- Jean Servais
Jean Servais (b.
September 24 1910 ,Antwerp, Belgium - d.February 17 1976 inParis ) was a Belgianactor trained at theBrussels Conservatory of Dramatic Arts , where he won the Second Prize.His acting skills came to the attention of
Raymond Rouleau , and he was hired at theThéâtre du Marais , where he acted in "Le mal de jeunesse ", which was successful inBrussels and in Paris. He was also member ofJean-Louis Barrault 'stheatre company .His first film role was as the simple country dweller who was the victim of an error by the justice system in the film "
Criminel " (1932), byJack Forrester . Servais's film career continued in the 1930s with roles in films such as "La Chanson De L'Adieu " (1934) and "La Vie Est Magnifique " (1938). After a break in acting duringWorld War II , he returned to the screen with roles in films such as "La Danse De Mort " (1948).In the 1950s, he displayed a brooding, haunted demeanor in the
crime drama "Rififi " (1955), directed byJules Dassin (whichFrançois Truffaut ranked as the bestfilm noir ), in which he played an embittered and physically ailing leader of a gang of jewel thieves. He appeared in another film directed by Dassin, "Celui qui doit mourir", in 1957. He also appeared in "Fièvre Monte à El Paso " (1959), a film written and directed byLuis Buñuel .In the 1950s and 1960s, Servais rejoined the Renaud-Barrault theatre troupe for several plays, including "
La répétition ou l'amour puni " (1950), "Volpone " (1955), and "Marat-Sade " (1966). In the 1960s, Servais took small character roles in popular international fare such as "The Longest Day" (1962), an epic recreation of the Allied invasion of Normandy, and "That Man From Rio " (1964). Other films in which he acted include "Le Sahara Brule " (1960), "Un Soir Par Hasard " (1964) "Avec la Peau des Autres " (1966).He had roles in several films from the early 1970s, such as "
Devil's Nightmare " (1971), an Italian horror series, and "Le Protecteur " (1973), about a recently-released prisoner who tries to find his daughter who has fallen into the underworld of prostitution.External links
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