Louis de Funes is a world famous comic actor, as well as a talented screenwriter and film director of the twentieth century. On the screen, he personified stinginess, cunning, eccentricity and quarrelsomeness.
Childhood and youth
Louis Germain David de Funes de Galarza was born on July 31, 1914 in the small town of Courbevoie near Paris. He was the third child of an immigrant family who left Spain in 1904. The boy received an excellent education. In addition to his native French, he mastered Spanish and English, learned to play the piano. From an early age, he surprised his family with the ability to imitate gaits, accents, facial expressions and gestures of others. For mimicking the teachers at the Kulomye boarding college, his parents were summoned to the principal more than once.
Having dropped out of college shortly before graduation, the young man did not immediately choose the path of an actor. At first he had to work as a furrier, an accountant, a window designer, a milkman, a draftsman and even a messenger. He achieved his greatest success in the profession of a pianist. Bar-goers fell in love with him not only for his masterful jazz performance, but also for his cheerful grimace. In the meantime, he graduated from the drama courses of Rene Simon.
With a height of only 164 cm, the young man weighed only 55 kg. Due to painful thinness, a month after being drafted into the army, he was sent back. During the Second World War, he had to work as a solfeggio teacher at a music school.
Career
After the end of the war in 1945, Louis decided to try his hand at acting. Thus began his acting career in cinema. At first, these were secondary roles that did not bring him fame, but allowed him to apply his knowledge in practice, further develop his talent and diversify his game with new skills. And only 13 years later in 1958, after his debut in the acting field, Louis woke up famous. The picture "Not caught - not a thief" brought him wide fame, where he played the poacher Blaireau. After this significant event, he was often invited to the main comic roles.
The peak of fame as a comedian came in the 60s. Several films with his participation were released a year, each of which brought him a new wave of audience love and recognition. After the release of two comedies "Razinya" and "Big Walk", the actor was idolized all over the world. Now he preferred mainly to film with his unchanged cast of actors, cameramen and directors. His favorite director was Jean Giraud, his partner on the set was Bourville, and his beloved role was Gendarme Cruchot. In 1973, Louis de Funes was awarded the country's highest honor: the Order of the Legion of Honor of France. With a short break for health reasons (in 1975, the actor suffered 2 heart attacks), Louis continued his career until 1982, starring in the last film "The Gendarme and the Gendarmetes". The great comedian passed away in 1983 from a heart attack.
Personal life
Despite his nondescript appearance, Louis has always been a favorite with women. His first wife in 1936 was Germaine Louise Elodie Carroye, who gave him his first child, Daniel. Their marriage was short-lived and broke up in 1942, when Louis met the love of his life - Jeanne Augustine de Barthélemy de Maupassant, a relative of the famous writer. She became his wife in 1943 for many years until the death of the famous actor. She bore him two sons - Patrick and Olivier.
Interesting Facts
Louis de Funes was a perfectionist. On the set, he brought every line or joke to perfection. At the same time, he could spend several hours filming one scene, which was often not very pleasant to some of his partners on the set. However, most of his stage colleagues remember him, how expressive and cheerful he used to be, he knew how to enjoy every moment. In his free time, Louis loved to do gardening, especially he loved growing roses. He always skillfully disposed of money so that his family and friends did not need anything and were safe.
