Michel Galabru (full name Louis Michelle Edmond Galabru) is a French theater and film actor. In 2013 he was awarded the French National Order of Merit. Winner of the Cesar Prize.
In the creative biography of the actor, there are more than two hundred and fifty movie roles. He began his career at the Comédie France in the 1950s. After a year on stage, Galabrew received an invitation to play a small role in the film "My Wife, Cow and Me".
A few years later, Michel retired from the theater and devoted himself entirely to cinema. He is best known for his work in comedy films about the adventures of gendarmes from Saint-Tropez with the participation of Louis de Funes.
Biography facts
Galabru was born in French Morocco in the fall of 1922. He spent his early years in the city of Safi, where his father worked as an engineer, participating in the construction of the port city.
After moving to Paris, my father began to teach at the Institute of Technology at the Department of Bridges and Roads. He thought that his son would also choose the profession of an engineer and follow in his footsteps. But the boy was actively involved in football and dreamed of a sports career.
Michel never became a professional footballer. Later, carried away by the theater, he decided to devote his future life to the stage.
After leaving school, Michel started working. He spent two years preparing to enter the Conservatoire national d'art dramatique Academy of Arts. Having successfully passed the exams, Galabru became a student at the academy. He soon got his first roles in educational performances.
During his studies, Michel first tried acting in films. It happened in 1948. The film, where he played a cameo role as a firefighter, was called "Battle for Fire".
Creative way
After graduating from the academy, the young actor was invited to the troupe of the famous French theater "Comedie Francaise", on the stage of which he performed for seven years. Michel played in the plays of the great classics, and soon became one of the leading actors in the theater.
A year after starting work on the stage, his friend - director Jean Devevre, offered to star in his new film. Michelle agreed and got a small role in the comedy "My Wife, Cow and Me".
After working on the stage of the Comedie Francaise for about seven years, Galabru decided to pursue a career in cinema and left the troupe.
He started working in small theaters in France, but spent most of his time on the set. At the beginning of his film career, Galabrew received mostly small roles in comedy films. Only in the 1960s did real fame and popularity come to him.
In the comedy film "Button War" directed by Yves Robert, Galabru got one of the main roles. This was followed by work in a series of five films about the adventures of strange and funny French policemen, the first of which was "Gendarme of Saint-Tropez". Galabru starred with the famous comedian Louis de Funes. Non-commissioned officer Gerbet became his character.
In the early 1970s, Michel finally landed a dramatic role in Pierre Cerny's film Life Annuity. There he was able to fully reveal his acting talent and receive the well-deserved recognition of the audience and film critics.
For his role in the film "The Judge and the Assassin" Galabrew was awarded the Cesar Prize.
One of the last works of Galabru was the role in the comedy drama "Night in Paris" with Audrey Tautou in the title role. The picture was released in 2016.
Personal life
Not much is known about the actor's personal and family life. Michelle has been married twice. The first wife was Anna Jaco. Three children were born in this union. The marriage was long, but ended in divorce.
The second wife was named Claude. One child was born in the marriage. Claude died in 2015.
Michel Galabru passed away in 2016 at his home in Paris in his sleep. He was ninety-three years old.
