Louis de Funès (1914-1983)


The French actor Louis de Funès is best remembered for his erratic performances as the GENDARME DE ST. TROPEZ. He made six GENDARME-movies, the first one in 1964 (which made him an international star) and the last one in 1982 (which was his very last film before his death).
The reason why he appears here is that he was (and remains) a cult comedian. His comic talent was unique and he acted in many delightful comedies. He received his only directorial credit in L'AVARE, which was one of his last and also one of his most ambitious projects.
De Funès has been compared to the comedy stars of the silent screen age with all his grimacing and gesticulating. To decide upon his best films is nearly impossible, since he made so many hilarious motion pictures (mostly with Jean Girault as a director). Here are some movies which are especially recommended to those who haven't seen any of his: JO, LE PETIT BAIGNEUR, LE GENDARME DE ST. TROPEZ, FANTOMAS, LES AVENTURES DE RABBI JACOB, LA SOUPE AUX CHOUX and LE TATOUÉ.
Bafflingly, de Funès was born on the same day as Italian horror maestro Mario Bava.

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Filmography:

Tentation de Barbizon, La (1945; act)
Six heures à perdre (1946; act)
Dernier refuge (1946; act)
Croisière pour l'inconnu (1947; act)
Antoine et Antoinette (1947; act; aka Antoine and Antoinette)
Du Guesclin (1948; act)
Vient de paraître (1949; act)
Un certain monsieur (1949; act)
Rendez-vous avec la chance (1949; act)
Pas de week-end pour notre amour (1949; act)
Mon ami Sainfoin (1949; act)
Mission à Tanger (1949; act)
Millionnaires d'un jour (1949; act; aka A Simple Case of Money)
Je n'aime que toi (1949; act)
Au revoir M. Grock (1949; act; aka Clear the Ring)
Adémaï au poste frontière (1949; act)
Sans laisser d'adresse (1950; act)
Rose rouge, La (1950; act)
Roi du bla bla bla, Le (1950; act)
Knock (1950; act; aka Dr. Knock)
Folie douce (1950; act)
Bibi Fricotin (1950; act)
Amant de paille, L' (1950; act)
Rue sans loi, La (1950; act)
Un amour de parapluie (1951; act)
Poison, La (1951; act)
Monsieur Leguignon Lampiste (1951; act)
Joueurs, Les (1951; act)
Champions Juniors (1951; act)
Boîte à vendre (1951; act)
Boniface Somnabule (1951; act; aka The Sleepwalker)
Agence matrimoniale (1951; act)
Pas de vacances pour Monsieur le Maire (1951; act)
Dindon, Le (1951; act)
Ma femme est formidable (1951; act)
Vie d'un honnête homme, La (1952; act; aka Virtuous Scoundrel, The)
Moineaux de Paris (1952; act)
Légère et court vêtue (1952; act)
Je l'ai été trois fois (1952; act)
Innocents in Paris (1952; act; aka Week-end à Paris)
Huitième art et la manière, Le (1952; act)
Fugue de Monsieur Perle, La (1952; act)
Elle et moi (1952; act)
Au diable la vertu (1952; act)
Ils étaient cinq (1952; act)
Les Septs Pèches Capitaux (1952; act; aka Seven Deadly Sins)
Amour n'est pas un péché, L' (1952; act)
Monsieur Taxi (1952; act)
Putain respectueuse, La (1952; act; aka The Respectful Prostitute)
L'Etrange Désir de Monsieur Bard (1953; act)
Tourments (1953; act)
Secret d'Hélène Marimon, Le (1953; act)
Rire, Le (1953; act)
Hommes ne pensent qu'à ça, Les (1953; act)
Faites-moi confiance (1953; act)
Le Dortoir des Grandes (1953; act; aka Girls' Dormitory)
Corsaires du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1953; act)
Compagnes de la nuit, Les (1953; act)
Chevalier de la nuit, Le (1953; act)
Capitaine Pantoufle (1953; act)
Mon Frangin du Senegal (1953; act)
