Jean Gabin Explained

Jean Gabin
Birth Name:Jean Gabin Alexis Moncorgé
Birth Date:1904 5, df=yes
Birth Place:Paris, France
Death Place:Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Yearsactive:1928–1976
Spouse:Gaby Basset (1925–30)
Suzanne Marguerite Jeanne Mauchain (1933–39)
Dominique Fournier (1949–76)

Jean Gabin Alexis Moncorgé, known as Jean Gabin (in French ʒɑ̃ gabɛ̃/; 17 May 190415 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.

Biography

Early life

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,[1] [2] 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.

Career

Early days

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. But he was the king of ‘cinematic cool’ even before the rise of those Hollywood stars.[3]

He divorced his second wife in 1939.

Hollywood

In the late 1930s Gabin was flooded with offers from Hollywood, but turned them all down until the outbreak of World War II. After the German occupation of France in 1940, he joined Renoir and Duvivier in the United States. During his time in Hollywood, Gabin began a romance with actress Marlene Dietrich that lasted until 1948.[4] His films in America—Moontide (1942) and The Impostor (1944), the latter with Duvivier—were not successful.

World War II action

Undaunted, Gabin joined General Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces and earned the Médaille militaire and a Croix de Guerre for his wartime valor fighting with the Allies in North Africa. Following D-Day, Gabin served with the 2nd armored division that liberated Paris.

Career slump

In 1945 Carné chose Gabin to star in the film Gates of the Night with Dietrich as his co-star. She disliked the screenplay and feared her German accent would not go over well with postwar French audiences. When she withdrew from the project, Gabin followed suit, leading to a falling out with Carné. He found a French producer and director willing to cast him and Dietrich together, but the film, Martin Roumagnac, was not a success and their personal relationship soon ended. In 1948 Gabin starred in René Clément's poetic realist film The Walls of Malapaga (French: Au-delà des grilles), which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture but garnered little recognition for Gabin. In 1949 he starred in his only role in legitimate theatre in Henri Bernstein's La Soif. It ran in Paris for six months, with Gabin critically praised as "a first-rate stage actor." Despite this recognition, his subsequent films did not do well at the French box office, and the next five years brought repeated failures.

Comeback

Gabin's career seemed headed for oblivion until the 1954 film Touchez pas au grisbi (Don't Touch the Loot), directed by Jacques Becker, earned him critical acclaim. The film was very profitable internationally. He then worked once again with Renoir in French Cancan, with María Félix and Françoise Arnoul. Gabin played Georges Simenon's detective Jules Maigret in three films in 1958, 1959 and 1963. Over the next 20 years, he made almost 50 more films, most of them very successful commercially and critically, including many for Gafer Films, his production partnership with fellow actor Fernandel. His co-stars included such leading figures of postwar cinema as Brigitte Bardot (En cas de malheur), Alain Delon (Le Clan des Siciliens, Mélodie en sous-sol and Deux hommes dans la ville), Jean-Paul Belmondo (Un singe en hiver) and Louis de Funès (Le Tatoué).

Death

Gabin died of leukemia at the American Hospital of Paris, in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. His body was cremated, and—with full military honours—his ashes were scattered at sea from a military ship.

