Marcel Marceau (real name Mangel) is a French actor, founder of the school of mimes in Paris. He was called the most popular person in France. For his work, Marseille was awarded two Emmy and two Oscars, awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Marcel Marceau dedicated his life to pantomime. His work was admired all over the world. In France, many educational institutions were named after the actor, and the public considered him a national treasure. The actor, who did not utter a single word in his speeches, made people feel sad, rejoice and admire his work.
Childhood and youth
The boy was born in the city of Strasbourg, in 1923, on March 22. Marseille's future parents fled Poland to escape the persecution of Jewish families. The boy's biography is very difficult. His father was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he died at the end of the war.
During the occupation of France, the boy, along with his brother, joined the local underground and helped in the rescue of children from Jewish families, transporting them across the border to Switzerland. It was during this period that his gift of pantomime manifested itself. Almost instantly changing his expression, he could pretend to be anyone without arousing suspicion from the guards, who always thought they were seeing this person for the first time. This helped Marcel bring several dozen children out of France.
Later he joined the French army and there changed his name to Marceau, taking it in honor of one of the French generals who participated in the revolution. Already at this time, he began to show his first pantomimes, speaking to the military in short breaks between battles.
As soon as France was liberated, Marseille together with his friends gave their first big concert in one of the squares.
The beginning of the creative path
Carried away by the work of Charlie Chaplin and the theater, Marseille entered the art school in Limoges, and a little later - at the Sarah Bernhardt Theater, where he received his acting education. His teacher was the famous actor Etienne Decroux, who was the first to consider his gift and talent in a young man. Marcel also studied with the great representative of the art of the actor Jean-Louis Barrot, who played in one of the films of the 19th century mime - Deburau.
Soon, Marseille began performing independently on the stages of theaters in France, and his amazing gift was immediately accepted by the French public. The actor became a discovery and sensation in the world of theater, and then his magnificent stage career began. Marcel came up with the image of the clown Beep, in which he appeared before the French. A rumpled bowler hat, a striped sweater, tousled ash-colored hair, dust cover, white make-up on his face and the sad look of his lowered eyes - this is how millions of viewers remembered him.
Without saying a single word, using only his own plastic body, he “spoke” with the public in his own language, and he was understood. Together with him, people wept with joy and wept with grief. Marceau said that, owning every cell of the body, words are not needed, they only interfere with communication with the audience and break the silence of the image created by the mime. Only occasionally did the actor use music in his theatrical productions that could complement the image of a sad clown. Thanks to his talent and theatrical skills, Marseille was recognized not only by the public, but also by the theater community, for which he received the Deburau Prize in 1948.
One of the most famous numbers of Marceau was the pantomime Against the Wind. Throughout the performance, a man in the form of a clown covered the distance from one edge of the stage to the other, resisting the force of the wind and slowly moving forward. To get there, he has to fight the elements and fight back with his last strength. The actor made the audience admire his hero, who possessed courage, the will to win and achieved his goal, no matter what. It is interesting that the famous singer Michael Jackson, who admired Marceau's plasticity and revised his numbers many times, took part of Marcel's movements as the basis of his "moonwalk".
With his idol, Charlie Chaplin, under whose influence the clown Beep was created, Marceau met only once, quite by accident, returning from the filming of one of his films. They collided at the airport and spent about an hour together. At the end of the meeting, the actor, not knowing what to say before parting, kissed the hand of the great master of silent films, and he just burst into tears in response.
Tours and performances
In the mid-50s, Marseille was invited to tour America, where he made a real sensation. His talent was instantly noticed in Hollywood and the actor was offered a contract. But Marceau starred in only one film, directed by Mel Brooks.
After visiting the United States, the actor began to constantly tour around the world. He gave a huge number of performances and each time the audience enthusiastically received the great master of pantomime.
Marceau first arrived in the USSR in 1957 and, like all over the world, made an indelible impression on the audience and colleagues on the stage. He visited Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich many times, who became close friends to him. Also, Marceau often talked with Arkady Raikin, with whom they also quickly became friends. Konstantin Raikin has repeatedly said in his interviews that Marceau was and remains the greatest artist of the pantomime genre and no one succeeded in repeating what he did, or at least approaching his skill.
Marceau announced the cessation of his creative activity in 2000, but did not leave the stage, staging another play of his own “Hands” two years later.
Fans of the actor never ceased to admire his talent, and this great actor is still remembered not only in France, but all over the world.
Marcel Marceau passed away in 2007, he did not live up to his 85th birthday a little. He was buried in France at the Pere Lachaise cemetery.
Personal life
Marcel preferred not to advertise his personal life. The family was for him the same place of "silence" as all his work.
It is known that he was married three times, but during his lifetime he tried so that the names of his wives and children were also unknown to anyone. Only after his death was the secret revealed.
Marceau had four children. His first wife bore him two sons - Baptiste and Michel. And the third - two daughters - Camilla and Aurelia.
