Claude Laydu
Claude Laydu | |
---|---|
Born | Brussels, Belgium | 10 March 1927
Died | 29 July 2011 Paris, France | (aged 84)
Occupation | Actor |
Spouse | Christine Balli |
Children | 2 |
Claude Laydu ([klod lɛjdy]; 10 March 1927 – 29 July 2011) was a Belgian-born Swiss[1] actor on stage and in films. He was renowned for his performance in his film debut in the role of the young priest in Robert Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest (1951), which has been described as one of the greatest in the history of film.
Biography
Laydu was born and grew up in Brussels. He moved to
While Bresson sometimes suggested acting got in the way of his moviemaking, Laydu, a practicing
Laydu's next film, Le Voyage en Amérique (Trip to America, 1951), was a light comedy, but he was seen to have an austere style. His next film was Au Coeur de la Casbah (Heart of the Casbah, 1952), where he struggled in an affair; he played a lawyer of a man condemned to death in Nous Sommes Tous des Assassins (We Are All Murderers), the director André Cayatte's protest against the death penalty; and in Le Chemin de Damas (The Road to Damascus), Laydu played Saint Etienne (Saint Stephen).[2] He played roles as a priest in La Guerra de Dios (I Was a Parish Priest, 1953) and as the title character, the Russian Orthodox Rasputin (1954).[4]
Over the next decade, Laydu worked in film steadily until Mafia alla sbarra (1963). His only two film projects after that were Le Destin de Priscilla Davies (1979) and Nounours (1995), which he co-wrote with his wife, Christine. [citation needed]
In 1962 he and his wife developed a puppet show for television, called Bonne nuit les petits (Good Night, Little Ones). Five minutes long, it was shown nightly and its characters Nounours, Pimprenelle and Nicolas became known by generations of French children, as it was produced for more than a decade. Laydu performed the voice of the Sandman, who spoke the title each night. Laydu and his wife revived it in 1995 as Nounours and it ran for several years. There was associated development and marketing of numerous related books, records, videos and dolls.[2] He and co-star Linette Lemercier (who voiced Oscar) were the only ones who reprised their roles in the reboot series. The show became very popular in Canada as it airs on Ici Radio-Canada Télé right before Le Téléjournal Ce Soir.
Death
Laydu died 29 July 2011 in Paris of a heart condition.[4]
Personal life
He married Christine Balli;[when?] the couple had a son and a daughter.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | Diary of a Country Priest | Priest of Ambricourt | |
1951 | The Voyage to America | François Soalhat | |
1952 | Heart of the Casbah | Michel | |
1952 | We Are All Murderers | Philippe Arnaud | |
1952 | The Road to Damascus | Etienne | |
1953 | Good Lord Without Confession | Roland Dupont | |
1953 | I Was a Parish Priest | Padre Andrés Mendoza | |
1953 | Napoleon Road | Pierre Marchand | |
1954 | Rasputin | Héliodore | |
1954 | Attila | Valentiniano Caesar | |
1955 | The Price of Love | Pierre Ménard | |
1956 | Altair | Mario Rossi | |
1956 | Symphony of Love | Franz Schubert | |
1960 | Dialogue with the Carmelites | Le Chevalier de la Force | |
1961 | Italienisches Capriccio | Carlo Goldoni | |
1963 | Mafia alla sbarra |
References
- ^ "Flashback. Le marchand de sable est passé". Tempsreel.nouvelobs.com. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Robert Bergan, "Claude Laydu obituary", The Guardian, 7 August 2011; accessed 15 June 2014
- sacramentswere of no comfort to him."
- ^ a b "Claude Laydu, French actor known for Bresson role, dies at 84", New York Times, 11 August 2011.
External links
- Claude Laydu at IMDb