Legacy

Filmography

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1930Everybody WinsMarcel GrivotHans Steinhoff,
René Pujol
French-language version of Headfirst into Happiness
Michel Du LacShort
With Raymond Dandy Alternative title Ohé les valises
Short
With Raymond Dandy Alternative title Les Lions
1931MéphistoInspector Jacques MiralHenri Debain
Serial film with four episodes
With René Navarre Based on a novel by Arthur Bernède
The Darling of ParisBobAugusto Genina
All That's Not Worth LoveJean CordierJacques Tourneur
GloriaRobert NourryHans Behrendt,
Yvan Noé
French-language version of Gloria
For an Evening JeanJean Godard
1932LilacMartousseAnatole LitvakBased on a play by Tristan Bernard and Charles-Henry Hirsch
Fun in the BarracksFricotMaurice TourneurWith Fernandel and Raimu
Based on a play by Georges Courteline
Joe GreerJean Daumery,
(uncredited: Howard Hawks)
French-language version of The Crowd Roars
The Beautiful SailorThe CaptainHarry LachmanWith Madeleine Renaud and Pierre Blanchar
Based on a play by Marcel Achard
Happy HeartsCharlesHanns Schwarz,
Max de Vaucorbeil
French-language version of Gypsies of the Night
1933Pour un soirJeanJean GodardShot 1931
The Star of ValenciaPedro SavedraSerge de PolignyWith Brigitte Helm
French-language version of The Star of Valencia
Goodbye, Beautiful DaysPierre Lavernay Johannes Meyer,
André Beucler
With Brigitte Helm
French-language version of Happy Days in Aranjuez
High and LowCharles BoullaG. W. PabstWith Michel Simon and Peter Lorre
The TunnelAllan Mac AllanCurtis BernhardtWith Madeleine Renaud and Gustaf Gründgens
French-language version of The Tunnel
1934Maria ChapdelaineFrançois ParadisJulien DuvivierWith Madeleine Renaud and Jean-Pierre Aumont
Adaptation of Louis Hémon's novel Maria Chapdelaine
NBR Award 1935
ZouzouJeanMarc AllégretWith Josephine Baker
1935GolgothaPontius PilateJulien DuvivierWith Harry Baur and Edwige Feuillère
La Bandera (Escape from Yesterday)Pierre Gilleth Julien DuvivierWith Annabella
Adaptation of Pierre Mac Orlan's novel La Bandera
GeorgesNicolas FarkasWith Annabella and Fernand Gravey French-language version of Variety
1936They Were FiveJeannotJulien DuvivierWith Charles Vanel and Viviane Romance
The Lower DepthsPepel WasskaJean RenoirWith Louis Jouvet
Adaptation of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths
Louis Delluc Prize 1937
1937Pépé le MokoPépé le MokoJulien DuvivierRemade twice in the US: Algiers (1938) and Casbah (1948)
La Grande IllusionLieutenant MaréchalJean RenoirWith Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay and Marcel Dalio
NBR Award 1938
The MessengerNick DangeRaymond RouleauWith Jean-Pierre Aumont Based on a play by Henri Bernstein
Lady KillerLucien BourracheJean GrémillonAdaptation of a novel by André Beucler
1938Port of ShadowsJeanMarcel CarnéWith Michèle Morgan, Michel Simon and Pierre Brasseur
Based on a novel by Pierre Mac Orlan
Louis Delluc Prize 1939
La Bête humaine (The Human Beast)Jacques LantierJean RenoirWith Simone Simon
Adaptation of Émile Zola's novel La Bête humaine
1939Coral ReefsTrott LennartMaurice GleizeWith Michèle Morgan
Adaptation of a novel by Jean Martet
Le jour se lève (Daybreak)FrançoisMarcel CarnéWith Arletty and Jules Berry
Remade in the US as The Long Night (1947) starring Henry Fonda
1941Stormy WatersCaptain André LaurentJean GrémillonWith Michèle Morgan and Madeleine Renaud
Adaptation of a novel by Roger Vercel
1942MoontideBoboArchie MayoAmerican film
With Ida Lupino and Claude Rains
Adaptation of a novel by Willard Robertson
1944The ImpostorClement / Maurice LafargeJulien DuvivierAmerican film
1946Martin Roumagnac (The Room Upstairs)Martin RoumagnacGeorges LacombeWith Marlene Dietrich
Adaptation of a novel by Pierre-René Wolf
1947Mirror Pierre Lussac / MiroirRaymond Lamy
1949The Walls of MalapagaPierre ArrignonRené ClémentWith Isa Miranda
