Michel Serrault

Born: 1928-01-24 in Brunoy, Essonne, France

Died: 2007-07-29

Known For: Acting

Biography

Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films. His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's Les Fourberies de Scapin. In 1948, he began his career in the theatre with Robert Dhéry in Les Branquignols. His first film was Ah! Les belles bacchantes, starring Robert Dhéry, Colette Brosset (Dhéry's then-wife), and Louis de Funès; directed by Jean Loubignac in 1954. Serrault played in the 1955 suspense thriller Les diaboliques, starring Simone Signoret and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. From February 1973 through 1978, he portrayed the role of Albin/Zaza opposite Jean Poiret in the play La cage aux folles, written by Poiret. He recreated the role for the film version of the play, which was released in 1978. In 1977-1978 he played the composer Jacques Offenbach in a six-part series of one-hour episodes about the musician's life, each one focusing on a specific aspect or work. Serrault died from relapsing polychondritis at his home in Équemauville on 29 July 2007 at age 79. He was buried in Sainte-Catherine's cemetery in Honfleur and was transferred in 2009 to the cemetery of Neuilly-sur-Seine near his wife Juanita Saint-Peyron and daughter Caroline, who died in 1977. He had another daughter, actress Nathalie Serrault. Source: Article "Michel Serrault" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Filmography

2007

Have Mercy on Us All as Hervé Decambrais
Antonio Vivaldi - A Prince in Venice as L'archevêque de Venise
Le Bénévole as Max Birgos
L'Avare as Harpagon

2006

Les enfants du pays as Gustave

2005

Joyeux Noel as The Castle Keeper
Grabuge! as Commissaire Lancret
Monsieur Léon as Docteur Léon Chapuis

2004

Albert est méchant as Albert Moulinot

2003

L'Affaire Dominici as Gaston Dominici
Le Furet as Anzio
L'Affaire Dominici as Gaston Dominici

2002

The Butterfly as Julien
24 Hours in the Life of a Woman as Louis
Michel Audiard et le mystère du triangle des Bermudes as Self (archive footage)

2001

Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre as Verlac
The Girl from Paris as Adrien Rochas
Vajont as L'Ingegner Carlo Semenza
Un cœur oublié as Monsieur de Fontenelle

2000

Actors as Michel Serrault
The Libertine as Le Cardinal
Marty's World as Antoine Berrant

1999

The Children of the Marshland as Hyacinthe Richard, aka 'Pépé la Rainette'

1998

Vivement dimanche as Self

1997

Assassin(s) as Mr. Wagner
Artemisia as Orazio Gentileschi
The Swindle as Victor
The Comedian as Le comédien

1996

Beaumarchais the Scoundrel as Louis XV

1995

Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud as Mr. Pierre Arnaud
Happiness Is in the Field as Francis Bergeade
Tel est Serrault as Self

1994

Bonsoir as Alex Ponttin

1992

Room Service as M. Luc
Ville à vendre as Rousselot, le maire
Old Rascal as Darius Caunes

1991

The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea as Pompilius
Héloïse as Maurice Martin, Héloïse
L'Huissier as Maître Malicorne

1990

Stars 90 as Self
Dr. Petiot as Docteur Petiot
Nouvelles de Marcel Aymé as Martin / Héloïse

1989

Merry Christmas... Happy New Year as Gino
Love Comedy as Paul Léautaud

1988

Let Sleeping Cops Lie as Roger Scatti
No Harm Intended as Paul Duchêne
Bonjour l'angoisse as Michaud

1987

Sacrée Soirée as Self
Matin Bonheur as Self
Miracle Healing as Ronald Fox-Terrier
Ennemis intimes as Baudin

1986

My Brother-in-law Killed My Sister as Octave Clapoteau

1985

La Cage aux Folles 3 as Albin Mougeotte / 'Zaza Napoli'
Liberté, égalité, choucroute as Louis XVI
Les Rois du gag as Gaëtan / Robert Wellson
He Died with His Eyes Open as Robert Staniland

1984

Good King Dagobert as Otarius
Le Bon Plaisir as Le ministre de l'Intérieur
Kill the Referee as Rico, aggressive supporter

1983

Deadly Circuit as Louis Beauvoir, ' l'Œil '

1982

Champs-Elysées as Self
The Hatter's Ghost as Léon Labbé
Quarter to Two Before Jesus Christ as Jules César
The Roaring Forties as Sébastien Barral
Nestor Burma, détective de choc as Nestor Burma

1981

The Inquisitor as Jérôme Martinaud
Malevil as Emmanuel Comte

1980

La Cage aux Folles II as Albin Mougeotte / 'Zaza Napoli'
Heads or Tails as Édouard Morlaix
Il lupo e l'agnello as Léon

