Born: August 21, 1892 – Died: April 15, 1989
Charles Vanel, born in Rennes, France, embarked on an astonishing 76-year journey in the cinematic world, leaving an indelible mark in the history of film. His career, beginning in 1912 and spanning until 1988, included over 200 films, testifying to his versatility and enduring appeal.
Early Life and Career
Vanel's early life and path into the acting world remain somewhat enigmatic, but his entrance into cinema at a young age set the stage for a prolific and diverse career. He first caught the eye of audiences and critics alike in his role as truck driver Jo in the critically acclaimed thriller "The Wages of Fear" (1953). This film, a major success in France and internationally, won the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or, catapulting Vanel into the limelight. His portrayal of Wolf Andergast in "L'affaire Maurizius" (1954) earned him the Best Actor award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Vanel's remarkable talent saw him work with some of the most esteemed directors of his time, including Luis Buñuel, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jacques Feyder, and Alfred Hitchcock. His role in Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" (1955) as Monsieur Bertani further solidified his status in the industry. His portrayal of Albatrasse in "Burning Fuse" (1957) brought him the Best Actor award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
In his personal life, Vanel was married to Arlette Mauricette Bailly from 1962 until his death in 1989. His career was recognized with a Honorary César Award in 1979, and in 1981, he won the Best Supporting Actor award at the David Di Donatello Awards for "Three Brothers". Vanel's last film role was in "Les Saisons du plaisir" (1988). He is remembered not just for his longevity in the industry, but for the depth and intensity he brought to every role, making him a true icon of cinema.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Les saisons du plaisir | Charles Van Bergh |
| 1987 | Si le soleil ne revenait pas | Anzévui |
| 1982 | Les Michaud (TV Movie) | Léon Michaud |
| 1982 | Otototoï (TV Movie) | Toine |
| 1981 | Three Brothers | Donato Giuranna |
| 1981 | La puce et le privé | Mathieu Fortier |
| 1980 | Le mandarin (TV Movie) | Léon Chaput |
| 1980 | Caméra une première (TV Series) | M. Daru |
| 1980 | Le chemin perdu | Léon Schwarz |
| 1978 | Thomas Guérin... retraité (TV Movie) | Thomas Guérin |
| 1978 | Cinéma 16 (TV Series) | Thomas Guérin |
| 1978 | Ne pleure pas | Le grand-père |
| 1977 | Golden Night | Charles Fournier |
| 1977 | Alice or The Last Escapade | Henri Vergennes |
| 1976 | À l'ombre d'un été | Jean Landot |
| 1976 | Boomerang | Me Ritter |
| 1976 | Illustrious Corpses | Procurator Varga |
| 1975 | 7 morts sur ordonnance | Old Brézé |
| 1975 | Es herrscht Ruhe im Land | Großvater Parra |
| 1975 | La vie de plaisance (TV Movie) | Marcel |
| 1974 | Le juge et son bourreau (TV Movie) | Le commissaire Bairelard |
| 1974 | Par le sang des autres | Le curé |
| 1973 | Le violon de Vincent (TV Movie) | Vincent |
| 1973 | Au bout du rouleau (TV Movie) | Le capitaine Whalley |
| 1973 | Le reflet dans la mer (TV Movie) | Baron Ucciani |
| 1972–1973 | Les Thibault (TV Mini Series) | Oscar Thibault |
| 1972 | The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life | Il Presidente, Giudice Dutz |
| 1972 | Camorra | Don Mimo De Ritis |
| 1972 | Le père Goriot (TV Movie) | Père Goriot |
| 1971 | Countdown to Vengeance | Juliani |