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1950La Marie du portHenri ChatelardMarcel CarnéAdaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
His Last Twelve HoursCarlo BacchiLuigi Zampa
1951VictorVictorClaude HeymannBased on a play by Henri Bernstein
The Night Is My KingdomRaymond PinsardGeorges LacombeVolpi Cup for Best Actor at the 12th Venice International Film Festival
1952La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (The Truth About Bebe Donge)François DongeHenri Decoin(segment "La Maison Tellier")
With Danielle Darrieux
Adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
Le Plaisir (House of Pleasure)Joseph RivetMax OphülsWith Danielle Darrieux, Madeleine Renaud and Pierre Brasseur
An anthology film based on three stories by Guy de Maupassant
La Minute de vérité (The Moment of Truth)Dr. Pierre RichardJean DelannoyWith Michèle Morgan and Daniel Gélin
1953StormsAntonio SannaGuido BrignoneWith Silvana Pampanini and Serge Reggiani
Their Last NightPierre Fernand RuffinGeorges LacombeWith Madeleine Robinson
Jacques Ledru / Martin SchmidtGilles GrangierWith Nadia Gray Adaptation of a novel by Pierre Nord
1954Touchez pas au grisbi (Don't Touch the Loot)MaxJacques BeckerWith Jeanne Moreau and Lino Ventura
Adaptation of a novel by Albert Simonin
Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 15th Venice International Film Festival
The Air of ParisVictor Le GarrecMarcel CarnéWith Arletty and Folco Lulli
Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 15th Venice International Film Festival
1955NapoléonMarshal Jean LannesSacha GuitryCameo
Razzia sur la chnouf (Raid on the Drug Ring)Henri FerréHenri DecoinWith Magali Noël, Marcel Dalio and Lino Ventura
Based on a novel by Auguste Le Breton
French CancanHenri DanglardJean RenoirWith María Félix and Françoise Arnoul
House on the WaterfrontCaptain LequévicEdmond T. GrévilleWith Henri Vidal
The Little RebelsJudge Julien LamyJean DelannoyAdaptation of a novel by Gilbert Cesbron
Gas-OilJean ChapeGilles GrangierWith Jeanne Moreau
Based on a novel by Georges Bayle
1956People of No ImportanceJean ViardHenri VerneuilWith Françoise Arnoul
Based on a novel by Serge Groussard
Deadlier Than the MaleAndré ChatelinJulien DuvivierProduced by Raymond Borderie (and others)
Blood to the HeadFrançois CardinaudGilles GrangierAdaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
La Traversée de Paris (The Trip Across Paris)GrandgilClaude Autant-LaraWith Bourvil and Louis de Funès
Crime and PunishmentCommissaire GalletGeorges LampinWith Robert Hossein, Marina Vlady, Bernard Blier, Ulla Jacobsson and Lino Ventura
Adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel
1957<--3 April 1957-->The Case of Doctor Laurent Dr. LaurentJean-Paul Le Chanois
Speaking of MurderLouis BertainGilles GrangierWith Annie Girardot and Lino Ventura
/ Adaptation of a novel by Auguste Le Breton
1958Maigret Sets a TrapJules MaigretJean DelannoyWith Annie Girardot and Lino Ventura
Adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
Les MisérablesJean ValjeanJean-Paul Le ChanoisWith Bernard Blier, Bourvil and Serge Reggiani
Adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel
Le désordre et la nuit (Night Affair)Inspector Georges ValloisGilles GrangierWith Danielle Darrieux and Nadja Tiller
Love Is My ProfessionMaître André GobillotClaude Autant-LaraWith Brigitte Bardot
Adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
The PossessorsNoël SchoudlerDenys de La PatellièreWith Pierre Brasseur and Bernard Blier
Adaptation of a novel by Maurice Druon
1959Archimède le clochard (The Magnificent Tramp)ArchimèdeGilles GrangierWith Bernard Blier
Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 9th Berlin International Film Festival[7]
Maigret et l'Affaire Saint-FiacreJules MaigretJean DelannoyAdaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
