Jean Sorel

Jean Bernard Antoine de Chieusses de Combaud de Roquebrune (born 25 September 1934), known professionally as Jean Sorel , is a French actor. He was a leading man of European cinema during the 1960s and '70s, with a screen persona that often drew comparisons with Alain Delon.

Biography

Early life and family Sorel was born Jean Bernard Antoine de Chieusses de Combaud de Roquebrune in Marseille. His family was descended from the House of Capet. His father, Guy (Guillaume) de Combaud de Roquebrune, was a newspaper publisher and a member of the French Resistance who was killed in combat during World War II. Via his father, Sorel was the nephew of François de Menthon.

Initially planning to be a diplomat, Sorel studied international relations at the École normale supérieure, and worked as an embassy clerk in French Algeria from 1956 to 1957.

Acting career Sorel made his debut in I Spit on Your Graves (1957), an adaptation of the notorious Boris Vian novel of the same name. After several film appearances in his native country, Sorel made his breakthrough in Italian cinema in 1960, starring in Alberto Lattuada's Sweet Deceptions and Mauro Bolognini's From a Roman Balcony. He starred in Lucio Fulci's first two gialli One on Top of the Other and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, The Sweet Body of Deborah and A Quiet Place to Kill with Carroll Baker, and Aldo Lado's Short Night of Glass Dolls.

In 1973, Sorel played OAS leader Jean Bastien-Thiry in the thriller film The Day of the Jackal.

Since 1980, he has worked mostly in television. In 1984, he starred in the play Alice par des chemins obscurs, directed by Roger Planchon at the Théâtre National Populaire.

In 2016, he starred in the Élie Chouraqui film The Origin of Violence (2016).

Honours In 2011, Sorel was ascended a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. In 2018, he married Patricia Balme.

Filmography 1959: I Spit on Your Grave as Elmer 1960: Les Lionceaux as Patrice 1960: Sweet Deceptions as Renato 1960: From a Roman Balcony as David 1961: Long Live Henry IV... Long Live Love! as Prince de Condé 1961: Amelie or The Time to Love as Alain 1961: Gold of Rome as Massimo 1962: A View from the Bridge as Rodolpho 1962: Disorder as Andrea 1962: Adorable Julia as Tom Fennel 1962: The Four Days of Naples as Livornese (uncredited) 1962: as Erik Stein 1963: Germinal as Étienne Lantier 1963: Highway Pickup as Paul Genest 1963: Un marito in condominio as Renato Carcaterra 1964: Amori pericolosi as Il legionario (segment "La ronda") 1964: Circle of Love as Le comte 1964: All About Loving as Antoine 1965: The Dolls as Vincenzo (segment "Monsignor Cupido") 1965: Sandra as Gianni Wald-Luzzati 1965: Made in Italy as Orlando (segment 3 'La Donna', episode 3) 1965: Weekend, Italian Style as Sergio 1966: The Man Who Laughs as Angelo / Astorre Manfredi 1966: Sex Quartet as Luigi (segment "Fata Elena") 1967: Belle de jour as Pierre Serizy 1967: Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold as Franco 1968: The Sweet Body of Deborah as Marcel 1968: Adélaïde as Frédéric Cornault 1968: Love Problems as Giorgio 1968: The Protagonists as Roberto 1969: A Complicated Girl as Alberto 1969: One on Top of the Other as Dr. George Dumurrier 1969: L'amica as Franco Raimondi 1969: Model Shop as Secretary 1970: Kill the Fatted Calf and Roast It as Cesare Merlo 1970: A Quiet Place to Kill as Maurice Sauvage 1970: Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Fifth Floor Neighbour as Pedro Andreu 1971: A Lizard in a Woman's Skin as Frank Hammond 1971: Short Night of Glass Dolls as Gregory Moore 1971: In the Eye of the Hurricane as Paul 1971: The Double as Giovanni 1972: One Billion for a Blonde as Lt. Barney Holmes 1973: The Day of the Jackal as Bastien-Thiry 1973: Trader Horn as Emil DuMond 1973: Murder in a Blue World as Dr. Victor Sender 1973: The Great Kidnapping as Aloisi 1974: La profanazione as Dr. Banti 1975: Une vieille maîtresse (TV) as Ryno de Marigny 1977: Death Haunts Monica as Federico 1977: Les Enfants du placard as Berlu 1978: L'Affaire Suisse as Paul Suter 1978: The Man in the Rushes as Robert 1979: The Bronte Sisters as Leyland 1980: La Naissance du jour (TV) as Vial 1981: Quatre femmes, quatre vies: La belle alliance (TV) as Michel 1981: The Wings of the Dove as Lukirsh 1981: Aimée as Pierre Ménard 1981: Une mère russe (TV) as Le fils de 20 à 55 ans 1982: Aspern as Jean Decaux 1982: Le Cercle fermé (TV) as Jérôme Baron / Fabien Moreau 1982: La Démobilisation générale (TV) as Serge Boncourt 1982: Bonnie and Clyde Italian Style as The Captain 1983: Par ordre du Roy (TV) as Le marquis de Ganges (segment "La marquise des Anges") 1985: L'Herbe rouge (TV) as Wolf 1986: Affari di famiglia (TV) as Enrico 1986: Rosa la rose, fille publique as Gilbert 1987: Il Burbero as Giulio Machiavelli 1988: Le Crépuscule des loups (TV) as Werner 1988: Le Clan (feuilleton TV) as Giorgio Stivale 1989: Casablanca Express as Major Valmore 1990: Speaking of the Devil as Holy father 1990: Come una mamma (TV) 1990: Prigioniera di una vendetta (TV series) as Marc (1990) 1991: Millions as Leo Ferretti 1992: Les Cœurs brûlés (TV series) 1993: La scalata (TV series) as Alain Morrà 1993: Una madre come te (TV) 1995: Butterfly (TV series) 1995: Il prezzo della vita (TV) 1995: Fils unique 1995: Laura (TV) 1997: Desert of Fire (TV miniseries) as Miller 1997: Mamma per caso (TV series) as Giorgio 1997: Dove comincia il sole (TV series) as Antonio Amati 1998: À nous deux la vie (TV) as David 2004: Tout va bien c'est Noël! (TV) as Maxime 2005: I Colori della vita (TV) 2008: L'ultimo Pulcinella 2014: A Good Season (TV miniseries) 2016: Zambezia as Georges 2016: The Origin of Violence as Charles Wagner (final film role)