Philippe Clévenot
Born: 1942-09-10 in Paris, France
Died: 2001-10-18
Known For: Acting
Biography
Philippe Clévenot ranks among the greatest actors of a generation who, in the 1960s and 1970s, embarked on the adventure of collective creations and sought to reach a new, popular audience, following in the footsteps of Jean Vilar or Ariane Mnouchkine. From 1962 to 1965, he studied at the Centre dramatique de l’Est, then directed by Hubert Gignoux, Paul Lefèvre, and Claude Petitpierre. At the same time, he continued studying the organ, harpsichord, and piano. After two years of military service (1965–1967), during which he learned German, he joined the Maison de la Culture in Bourges, directed by Gabriel Monnet. In 1971, he took part in the early days of the Théâtre de l’Espérance with Jean Jourdheuil and Jean‑Pierre Vincent, then in 1976 joined the school of the TNS (the higher school of dramatic arts in Strasbourg), also directed by Jean‑Pierre Vincent. From 1985 to 1987, he was a resident actor at the Comédie‑Française. Philippe Clévenot performed both classical and contemporary repertoire. He appeared in The Misanthrope by Molière and Macbeth by Shakespeare (both directed by Jean‑Pierre Vincent); in The Prince of Homburg by Kleist (directed by Matthias Langhoff) and The Broken Jug by the same author (directed by Bernard Sobel); in The School for Wives by Molière (directed by Bernard Sobel); Rameau’s Nephew by Diderot (directed by Jean‑Marie Simon); in Artaud Mômo and The Vieux‑Colombier Lecture as well as The True Story of Artaud Mômo by Antonin Artaud, in which he portrayed the author; in The Sea Wall by Marguerite Duras; In the Jungle of Cities by Brecht (directed by Stéphane Braunschweig); The Life of the Egoist Fätzer, also by Brecht (directed by Bernard Sobel); Rumor on Wall Street by Bernard Chatellier, based on Melville’s Bartleby (directed by Bérangère Bonvoisin); and Pioneers in Ingolstadt by Marieluise Fleisser. As a director, he notably staged Anna Christie by Eugene O’Neill in Geneva in 2000 — a production later revived at the Théâtre Gérard Philipe in Villeurbanne in 2001. He also wrote Celle qui ment, inspired by the famous Italian mystic Angela of Foligno. His first film role was offered by René Allio in 1970 in Les Camisards. He later worked with numerous filmmakers, including Bertrand Blier, Patrice Leconte, and Jean‑Jacques Beineix. One of his final film appearances was in Disparus (1998), the first historical and political feature by young director Gilles Bourdos.
Filmography
1998
- Place Vendôme as Kleiser
1997
- Mordbüro as KMB/Mr. Jean
1993
- Urgence d'aimer as Le professeur Thibaud
- The Place of Another as Thomas' father
1992
- Rhesus-Romeo as Le Pr Thibaud
- Just a Game as Monsieur T'Champ
1991
- Thank You, Life as Producer
- Swing troubadour as Alex Emmerich
1990
- The Hairdresser's Husband as Morvoisieux
- I Have You Under My Skin as Lucien
- The Bathymetric Muses as Narrator (voice)
- Eden miseria
1989
- Les Deux Fragonard as Father Rudolphe
- Kiss Me as L'accordeur
1988
- Camille Claudel as Eugène Blot
- Roselyne and the Lions as Bracquard
1987
- Elvire Jouvet 40 as Louis Jouvet
1986
- The Sidewalks of Saturn as Comisario
1985
- Diesel as Amadeus
- Blanche and Marie as Commissioner Benoist
- The Mystery of Alexina as Doctor Chesnet
1983
- Richelieu ou La journée des dupes as Le Duc de Guise
- The Eyes of the Birds as Enrique Materneo
1982
- The Sorceress as Le dominicain
- La Chanson du mal-aimé as Ecclesiastic
1981
- Deep Water as Henri Valette
1980
- Cocktail Molotov as Le diplomate
1979
- West Indies as L'abbé
- The Making of West Indies as Self
1976
- The Conquistadores as Office manager
1975
- The Story of Paul as L'amnésique
1974
- Céline and Julie Go Boating as Guilou
- France, Incorporated
- Escapade as Paul
1973
- Marriage a la Mode as Don Juan
1972
- The Monk
- The French Calvinists as 'La Fleur'