Rue des prairiesHenri NeveuxDenys de La PatellièreAdaptation of a novel by René Lefèvre
1960Le Baron de l'écluse (The Baron of the Locks)Baron Jérôme Napoléon AnthoineJean DelannoyWith Micheline Presle
Adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
The Old GuardBaptiste TalonGilles GrangierWith Pierre Fresnay
Adaptation of a novel by René Fallet
1961The PresidentÉmile BeaufortHenri VerneuilWith Bernard Blier
Adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
Le cave se rebiffe (The Counterfeiters of Paris)Ferdinand MaréchalGilles GrangierWith Martine Carol, Bernard Blier and Françoise Rosay
Adaptation of a novel by Albert Simonin
1962A Monkey in WinterAlbert QuentinHenri VerneuilWith Jean-Paul Belmondo
Adaptation of Antoine Blondin's novel A Monkey in Winter
The Gentleman from EpsomRichard Briand-CharmeryGilles GrangierWith Louis de Funès
Raymond Oliver as himself
1963Any Number Can WinMister CharlesHenri Verneuil
Maigret Sees RedJules MaigretGilles GrangierAdaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
1964MonsieurRené Duchêne / Georges BaudinJean-Paul Le ChanoisWith Liselotte Pulver, Mireille Darc and Philippe Noiret
That Tender AgeÉmile MalhouinGilles GrangierWith Fernandel
1965God's ThunderLéandre Brassac Denys de La PatellièreWith Lilli Palmer, Michèle Mercier and Robert Hossein
Adaptation of a novel by Bernard Clavel
1966The Upper HandPaul BergerDenys de La PatellièreWith George Raft, Gert Fröbe, Mireille Darc and Nadja Tiller
Adaptation of a novel by Auguste Le Breton
The Gardener of ArgenteuilJoseph Martin alias 'Tulipe'Jean-Paul Le ChanoisWith Liselotte Pulver and Curd Jürgens
1967Action ManDenis FerrandJean DelannoyWith Robert Stack, Margaret Lee and Walter Giller
1968PashaComissaire Louis JossGeorges Lautner
Le tatoué (The Million Dollar Tattoo)Count EnguerandDenys de La PatellièreWith Louis de Funès
1969Under the Sign of the BullAlbert RaynalGilles GrangierAdaptation of a novel by Roger Vrigny
The Sicilian ClanVittorio ManaleseHenri VerneuilWith Alain Delon and Lino Ventura Score by Ennio Morricone Adaptation of a novel by Auguste Le Breton
1970La HorseAuguste MaroilleurPierre Granier-Deferre
1971Le ChatJulien BouinPierre Granier-DeferreWith Simone Signoret Adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon
Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival[8]
Victor PloubazMichel AudiardAdaptation of a novel by René Fallet
1972Commissaire Le GuenDenys de La PatellièreWith Bernard Blier, Fabio Testi and Uschi Glas
1973The Dominici AffairGaston DominiciBased on the Dominici affair
Two Men in TownGermain CazeneuveJosé GiovanniWith Alain Delon, Michel Bouquet and Mimsy Farmer
Remade in the USA as Two Men in Town (2014) starring Forest Whitaker
1974VerdictJudge LeguenAndré CayatteWith Sophia Loren
Produced by Carlo Ponti
1976L'Année sainte (Holy Year)Max LambertJean Giraultwith Jean-Claude Brialy and Danielle Darrieux

Further reading

Joseph Harriss: "Jean Gabin: The Actor Who Was France." McFarland, Jefferson, NC 2018

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Qui est qui en France . Lafitte, Jacques . Taylor, Stephen . J. Lafitte. 1969.
  2. Web site: Jean Gabin – Actors and Actresses – Films as Actor:, Publications . Filmreference.com . 16 July 2014.
  3. Web site: D.S . Shreyas . 19 February 2022 . 25 Greatest Actors Of All Time . 16 December 2022 . Flickside . en-us.
  4. http://www.arte.tv/de/marlene-dietrich-und-jean-gabin-ein-ungleiches-liebespaar/7261670,CmC=7250240.html Marlene Dietrich und Jean Gabin – Ein ungleiches Liebespaar
  5. Web site: Gabin, une légende au coeur du Perche en Normandie – France Bleu. ici, par France Bleu et France 3.
  6. Web site: Jean Gabin.
  7. Web site: Berlinale 1959: Prize Winners . 5 January 2010 . berlinale.de.
  8. Web site: Berlinale 1971: Prize Winners . 14 March 2010 . berlinale.de.