1979

Buffet Froid as Le comptable
The Other One's Mug as Martial Perrin/Gilbert Brossard
The Associate as Julien Pardot
La Grâce as Henri Dupérier
L'Esprit de famille as le docteur Charles Moreau

1978

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs as le voisin
La Cage aux Folles as Zaza
Other People's Money as Miremant

1977

Le Roi des bricoleurs as Bordin
Le Passe-muraille as Dutilleul
Les Folies Offenbach as Jacques Offenbach

1976

30 millions d'amis as Self
La situation est grave... mais pas désespérée as Jean-Pierre Mazard

1975

Apostrophes as Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
Système 2 as Self
The Restroom Robbery as Max
The Red Ibis as Jérémie

1974

Spécial cinéma as Self
Chinese In Paris as Grégoire Montclair
No Pockets in a Shroud as Justin Blesh
The Down-in-the-Hole Gang as Jean-Paul Rondin
La Gueule de l’emploi as L'inspecteur de police
Operation Lady Marlene as Paulo
Bloody Murder as Edouard Henricot

1973

The Big Store as Félix Boucan, directeur du supermarché
La Cage aux folles as Albin aka 'Zaza Napoli'
Moi y'en a vouloir des sous as Le curé Léon
Big Deal as Paul

1972

Le Grand Échiquier as Self
Midi trente as Self
The Annuity as Louis Martinet
A Murder Is a Murder as Le commissaire Plouvier / Superintendant
Everybody He Is Nice, Everybody He Is Beautiful as Marcel Jolin

1971

Samedi soir as Self
Le Cri du cormoran, le soir au-dessus des jonques as Alfred Mullanet
Qu'est-ce qui fait courir les crocodiles ? as Achille

1970

La Liberté en croupe as Paul Cérès
Ces messieurs de la gâchette as Gabriel Pelletier

1969

Call Me Mathilde as François
Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille as Commissaire Le Gac

1968

À bout portant as Self
Would-Be Gentleman as M. Jourdain
The Great Chase as Aldo Moreni
The Men in the Family as Gabriel Pelletier

1967

Loose in the Trigger as The armorer
Order of the Daisy as L'inspecteur Papin
Pour avoir Adrienne as Thomeret
The Madman of Lab Four as Mr. Granger, director of the scientific laboratory
The Great Gadget as Pounet
Cette nuit-là à Bethléem

1966

At Theatre Tonight as Thomeret
King of Hearts as Monsieur Marcel
Les enquiquineurs as Martin - instituteur
Les Combinards as La père de Lucile
The Boss of Champignol as Hector

1965

The Real Bargain as Hutin
How Not to Rob a Department Store as Méloune
When the Pheasants Pass as Rimero
The Double Bed as Albert
Les baratineurs as Henri
Me and the Forty Year Old Man as Bénéchol
Under Your Hat as Gaston Berrien / Monsieur Max
Le petit monstre as Valet

1964

Male Hunt as Gaston Lartois
Dandelions by the Roots as Jérôme Martinet, contrebassiste et comédien
Clémentine chérie as Maître Brunet
Jaloux comme un tigre as Mr. Lurot
Hard Boiled Ones as Rossignol, private detective
How Do You Like My Sister? as Varangeot

1963

Carom Shots as Le commissaire Baudu
Bebert and the Train as Barthoin

1962

Love on a Pillow as Varange
We Will Go to Deauville as Lucien Moreau
The Four Truths as Corbeau (segment "Le corbeau et le renard")
Un clair de Lune à Maubeuge as Charpentier, le conférencier
The Dance as Pétrarque
How to Succeed in Love as Commissioner

1961

The American Beauty as Tramp
On purge bébé as Guillaume Chouilloux
My Wife Is a Panther as Butcher

1960

Love and the Frenchwoman as L'avocat de Danielle (segment "Le Divorce")
Candide or The Optimism in the 20th Century as Le second policier / Policeman

1959

Discorama as Self
Nina as Adolphe Tessier
Oh! What a Mambo as L'inspecteur Vidalie
You Have Nothing to Declare? as Dr. Emile Couzan
La Malle volante as M. Loiseau
The Bureaucrats as le conservateur du musée de Vallembrais / Son petit-fils
L'anglais tel qu'on le parle as Eugène, l'interprète

1958

Clara and the Villains as 'La Parole'
Musée Grévin as The visitor

1957

Adorables démons as Jacques Willis Senior
L'Habit vert as Count Hubert de Latour-Latour
The Innocent with Forty Children as Jean-François Robignac

1956

That Naughty Girl as Inspector Leduc
Murderers and Thieves as Albert Lecagneux, le cambrioleur
The Terror with Women as Gendarme
Life is beautiful as le démarcheur
Mon bébé as Jimmy Scott

1955

Diabolique as Mr. Raymond

1954

Peek-a-boo as Serrault, le trompettiste
What the East Wind Saw as Zamore