Leroy Haynes

Leroy Haynes (7 January 1914 – 1986) was an American restaurateur and actor. As an actor, he appeared in The Butterfly Affair, Bons Baisers de Hong Kong, and Ace High. His restaurant Chez Haynes in Paris, France, became an iconic restaurant that was visited by well known actors and entertainers.

Biography Leroy "Roughouse" Haynes was born Leroy Howard Milton Haynes in Clinton, Kentucky, United States, on January 7, 1914, to parents Robert Haynes and M. C. Curine Lena. A student of the arts, he was a Morehouse graduate who earned the nickname "Roughouse" from his football playing days. He enlisted in the U.S. army, serving from 1946 to 1949, during which time he went to Europe. While stationed in Germany, he would go to Paris, where he chose to remain after completing his service, leaving with the rank of a chief warrant officer in Europe. In 1949, he married Gabrielle Lecarbonnier, a young French woman. Together they opened "Gabby and Haynes", and later Chez Haynes. Culinary historian Adrian Miller in his book Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time (2013) quoted a newspaper saying in 1966 that the restaurant restaurant "would make Haynes America's unofficial ambassador to France for down home cooking and, later, for soul food." From the 1960s, he acted in movies of the gangster genre. He was also the president of the American Fellowship for a period of time.

Haynes died in 1986. His widow Maria dos Santos continued running the restaurant for 23 years after his death, until it closed in 2009.

Restaurant His soul food restaurant was opened in 1949. They would serve fried chicken and chitlins, beans and rice, mashed potatoes, and corn bread. The clientele included African Americans living in Paris, as well as others visiting, also white Europeans wanting to try the food. Haynes and his restaurant feature in the French film La Bonzesse (1974), directed by François Jouffa.

Actor In 1961, Haynes had an early film role was in Un nommé La Rocca, directed by Jean Becker. He then appeared in Le gorille a mordu l'archevêque in 1962. His last film roles included being in the 1975 Yvan Chiffre-directed Bons Baisers de Hong Kong (From Hong Kong with Love).

Filmography + Film Title Year Role Director Notes # Un nommé La Rocca 1961 Racketteur Jean Becker Uncredited Le gorille a mordu l'archevêque 1962 Maurice Labro Gendarme in New York 1965 Le chauffeur de taxi Jean Girault Trois chambres à Manhattan 1965 Marcel Carné Tendre voyou 1966 Le cuisinier du yacht Jean Becker Die Schatzinsel 1966 / 1967 Abraham Gray Wolfgang Liebeneiner groundbreaking German TV miniseries I quattro dell'Ave Maria 1968 Prize boxer Giuseppe Colizzi Uncredited Le cri du cormoran, le soir au-dessus des jonques 1971 Boubou Michel Audiard Uncredited Popsy Pop 1971 Ponchette Jean Herman Petroleum Girls 1971 Marquis Christian-Jaque, Guy Casaril L'Atlantide 1972 Bamako Jean Kerchbron TV movie L'ange de la rivière morte 1974 Big Joe Edouard Logereau TV movie Bons Baisers de Hong Kong 1975 Le gros noir Yvan Chiffre Le faucon 1983 Entraîneur boxe Paul Boujenah