| 1970 | Ils | Le professeur Swaine |
| 1970 | Sébastien et la Mary-Morgane (TV Mini Series) | Captain Louis Maréchal |
| 1970 | La nuit bulgare | Bohringer |
| 1968 | Les grandes espérances (TV Movie) | Abel Magwitch |
| 1968 | Woman in Chains | L'invité au vernissage qui dit 'Oui, ça correspond au schéma du bonhomme' (uncredited) |
| 1968 | La séparation (TV Movie) | Louis Vigué |
| 1968 | Ballade pour un chien | Viachet |
| 1967 | Shock Troops | Passevin |
| 1967 | L'Arlésienne (TV Movie) | Le berger Balthazar |
| 1965 | Le chant du monde | Marinau, le matelot |
| 1963 | Magnet of Doom | Dieudonné Ferchaux |
| 1963 | Un roi sans divertissement | Le procureur du Roi |
| 1963 | Symphonie pour un massacre | Paoli |
| 1963 | Rififi in Tokyo | Van Hekken |
| 1962 | Lo sgarro | Don Vincenzo |
| 1962 | The Steppe | Pére Christophore |
| 1961 | Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'Or | Père Alexandre |
| 1960 | On roule à deux (TV Movie) | Unknown |
| 1960 | The Truth | Maître Guérin |
| 1960 | María, matrícula de Bilbao | El viejo |
| 1959 | Pêcheur d'Islande | L'armateur Mével |
| 1959 | La valse du gorille | Berthomieu dit 'Le Vieux' |
| 1959 | Prisoner of the Volga | Ossip Semjonowitsch |
| 1959 | Les naufrageurs | Marnez |
| 1958 | The Mask of the Gorilla | Le colonel Berthomieu - dit le Vieux |
| 1958 | No Escape | Caillé |
| 1958 | Sinners of Paris | Léonce Pozzi, dit "Le Fondu" |
| 1957 | Les suspects | Commissaire Perrache |
| 1957 | Le feu aux poudres | Albatrasse |
| 1956 | Death in the Garden | Castin |
| 1956 | Defend My Love | Verdisio |
| 1956 | Quando tramonta il sole | Unknown |
| 1955 | Un missionnaire | Père Gauthier |
| 1955 | Native Drums | Carlo Leonardi |
| 1955 | To Catch a Thief | Bertani |
| 1955 | Diabolique | Alfred Fichet, le commissaire |
| 1954 | Allegro squadrone | Il capitano Hurluret |
| 1954 | On Trial | Wolf Andergast |
| 1954 | Maddalena | Giovanni Lamberti |
| 1954 | Royal Affairs in Versailles | Monsieur de Vergennes |
| 1953 | The Wages of Fear | M. Jo |
| 1952 | Malaire | Noguère aîné |
| 1951 | L'ultima sentenza | Giudice Marco Valsetti |
| 1951 | Incantesimo tragico | Bastiano |
| 1951 | Il bivio | Lubiani |
| 1950 | The Fighting Men | Don Salvatore Sparaino |
| 1950 | Cuori sul mare | Nostromo Norus |
| 1949 | Vertigine d'amore | Mugnaio Resplanton | France: Emile Resplandin |
| 1949 | In the Name of the Law | Massaro Turi Passalacqua |
| 1948 | La femme que j'ai assassinée | François Bachelin |
| 1947 | Woman of Evil | Laurent |
| 1947 | La cabane aux souvenirs | Lauragais |
| 1946 | Le bateau à soupe | Le capitaine Hervé |
| 1946 | Gringalet | Lucien Ravaut |
| 1945 | Enquête du 58 (Short) | Bernard - le mécanicien |
| 1945 | La ferme du pendu | François |
| 1944 | The Woman Who Dared | Pierre Gauthier |
| 1943 | Les Roquevillard | Maître François Roquevillard |
| 1943 | Le soleil a toujours raison | L'homme du mas |
| 1942 | Haut le vent | François Ascarra |
| 1942 | Promesse à l'inconnue | Bernard Parker |
| 1942 | Les affaires sont les affaires | Isidore Lechat |
| 1941 | Le diamant noir | François Mitry |
| 1940 | La nuit merveilleuse | Le fermier |
| 1940 | L'or du Cristobal | Le Coronel - le chef de la police |
| 1939 | La loi du nord | Le caporal Dalrymple |
| 1939 | Yamilé sous les cèdres | le chef maronite Rachid El Hamé |
| 1939 | La brigade sauvage | Général Kalitjeff |
| 1938 | Carrefour | Roger de Vétheuil |
| 1938 | S.O.S. Sahara | Loup |
| 1938 | Bar du sud | Le capitaine Olivier |
| 1938 | Légions d'honneur | Le captaine Dabrau |
| 1938 | L'occident | Jean Cadière |
