Gérard Philipe was a prominent French actor who appeared in 34 films between 1944 and 1959. Active in both theater and cinema, he was, until his untimely death, one of the main stars of the post-war period. His image has remained youthful and romantic, which has made him one of the icons of French cinema.
Life and career
Early life
Born Gérard Albert Philip in Cannes in a well-off family, he was of one quarter Czech ancestry from his maternal grandmother. His father, Marcel Philip, was a barrister and businessman in Cannes; his mother was Maria Elisa "Minou" Philip, née Vilette. On his mother's advice, in 1944 Gérard changed his surname from "Philip" to "Philipe". As a teenager Philipe took acting lessons before going toParis to study at the Conservatoire of Dramatic Art.
Early Films
Philipe made his film debut in Les Petites du quai aux fleurs, directed by Marc Allégret, in an uncredited role. He had a minor role in Box of Dreams then was third billed in Land Without Stars after Jani Holt and Pierre Brasseur; George Lacombe wrote and directed. When he was 19 years old, he made his stage debut at a theater in Nice; and the following year his strong performance in the Albert Camus play Caligula made his reputation.
Stardom
Philippe had a lead role in The Idiot, an adaptation of the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, co-starring Edwige Feuillère for director Georges Lampin. This was widely seen overseas and established Philippe as a leading man. He was in Ouvert pour cause d'inventaire, a short film that was an early work for Alain Renais. He was invited to work with the Théâtre national populaire in Paris and Avignon, whose festival, founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, is France's oldest and most famous. Philippe gained fame as a result of his performance in Claude Autant-Lara's Devil in the Flesh, alongside Micheline Presle. It was a huge box office success. He went on to star in La Chartreuse de Parme for director Christian-Jacque, which was even more popular than Devil in the Flesh. He followed it with Such a Pretty Little Beach for Yves Allegret; All Roads Lead to Rome, a reunion with Presle, for Jean Boyer; and Beauty and the Devil for Rene Clair. Philippe was one of several stars in Max Ophuls' version of La Ronde. He followed it with another all-star film, Lost Souvenirs for Christian-Jacques. In 1951, Philipe married Nicole Fourcade, an actress/writer, with whom he had two children. She adopted the pseudonym, Anne Philipe, and wrote about her husband in two books, the first called Souvenirs and a second biography titled Le Temps d'un soupir. Philippe was in Juliette, or Key of Dreams with Suzanne Cloutier for Marcel Carne; The Seven Deadly Sins, an all-star anthology film; and Fan Fan the Tulip, a swashbuckling adventure with Gina Lollobrigida for Christian-Jacque which was very popular. He was in Beauties of the Night, again with Lollobrigida, and Martine Carol, directed by Clair; The Proud and the Beautiful with Michele Morgan; two more all-star anthologies: It Happened in the Park and Royal Affairs in Versailles. Philippe tried an English movie, Lovers, Happy Lovers! , directed by Rene Clement and co-starring Valerie Hobson. He then did The Red and the Black with Danielle Darrieux and had a big success with The Grand Maneuver for Rene Clair, co-starring Morgan. Phillippe did The Best Part for Yves Allegret and was one of many stars in If Paris Were Told to Us. He wrote, directed and starred in Bold Adventure, a comic adventure film. He starred in Lovers of Paris for Julien Duvivier and Montparnasse 19 for Jacques Becker. He was one of many stars in Life Together and top billed in The Gambler. In 1958 he went to New York and performed on Broadway in the all-French Lorenzaccio and Le Cid. Phillipe played Valmont in Roger Vadim's modern day version of Les liaisons dangereuses, appearing alongside Jeanne Moreau. His last film was Fever Mounts at El Pao for Luis Buñuel.
Death
He died from liver cancer while working on a film project in Paris, a few days short of his 37th birthday. In accordance with his last wishes, he is buried, dressed in the costume of Don Rodrigue, in the village cemetery in Ramatuelle, Var near the Mediterranean Sea coast. To commemorate the centenary of the cinema in 1995, the French government issued a series of limited edition coins that included a 100 franc coin bearing the image of Philipe. Among the most popular French actors of modern times, he has been elevated to mythic status in his homeland, not least because of his early death at the peak of his popularity. In 1986, his portrait appeared on a French commemorative postage stamp. There is a film festival named in his honour as well as a number of theatres and schools in various parts of France. In Germany he has been scarcely less respected than in his native country; a cultural centre is named after him in Berlin.
