About

Known credits:
116
Birthday:
1904-05-17
Place of birth:
Paris, France
Website:

Jean Gabin

Overview

Jean Gabin Alexis Moncorgé (born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé), known as Jean Gabin (17 May 1904 – 15 November 1976), was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films, including Pépé le Moko (1937), La grande illusion (1937), Le Quai des brumes (1938), La bête humaine (1938), Le jour se lève (1939), and Le plaisir (1952). During his career, he twice won the Silver Bear for Best Actor from the Berlin International Film Festival and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor from the Venice Film Festival, respectively. Gabin was made a member of the Légion d'honneur in recognition of the important role he played in French cinema.

Gabin was born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, the son of Madeleine Petit and Ferdinand Moncorgé, a cafe owner and cabaret entertainer whose stage name was Gabin, which is a first name in French. He grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise (now Val-d'Oise) département, about 22 mi (35 km) north of Paris. He attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly. Gabin left school early, and worked as a laborer until the age of 19 when he entered show business with a bit part in a Folies Bergère production. He continued performing in a variety of minor roles before going into the military.

After completing his military service in the Fusiliers marins, he returned to the entertainment business, working under the stage name of Jean Gabin at whatever was offered in the Parisian music halls and operettas, imitating the singing style of Maurice Chevalier, which was the rage at the time. He was part of a troupe that toured South America, and upon returning to France found work at the Moulin Rouge. His performances started getting noticed, and better stage roles came along that led to parts in two silent films in 1928.

Two years later Gabin made the transition to sound films in a 1930 Pathé Frères production, Chacun sa chance. Playing secondary roles, he made more than a dozen films over the next four years, including films directed by Maurice and Jacques Tourneur. But he only gained real recognition for his performance in Maria Chapdelaine, a 1934 production directed by Julien Duvivier. He was then cast as a romantic hero in the 1936 war drama La Bandera; this second Duvivier-directed film established him as a major star. The next year he teamed up with Duvivier again in the highly successful Pépé le Moko. Its popularity brought Gabin international recognition. That same year he starred in Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion, an antiwar film that ran at a New York City theatre for an unprecedented six months. This was followed by another of Renoir's major works, La Bête Humaine (The Human Beast), a film noir tragedy based on the novel by Émile Zola and starring Gabin and Simone Simon, as well as Le Quai Des Brumes (Port of Shadows), one of director Marcel Carné's classics of poetic realism. His rugged charisma could be compared with Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney.

He divorced his second wife in 1939. ...

Source: Article "Jean Gabin" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Known for