| 1938 | The Woman from the End of the World | Durc, l'officier mécanicien |
| 1938 | Les pirates du rail | Henri Pierson |
| 1937 | Abus de confiance | Jacques Ferney |
| 1937 | Troïka sur la piste blanche | Michel Steinberg |
| 1937 | Police mondaine | Salviati |
| 1937 | Courrier Sud | L'ambassadeur Herlin |
| 1936 | L'assaut | Alexandre Mérital |
| 1936 | I Give My Life | Commander Vassidloff |
| 1936 | Les grands | Henri Lormier |
| 1936 | Jenny | Benoit |
| 1936 | La belle équipe | Charles dit Charlot |
| 1936 | La flamme | Victor Boussat |
| 1936 | La peur | Robert Sylvain |
| 1936 | Michel Strogoff | Ivan Ogareff |
| 1936 | Les bateliers de la Volga | Le colonel Goreff |
| 1935 | L'impossible aveu | Fred |
| 1935 | Le domino vert | Nebel - un sculpteur |
| 1935 | Flight Into Darkness | Le lieutenant Maury |
| 1935 | Roi de Camargue | Rampal |
| 1934 | Le grand jeu | Clément |
| 1934 | Au bout du monde | Geroges Laudy |
| 1934 | Les Misérables | Inspecteur Javert |
| 1933 | L'homme mystérieux (Short) | Pierre |
| 1933 | Gitanes | Léon |
| 1932 | Affaire classée (Short) | Le forain |
| 1932 | Daïnah la métisse | Le mécanicien Michaux |
| 1932 | Au nom de la loi | Lancelot |
| 1932 | Wooden Crosses | Caporal Breval |
| 1931 | Faubourg Montmartre | André Marco, dit Dédé |
| 1931 | La maison jaune de Rio | King-Fu | Scalpa |
| 1931 | Maison de danses | Ramon |
| 1930 | Le capitaine jaune | Le capitaine |
| 1930 | L'Arlésienne | Mitifio, un gardian |
| 1930 | Accusée... levez-vous! | Henri Lapalle |
| 1930 | Dans la nuit | L'ouvrier carrier |
| 1930 | Chiqué (Short) | Fernand |
| 1929 | Drei Tage auf Leben und Tod - aus dem Logbuch der U.C.1 | Der Steuermann |
| 1929 | Les Fourchambault | Unknown |
| 1929 | La femme rêvée | Angel Call |
| 1929 | Die Liebe der Brüder Rott | Unknown |
| 1929 | Waterloo | Napoleon |
| 1928 | Le passager | Le passager |
| 1928 | Königin Luise, 2. Teil | Napoleon |
| 1927 | Charité | Unknown |
| 1927 | Apaches of Paris | Bécot |
| 1927 | Martyre | Unknown |
| 1927 | Da hält die Welt den Atem an | Unknown |
| 1927 | The White Slave | Dr. Warner |
| 1927 | Königin Luise, 1. Teil - Die Jugend der Königin Luise | Napoleon |
| 1927 | Feu! | Le lieutenant Frémiet |
| 1927 | La proie du vent | Pierre Vignal |
| 1926 | Nitchevo | Commandant Cartier |
| 1926 | 600000 francs par mois | John Durand |
| 1926 | L'orphelin du cirque | Garment, le traitre | Legru |
| 1926 | La flamme | Boussat |
| 1925 | Barocco | Barocco |
| 1925 | Le réveil | Le Prince Jean |
| 1925 | Les cinquante ans de Don Juan | Lorenzo Castucci |
| 1925 | La nuit de la revanche | Unknown |
| 1924 | Pêcheur d'Islande | Yann Moan |
| 1924 | Âme d'artiste | Unknown |
| 1924 | Le vol | Favier |
| 1924 | La flambée des rêves | Lucien Réneval |
| 1924 | La mendiante de Saint-Sulpice | Gilbert Rollin |
| 1924 | In the Spider's Web | Stephen Powers |
| 1923 | Du crépuscule à l'aube | Unknown |
| 1923 | L'autre aile | Gaston Lager |
| 1923 | Calvaire d'amour | Georges Brémond |
| 1923 | La maison du mystère | Henri Corradin |
| 1923 | L'âtre | Bernard Larade |
| 1922 | Tempêtes | Raoul Mauduit |
| 1921 | La fille de Camargue | Un gardian |
| 1921 | Phroso | Dimitri |
| 1921 | L'enfant du carnaval | Unknown |
| 1921 | Crépuscule d'épouvante | Guillaume Brohan |
| 1920 | Miarka, the Child of the Bear | Mario, le garde-chasse |
| 1919 | Sa gosse | Unknown |
| 1917 | La p'tite du sixième | Unknown |
| 1910 | Jim Crow (Short) | Barman |
General:
Page by @kendewitt
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