Pierre Brasseur

Born: 1905-12-22

Birthplace: Paris, France

Biography

Pierre Brasseur, born Pierre-Albert Espinasse (22 December 1905, Paris – 16 August 1972, Bruneck, Italy) was a French actor.

He was the son of actor Georges Espinasse and actress Germaine Brasseur while the latter was married to Albert Brasseur. His grandfather, Jules Brasseur, was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name Brasseur was continued by his son Claude and his grandson Alexandre.

Renowned for playing outsized characters, Brasseur is probably best known in the anglophone world for his (semi-fictionalised) portrayal of the actor Frédérick Lemaître in Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise, 1945) and as Docteur Génessier (more subdued) in the horror film Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage, 1960) co-starring with Alida Valli.

On May 30, 1927, Brasseur performed the spoken role of the Narrator in the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky's opera-oratorio Oedipus rex.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Pierre Brasseur, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Eyes Without a Face
Children of Paradise
Spotlight on a Murderer
Napoleon
Sous le signe de Monte-Cristo
Le Plaisir
Port of Shadows
Macédoine
Il bell'Antonio
King of Hearts

Top Movie Credits

Eyes Without a Face Professor Génessier
Children of Paradise Frédérick Lemaître
Spotlight on a Murderer Comte de Kerloquen
Napoleon Barras
Le Plaisir Julien Ledentu
Il bell'Antonio Alfio Magnano
King of Hearts General Géranium