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1-8 of 8
- Actor
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Jean Marais was a popular French cinema actor and director who played over 100 roles in film and on television, and was also known for his many talents as a writer, painter and sculptor.
He was born Jean Alfred Villain-Marais on December 11, 1913, in Cherbourg, France. His father practiced veterinarian medicine, then fought in the World War I, and eventually left the family. Young Jean Marais was taken to Paris at the age of 4. There he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He attended the Lycée Condorcet, a prestigious State school where also studied his future film partners such as Louis de Funes and Jean Cocteau, and the faculty had such figures as Jean-Paul Sartre. At the age of 13, Marais dropped out of Lycee Condorcet, he tried several other schools, albeit he did not complete his college education, instead he was placed in a Catholic boarding school. At 16, he left school and became involved in amateur acting. After being rejected from drama schools, he took a job as a photographer's assistant and also worked as a caddy at a golf club.
In 1933 Marais made his film debut in Les Amoureux (1933) (aka.. Les Amoureux), by director Marcel L'Herbier. In 1937, at a stage rehearsal of 'King Aedipus', Marais met Jean Cocteau, and they remained close friends until Cocteau's death. Cocteau had a major influence on life and career of Jean Marais who appeared in almost every one of Cocteau's films. Together they made such classics as Beauty and the Beast (1946), Orpheus (1950) and Testament of Orpheus (1960), to name a few.
During the World War II, Marais was an actor in the occupied Paris. After liberation of Paris in 1944, he became a truck driver for the French Army, he was decorated for his courage. During the war Marais was married to his film partner, actress Mila Parély, and their marriage was blessed by Cocteau, who wanted Marais to be happy. Marais and Mila Parély divorced after two years of marriage, and shortly after their divorce, they worked together again in 'Beauty and the Beast' (1946), under directorship of Jean Cocteau. During the 1950s, Marais shot to international fame, after starring in films directed by Cocteau, Visconti, and others.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Marais went on to star in several popular comedies, such as the Fantomas (1964) trilogy by director André Hunebelle. He co-starred with many major French actors of the time, including such stars as Louis de Funès and Mylène Demongeot in the Fantomas trilogy, and also Jean Gabin, Guy Delorme, Bourvil, Danielle Darrieux, Michèle Morgan, and Yves Montand.
Jean Marais was also a remarkable stage actor known for his association with Théâtre de Paris, Théâtre de l'Atelie, and the Comédie Francaise, among others. Marais received numerous international awards and recognitions for his contribution to film art, including the French Legion of Honour (1996). He spent his later years living in his house in Vallaruis, in the South of France where he was involved in painting, sculpture and pottery, and was visited by Pablo Picasso and other cultural figures. Jean Marais died of a heart failure on November 8, 1998, in Cannes, France, and was laid to rest in the small Cemetiere de Vallauris, France.- Erol Tas was born on 28 February 1928 in Karaköse, Erzurum, Turkey. He was an actor, known for Yilmayan Seytan (1972), Diyet (1974) and Ince Cumali (1967). He died on 8 November 1998 in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Rumer Godden was brought up in India at the turn of the century. Her father worked for the Bengal Steamship Company and the family travelled around the India of The British Raj quite a bit. Rumer was a precocious child and wrote her auto-biography when she was only 6! As she grew up she became fascinated by the Indian peoples and the Hindu religion, especially their frank and open attitudes to sexuality in stark contrast to the British attitude prevalent at the time. She met Laurence Foster in the famous Tollygunge club in Calcutta. After a brief affair, Rumer became pregnant & they were married in Calcutta Cathedral. She never really loved him though and was almost relieved when their baby died after just 4 days. Foster was a keen sportsman and was soon travelling all over India playing golf and polo, leaving Rumer to her own devices. She opened a dancing school in Calcutta but, when she admitted Eurasian girls, the school was assumed to be a front for a brothel and she was ostracised by 'polite British society'. This left her free to explore India, the old palace and temples and get to know the people. One of her first books "The Lady and The Unicorn" (first published in 1938) was about the maltreatment of the Eurasians who were looked down upon by both the British & the Indians. Her next book "'Black Narcissus'" was first published in 1939 and has never been out of print since. This told the story of some of the British attempts (and failures) to integrate into and understand the Indian way of life and culture. It also presages the end of the British 'occupation' of India. Foster lost all his money on the stock exchange and left her to join the Army. Rumer went with her daughter Jane to Kashmir. On a trek in the hills, she miscarried. (She didn't even know she was pregnant). She collapsed, haemorrhaging severely and was only saved by the quick actions of her Kashmiri guide. She divorced Foster in 1942 and shortly afterwards collapsed from the combined effects of typhoid and overwork. While she convalesced in a mountain village she was caught up in the beginnings of the pre-independence riots. The final straw was when one of her servants tried to poison her and her children so she abandoned most of her belongings and fled back to England. When she arrived, on a troop ship, she weighed just 6 stone (84 pounds). She had left behind most of her possessions but she had with her the manuscript of "'The River'".
- Actress
Nevzat Okçugil was born on 16 April 1925 in Istanbul, Turkey. She was an actress, known for Cani (1977), Yilmaz Ali (1940) and Kerem ile Asli (1942). She was married to Sami Koray. She died on 8 November 1998 in Istanbul, Turkey.- John Hunt was born on 22 June 1910 in British India [now India]. He died on 8 November 1998 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
- Lonnie Pitchford was born on 8 October 1955 in Lexington, Mississippi, USA. He died on 8 November 1998 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Rod De Medici was born on 17 August 1901 in Spain. He was an actor. He died on 8 November 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Neil Roberts was born in 1948 in Wanganui, New Zealand. He was a producer, known for New Zealand at War (1995) and Magic Kiwis (1990). He died on 8 November 1998 in Auckland, New Zealand.