François Périer

Versatile, gimlet-eyed, soulful-looking 'François Périer' (qv) was one of France's most prolific leading men and character lead for almost six decades. Born François Pilu in Paris on November 10, 1919, he was the son of a wine shop manager. In 1934, the young teenager wrote to legendary actor 'Louis Jouvet' (qv), who subsequently assisted his entering the Cours Simon and Le Conservatoire dramatic institutions for study.A rising avant-garde stage actor by 1938, François moved directly into film, apprenticing as a featured player in such films as _Mother Love (1938)_ (qv) starring 'Michel Simon' (qv) and 'Arletty' (qv); _Hotel du Nord (1938)_ (qv) with 'Annabella' (qv), 'Jean-Pierre Aumont' (qv) and mentor Jouvet; _Lebensabend (1939)_ (qv) (The End of the Day) with Simon and Jouvet; _Le veau gras (1939)_ (qv) (The Fatted Calf) spotlighting 'Elvire Popesco' (qv); and _Herzdame (1939)_ (qv) starring 'Michèle Morgan' (qv)With World War II in full swing in Europe, François found himself in good company with some of most renowned directors of the day, including 'Pierre Fresnay' (qv), 'Marcel Carné' (qv), 'Henri Decoin' (qv) and 'René Clair' (qv). He was handed his first male lead in the boulevard-styled comedy _Love Marriage (1942)_ (qv) opposite 'Juliette Faber' (qv) and _Lettres d'amour (1942)_ (qv) opposite 'Odette Joyeux' (qv). He would continue in leads throughout the decade with such roles as the journalist in _La ferme aux loups (1943)_ (qv) and a romancer in _The Loves of Colette (1948)_ (qv).On stage, the charming, moderately handsome actor was noted best for his smooth, deep voice. He made a strong impression in the role of "Hugo" in the 1948 production of his close friend 'Jean-Paul Sartre' (qv) "Les Mains Sales" (Dirty Hands). His association with Sartre's work continued with his appearances in the plays "The Condemned Of Altona" and "The Devil and the Good Lord." In later years, he portrayed composer "Salieri" opposite 'Roman Polanski' (qv)'s "Mozart" in a 1981 Paris production of "Amadeus," directed by Polanski.The actor came into his own in his mid-to-later movie career with his participation in such classics as _Orpheus (1950)_ (qv) as the "angel of death" directed by 'Jean Cocteau' (qv); _Gervaise (1956)_ (qv) directed by 'René Clément' (qv); _Nights of Cabiria (1957)_ (qv) directed by 'Federico Fellini' (qv); _Lovers on a Tightrope (1960)_ (qv) directed by 'Jean-Charles Dudrumet' (qv), _Le Samouraï (1967)_ (qv) directed by 'Jean-Pierre Melville' (qv); _Z (1969)_ (qv) directed by 'Costa-Gavras' (qv); _Just Before Nightfall (1971)_ (qv) directed by 'Claude Chabrol' (qv), plus over a hundred film projects ranging from comedy romances to crime dramas to political thrillers.Elsewhere, François became a respected voice in narration, having narrated a French-language version of "Fantasia." He also provided commentaries to many commercial classical French recordings. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1991, he continued to work in radio and in a few movies, retiring in the mid-90s. His last film appearance was in the crime drama _Mémoires d'un jeune con (1996)_ (qv) (Memories of a Young Fool).Divorced from actresses 'Jacqueline Porel' (qv) (1941-1947), the mother of his three children, and 'Marie Daëms' (qv) (1949-1960), François died in Paris of a heart attack on June 29, 2002, at age 82, and was survived by third wife (from 1961) Colette Boutoulaud. Daughter 'Anne-Marie Périer' (qv) was editor of Elle magazine; his two sons worked behind the scenes: writer/director 'Jean-Marie Périer' (qv) and assistant director [link-nm0685177]. The latter died a suicide in 1966.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net