Alain Feydeau

Birthday: 1934-07-21
Deathday: 2008-01-14
Birthplace: Boulogne-Billancourt, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

Georges Alain Thierry Feydeau (21 July 1934 – 14 January 2008) was a French actor, director and writer. He was a grandson of the playwright Georges Feydeau, and appeared in several of his grandfather's works, and directed new productions of two of them.

Feydeau was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, on 21 July 1934, son of Michel Feydeau (1900–1961) and his wife Françoise, née Hoentschel. At the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in Paris he won the first prize for comedy in 1958, after which he joined the company of the Comédie-Française, of which he remained a member until 1983. During his time with the company Feydeau was appointed to the rank of Grand Pensionnaire, but was never made a full Sociétaire.

In a stage career lasting nearly fifty years, Feydeau played in a wide range of plays, from French and foreign classics, such as Corneille's Le Menteur, Hugo's Ruy Blas and Schiller's Marie Stuart to 20th-century works by writers including Anouilh, Cocteau, Giraudoux, Sacha Guitry and Marcel Pagnol. Among his more unusual roles was Agatha Christie's Captain Hastings in a stage adaptation of a Poirot story. The dramatist in whose plays he appeared most frequently was Molière – Les Archives du spectacle record 14 Molière productions in which he played between 1958 and 1973.

In his grandfather's plays Feydeau took the roles of Fontanet in Jacques Charon's production of Un fil à la patte (1961 and subsequent revivals), Moricet in his own production of Monsieur chasse! (1969), Pontagnac in Jean Meyer's production of Le Dindon (1970), Ribadier or Thommereux in his own production of Le Système Ribadier (1972), Etienne in Jacques-Henri Duval's production of Occupe-toi d'Amélie (1972), and Dr Finache in Jean-Laurent Cochet's production of La Puce à l'oreille (1978).

On television Feydeau appeared frequently in the long-running series Au théâtre ce soir (At the theatre tonight), taking 21 different roles between 1968 and 1985. He made numerous other television appearances, and did a small amount of work for the cinema. As a writer, Feydeau published two books about the distinguished actress Edwige Feuillère, whom he knew well. He also published some fiction.

Feydeau died in Paris on 14 January 2008, aged 73. He is buried in the Montmartre Cemetery with other family members including the playwright.

Source: Article "Alain Feydeau" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Credits

Year Title Character
2007-11-16 René Bousquet ou le grand arrangement Le président d'Indosuez
2006-09-20 Le don d'Adèle Gaston Veyron-Lafitte
2001-12-12 The Three Kings Le théologien
1997-01-01 La dame aux camélias Arthur de Varville
1985-05-18 Adieu Prudence Jerry Barnett
1981-08-02 Le Traité d'Auteuil Edmond Janville
1981-05-01 Une sacrée famille Philippe d'Orcemont
1980-11-28 La Maîtresse de bridge Robert Morisson
1980-02-08 La Route des Indes Manfred
1978-12-01 La Puce à l'oreille Docteur Finache
1978-05-26 La Plume Albert
1978-01-27 La fessée Albert Grésillons
1976-10-09 La Poudre aux yeux Le Maître d'Hôtel
1975-10-24 Chat en poche Tiburce, le majordome
1975-04-10 Le Système Ribadier Thommereux
1975-01-13 L'amant de Madame Vidal Brézolles
1973-06-22 Maître Bolbec et son mari Robert Valentin
1973-05-26 La Vénus de Milo Maurice Valax, l'architecte et ami de la maison
1972-06-26 L'École des contribuables Pierre Serigny, client et prétendant "ramant" de Juliette
1970-12-26 Un fil à la patte Le marié
1968-10-18 Le Dindon Pontagnac
1968-03-07 Mademoiselle Valentin
1967-06-04 Amphitryon Argatiphonditas
1960-04-26 Mum's the Word Le docteur Renaud
1949-12-22 Summer Storm
1943-09-08 Mysteries of Paris (uncredited)