L'ardoise - Le commissaire Clair 1971: Comptes à rebours - Michel St Rose 1972: The Assassination of Trotsky - Alfred Rosmer 1972: Un flic - L'homme distingué 1972-1973: Les Rois maudits (TV Mini-Series) - Récitant / Narrator 1973: The Inheritor - Jean-Pierre Carnavan 1973: Night Flight from Moscow - Narrator (voice, uncredited) 1974: The Irony of Chance - M. Desvrières 1979: Le cavaleur - Charles-Edmond 1979: Jeu de la barbichette - Le directeur de la Police Judiciaire 1979: Le mouton noir - De Brugères 1980: Pile ou face - Bourgon-Massenet 1981: Le Professionnel (won the Golden Screen Award, 1983) - Le ministre 1984: Le fou du roi - Louis XIV 1990: Équipe de nuit - Le père 1990: Le Radeau de la Méduse - Tullaye 1999: La dilettante - Edmond Thibault 2000: En face - (voice) (final film role)

Awards and nominations 1960: Nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1960, for his role in Maigret tend un piège. 2002: Awarded the Molière acting prize.