Scènes de ménage (1954; act)
Pépées font la loi, Les (1954; act)
Le Mouton à Cinq Pattes (1954; act; aka The Sheep Has Five Legs)
Ingrid - Die Geschichte eines Fotomodells (1954; act)
Impures, Les (1954; act)
Huis clos (1954; act; aka No Exit)
Le Blé en Herbe (1954; act; aka The Ripening Seed, The Game of Love)
Intrigantes, Les (1954; act; aka The Plotters)
Mam'zelle Nitouche (1954; act; aka Santarellina)
Poisson d'Avril (1954; act)
Ah! Les Belles Bacchantes (1955; act; aka Femmes de Paris)
Escalier de service (1954; act)
La Reine Margot (1954; act; aka A Woman of Evil)
Papa, Maman, la Bonne et Moi (1954; act)
Si Paris nous était conté (1955; act)
Bonjour Sourire (1955; act; aka Sourire aux Lèvres)
Bande à papa, La (1955; act)
Napoléon (1955; act)
Impossible Monsieur Pipelet, L' (1955; act)
Frou-Frou (1955; act; aka The Toy Wife)
Hussards, Les (1955; act)
Courte tête (1956; act)
Papa, maman, ma femme et moi (1956; act)
La Loi des Rues (1956; act; aka The Law of the Streets)
Bébés à gogo (1956; act)
La Traversée de Paris (1956; act)
Photo Finish (English title) (1956; act)
Comme un Cheveau sur la Soupe (1957; act; aka A Hair in the Soup)
Courte-Tête (1957; act; aka Short Head)
Taxi, Roulotte et Corrida (1958; act)
Ni Vu, Ni Connu (1958; act)
La Vie à Deux (1958; act; aka Life Together, Life As a Couple)
Totò, Eva e il pennello proibito (1959; act)
I Tartassati (1959; act; aka The Overtaxed)
Certaines l'Aiment Froide (1959; act; aka Pour un Milliard, Some Like it Cold)
Mon Pote le Gitan (1959; act)
Les Tortillards (1960; act; aka Here We Go Again)
Dans l'Eau Qui Fait des Bulles (1960; act)
Capitaine Fracasse (1961; act; based on the novel by Théophile Gautier)
La Vendetta (1961; act)
Le Crime Ne Paie Pas (1961; act; aka Crime Does Not Pay)
Candide ou l'Optimisme au XXe Siècle (1960; act)
La Belle Americaine (1961; act; aka What a Chassis)
Les Veinards (1962; act)
Un clair de lune à Maubeuge (1962; act)
Nous Irons a Deauville (1962; act)
Le Gentleman d'Epsom (1962; act)
Le Diable et les Dix Commandements (1962; act; aka The Devil and the Ten Commandments)
Pouic-Pouic (1963; act)
Faites Sauter la Banque (1963; act)
Des Pissenlits par la Racine (1963; act)
Carambolages (1963; act)
Une Souris Chez les Hommes (1964; act)
Le Gendarme de St. Tropez (1964; act)
Fantomas (1964; act)
Le Corniaud (1964; act; aka The Sucker)
Fantomas contre Interpol (1965; act)
Les Bons Vivants (1965; act; aka Keep the Red Light Burning)
Le Gendarme á New York (1965; act)
Les Grandes Vacances (1966; act)
La Grande Vadrouille (1966; act)
Le Grand Restaurant (1966; coscr, act)
Fantomas contre Scotland Yard (1966; act)
Le Petit Baigneur (1967; act; aka Bouncing Beauty)
Oscar (1967; coscr, act; based on a stage play by Claude Magnier)
Le Tatoué (1968; act)
Le Gendarme se Marie (1968; act)
Hibernatus (1969; coscr, act; based on a play by Jean-Bernard Luc)
L'Homme Orchestre (1969; act)
Sur un Arbre Perché (1970; act; aka Up a Tree)
Le Gendarme en Balade (1970; act)
La Folie des Grandeurs (1971; act; aka Delusions of Grandeur)
Jo (1971; act)
Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973; act)
L'Aile ou la Cuisse (1976; act)
La Zizanie (1977; act)
Le Gendarme et les Extra-Terrestres (1978; act, coscr)
L'Avare (1980; codir, coscr, act; based on the comedy by Molière)
La Soupe aux Choux (1981; coscr, act; based on a novel by René Fallet)
Le Gendarme et les Gendarmettes (1982; act; aka Never Play Clever Again)

© Ron Altman


© Ron Altman (last update on 08/01/07)