Acting

2019 Alain Delon, l'ombre au tableau Actor Self (archive footage) 58
Average
2018 The Image Book Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
2018 Mireille Darc, la femme libre Actor Monsieur (archive footage) 59
Average
2018 Lino Ventura, la part intime Actor Self (archive footage) 58
Average
2017 Quand Jean devint Renoir Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
2015 Jean Gabin, une âme française Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2015 Jean Gabin, le dernier des géants Actor Self (archive footage) 58
Average
2011 Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde Actor Self (archive footage) 58
Average
2010 Jean Moncorgé, la face cachée de Jean Gabin Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2008 Spisok korabley Actor (archive footage) 60
Fair
2002 Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song Actor Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 58
Average
1980 My American Uncle Actor Self (archive footage) 61
Fair
1976 Holy Year Actor Max Lambert 59
Average
1974 Jury of One Actor Leguen 58
Average
1973 Two Men in Town Actor Germain Cazeneuve 61
Fair
1973 The Dominici Affair Actor Gaston Dominici 59
Average
1972 Killer Actor Commissioner Le Guen 58
Average
1971 The Black Flag Waves Over the Scow Actor Victor Ploubaz 58
Average
1971 The Cat Actor Julien Bouin 61
Fair
1970 The Horse Actor Auguste Maroilleur 59
Average
1969 The Sicilian Clan Actor Vittorio Manalese 65
Fair
1969 Under the Sign of the Bull Actor Albert Raynal 58
Average
1968 The Tattoo Actor Count Enguerand de Montignac,aka 'Legrain' 60
Fair
1968 Pasha Actor Comissaire Joss, le Pacha 60
Fair
1967 Action Man Actor Denis Ferrand 58
Average
1966 The Gardener of Argenteuil Actor M. Martin dit « Le père Tulipe » 58
Average
1966 The Upper Hand Actor Paul Berger dit Paulo les Diam's 58
Average
1965 God's Thunder Actor Léandre Brassac 59
Average
1964 That Tender Age Actor Émile Malhouin 58
Average
1964 Monsieur Actor The banker René Duchêne, alias Georges Baudin known as “Monsieur” 58
Average
1963 Maigret Sees Red Actor Commissaire Jules Maigret 58
Average
1963 Any Number Can Win Actor Charles 62
Fair
1962 The Gentleman from Epsom Actor Richard Briand-Charmery 58
Average
1962 A Monkey in Winter Actor Albert Quentin 63
Fair
1961 The Counterfeiters of Paris Actor Ferdinand Maréchal, aka 'le Dabe' 60
Fair
1961 The President Actor Emile Beaufort 60
Fair
1960 The Old Guard Actor Jean-Marie Pejat, bicycle repairer 59
Average
1960 The Baron of the Locks Actor Baron Jérôme Napoléon Antoine 58
Average
1959 Rue de Paris Actor Henri Neveu 59
Average
1959 Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case Actor Commissioner Jules Maigret 60
Fair
1959 The Magnificent Tramp Actor Joseph, Hugues Guillaume Boutier-Blainville dit : Archimède 59
Average
1958 The Possessors Actor Noël Schoudler, le patriarche financier 59
Average
1958 Love Is My Profession Actor Maître André Gobillot 59
Average
1958 The Night Affair Actor Inspecteur Georges Vallois 59
Average
1958 Les Misérables Actor Jean Valjean / Champmathieu 60
Fair
1958 Maigret Sets a Trap Actor Commissaire Maigret 60
Fair
1957 Speaking of Murder Actor Louis Bertain/Louis le blond 59
Average
1957 The Case of Dr. Laurent Actor le docteur Laurent 59
Average
1956 Crime and Punishment Actor Commissaire Gallet 58
Average
1956 La Traversée de Paris Actor Grandgil, artist painter 63
Fair
1956 Blood to the Head Actor François Cardinaud 58
Average
1956 Deadlier Than the Male Actor André Chatelin 60
Fair
1956 People of No Importance Actor Jean Viard 58
Average
1955 The Little Rebels Actor Julien Lamy 59
Average
1955 Hi-Jack Highway Actor Jean Chape 59
Average
1955 House on the Waterfront Actor Commander Lequévic 58
Average
1955 French Cancan Actor Henri Danglard 60
Fair
1955 Razzia Actor Henri Ferré dit 'Le Nantais' 59
Average
1955 Napoleon Actor Marshal Jean Lannes 58
Average
1954 Air of Paris Actor Victor Le Garrec 58
Average
1954 Touchez Pas au Grisbi Actor Max dit Max le Menteur 63
Fair
1953 Rhine Virgin Actor Martin Schmidt, alias Jacques Ledru 58
Average
1953 Their Last Night Actor Pierre Ruffin 58
Average
1953 Storms Actor il professore Antonio Sanna 58
Average
1952 Le Plaisir Actor Joseph Rivet 62
Fair
1952 The Truth About Bebe Donge Actor François Donge 59
Average
1951 The Night Is My Kingdom Actor Raymond Pinsard 58
Average
1951 Victor Actor Victor 58
Average
1951 The Moment of Truth Actor Dr Pierre Richard 58
Average
1951 Pour l'amour du ciel Actor N/A
N/A
1950 Twelve Hours to Live Actor Carlo Bacchi 58
Average
1950 Marie of the Port Actor Henri Chatelard 58
Average
1949 The Walls of Malapaga Actor Pierre Arrignon 58
Average
1947 Mirror Actor Pierre Lussac 58
Average
1946 Martin Roumagnac Actor Martin Roumagnac 58
Average
1944 The Impostor Actor Clément / Maurice Lafarge 59
Average
1942 Moontide Actor Bobo 59
Average
1941 Stormy Waters Actor Le capitaine André Laurent 59
Average
1939 Daybreak Actor François 64
Fair
1939 Coral Reefs Actor Ted "Trott" Lennard 58
Average
1938 La Bête Humaine Actor Lantier 62
Fair
1938 Port of Shadows Actor Jean 64
Fair
1937 Lady Killer Actor Lucien Bourrache, dit 'Gueule d'Amour' 59
Average
1937 The Messenger Actor Nicolas Dange 58
Average
1937 Grand Illusion Actor Le lieutenant Maréchal 70
Good
1937 Pépé le Moko Actor Pépé le Moko 62
Fair
1936 The Lower Depths Actor Pepel Wasska 60
Fair
1936 They Were Five Actor Jean dit Jeannot 60
Fair
1935 Varieté Actor Georges 58
Average
1935 La Bandera Actor Pierre Gilieth 58
Average
1935 Behold the Man Actor Ponce Pilate 58
Average
1934 Zouzou Actor Jean 58
Average
1934 Maria Chapdelaine Actor François Paradis 58
Average
1933 Le Tunnel Actor Mac Allan 58
Average
1933 High and Low Actor Charles Boulla 58
Average
1933 Adieu les beaux jours Actor Pierre Lavernay N/A
N/A
1933 L'Étoile de Valencia Actor Pedro Savedra N/A
N/A
1932 The Beautiful Sailor Actor Le capitaine 58
Average
1932 Happy Hearts Actor Charles 59
Average
1932 The Crowd Roars Actor Joe Greer N/A
N/A
1932 Fun in the Barracks Actor Fricot 58
Average
1932 Lilac Actor Martousse 58
Average
1932 For One Night..! Actor Jean 58
Average
1931 Gloria Actor Robert Nourry N/A
N/A
1931 All That Is Not Worth Love Actor Jean Cordier 59
Average
1931 The Darling of Paris Actor Bob 59
Average
1931 Méphisto Actor Jacques Miral 58
Average
1930 Lilette's Legacy Actor N/A
N/A
1930 Everyone Has Their Chance Actor Marcel Grivot 58
Average
1928 Les lions Actor N/A
N/A
1928 Ohé! Les valises Actor N/A
N/A
The miserable 2nd era Actor Jean Valjean 60
Fair
The wretched 1st era Actor Jean Valjean 60
Fair

Writing

1959 The Magnificent Tramp Writing Idea 59
Average

Production

1972 Killer Production Producer 58
Average
1971 The Cat Production Producer 61
Fair