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Jean Martin

Jean Martin

Actor · 1922 – 2009 · Paris, France

Jean Martin (6 March 1922 - 2 February 2009) was a French actor. Coming from a Berry family, he spent part of his childhood in Biarritz, where his father worked for a furrier. During the Second World War, he hid to escape the Forced Labor Service. Staying in Paris, he appeared in two films by Maurice Tourneur: "The Devil's Hand" (1942) then "Cécile Est Mort" (1943). At the twilight of the forties, he started doing theater. In 1953, Jean Martin gained notoriety by playing the new play by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, "Waiting for Godot", under the direction of Roger Blin, becoming the first to take on the role of Lucky. The same Roger Blin produced “End of the Game” (1957), by the same Beckett, a few years later, and entrusted the same Jean Martin with the role of Clov. In 1960, Jean Martin staged his first play, “Letter Dead”, by Robert Pinget. In 1962, he again staged a play, “The Representatives”, by Aglaé and Mona Mitropoulos, adapted by Michel Arnaud. Alongside this theatrical career which would prove to be rich, Jean Martin returned to cinema: “Notre-Dame de Paris” (1956), by Jean Delannoy, “Paris belongs to us” (1958), by Jacques Rivette, “Ballade for a thug " (1962), by Jean-Claude Bonnardot, "La foire aux dunces" (1963), by Louis Daquin and "À toi de fait mignon" (1963), by Bernard Borderie. In 1960, he was a signatory of the Manifesto of the 121 entitled “Declaration on the right to insubordination in the Algerian war”. In 1965, a role marked his career, that of Colonel Mathieu, in a film retracing the struggle in 1957 for control of the Casbah district of Algiers between FLN militants and French soldiers: "The Battle of Algiers" . Three years after the end of the Algerian War, the subject is still sensitive on each side of the Mediterranean; the film was banned in France upon its release, then censored until 2004. Jean Martin, very convincing in this role of division commander (historically, the commander is General Massu, but the character is inspired by Colonel Bigeard), is the only professional actor in the film. His large stature, his strong personality and his imperious face predispose him to notable roles generally showing authority: chief doctor, police commissioner, high-ranking military officer, ecclesiastical dignitary...; one of the most impressive will undoubtedly be that of a doctor vehemently expelling from his hospital a judge Fayard, Patrick Dewaere, a bit of a cavalier in "Le Juge Fayard Dit Le Shérif" (1976). Claude Zidi mocks these roles in his comedies: principal in “La moutarde monte au nose” (1974), bank director in “La Course À L'Échalote” (1975), chief doctor in “L'aile ou la thigh” (1976), principal inspector in “Bête mais disciplined” (1979) and examiner in “Inspecteur la Bavure” (1980). Alongside Jean-Paul Belmondo, he is… cardinal in “L’Hériter” (1972) and… divisional commissioner in “Peur Sur La ville” (1975)! But also alongside Terence Hill in “My Name is Nobody” (1973) in the role of Sullivan, or “One Genius, Two Associates, One Bell (1975). After devoting a large part of his career to the theater, appearing in around fifty films, Jean Martin died on February 2, 2009, in Paris.

Movies24

  • Movie7.5

    The Day of the Jackal

    1973 · 711 votes

  • Movie7.9

    La battaglia di Algeri

    The Battle of Algiers

    1966 · 928 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Il mio nome è Nessuno

    My Name Is Nobody

    1973 · 1.1K votes

  • Movie7.2

    L'Aile ou la Cuisse

    The Wing or the Thigh?

    1976 · 990 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Un genio, due compari, un pollo

    A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot

    1975 · 195 votes

  • Movie5.2

    Le Rempart des Béguines

    The Beguines

    1972 · 15 votes

  • Movie7.2

    Peur sur la ville

    The Night Caller

    1975 · 289 votes

  • Movie7.8

    Le Roi et l'Oiseau

    The King and the Mockingbird

    1980 · 425 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Manon 70

    1968 · 20 votes

  • Movie7.1

    La Religieuse

    The Nun

    1967 · 107 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Le dossier 51

    Dossier 51

    1978 · 55 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Inspecteur La Bavure

    Inspector Blunder

    1980 · 208 votes

  • Movie6.1

    La Course à l'échalote

    The Wild Goose Chase

    1975 · 88 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Je t'aime, je t'aime

    1968 · 108 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Fortunat

    Fortunate

    1960 · 31 votes

  • Movie6.1

    La moutarde me monte au nez

    I'm Losing My Temper

    1974 · 103 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Lucie Aubrac

    1997 · 75 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Paris nous appartient

    Paris Belongs to Us

    1961 · 81 votes

  • Movie6.4

    L'Héritier

    The Inheritor

    1973 · 96 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Jig-Saw

    L'Homme en colère

    1979 · 20 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Il gatto

    The Cat

    1977 · 49 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Le Juge Fayard dit Le Shériff

    Judge Fayard Called the Sheriff

    1977 · 53 votes

  • Movie

    Pierres oubliées

    Forgotten Stones

    1952

  • Movie6.4

    Laisse aller... c'est une valse

    Troubleshooters

    1971 · 39 votes

Series7

  • TV7.1

    Commissaire Moulin

    Police Commissioner Moulin

    1976 · 8 votes

  • TV6.9
  • TV1.0
  • TV7.0

    Les Compagnons de Baal

    Baal's Companions

    1968 · 1 votes

  • TV8.5

    Rendez-vous en noir

    1977 · 2 votes

  • TV
  • TV