Biography and filmography of Pierre Richard

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Pierre Richard is a popular French film actor. Also known as a director, writer and even a winemaker. World fame came to him after the release of the comedy films "Unlucky", "Tall blond in a black shoe", "Toy", "Dads".

Childhood and youth

Pierre Richard was born in 1934 in the French city of Valenciennes. His parents dreamed that their boy would become a successful industrialist, and he would become one of the most successful comedians in the world. Pierre Richard's date of birth is August 16, 1934.

Born into the world in an aristocratic family. His father's main hobbies were women and horse racing. Because of them, the parent of Pierre Richard quickly lost his fortune of several million francs, after which he sent his wife and son to his father's estate. When the future comedian was only three years old, the ruined father had already left the family.

The boy studied at a boarding school with the children of peasants and miners. At the same time, the family still remained we althy, compared to others. For example, on Mondays, the driver brought him to the boarding house in a limousine,there Pierre Richard stayed the whole week until the weekend. This went on for eight years.

It was not easy for him in this educational institution, as classmates did not perceive an aristocrat who was much higher than their social status. They kept away from him. To win people over, Pierre Richard put on a clown mask, constantly joked and made faces. So he first tried on the role of a comedian.

It was then that he first realized that in this way you can win the trust and love of people. True, the teachers did not appreciate this hobby, after each trick they reminded him of his high origin. Richard himself noted that two people seemed to be fighting inside him at that time - a refined aristocrat and the most ordinary person. He was supported only by his maternal grandfather, who served as a sailor. He was the only one who did not resist his passion for acting.

At the same time, Pierre Richard, whose photo is presented in this article, communicated with his peers only at school. Any contacts outside of it with commoners were forbidden to him. As the hero of our article later recalls, all his childhood he actually felt himself under house arrest. The only entertainment he could devote himself to was home concerts, where he quoted Cyrano de Bergerac.

At the age of 12, the first serious shock occurred in the biography of Pierre Richard - his grandfather died. Before his death, he predicted that the grandson would be the only one from the family who would achieve recognition in life.

Early career

By 18Richard has already decided that he will go to enroll in theater courses. His father was categorically against this, insisting that he become an industrialist, continuing the work of his ancestors. Not finding understanding within the family, he ran away from home, completely cutting off contact with the family.

Arriving in Paris, the young man went to acting classes. However, they refused to accept him, citing too unattractive external data. The hero of our article did not give up, enrolling in drama courses organized by Charles Dullin. After graduation, he began to successfully earn money in music halls, cabaret and on the stage.

The first success was brought to him by performing at concerts in tandem with Victor Lanu. They could be seen almost every evening in a cabaret located in the Latin Quarter. Richard favorably differed from many comedians of that time in that he himself invented most of the plots for comedy sketches. It was on the stage of this cabaret that his classic image of a modest man, whose life is filled with ridiculous situations, was born.

Debut on the big screen

The real popularity for the hero of our article came after he started acting in films. Photos of Pierre Richard began to appear in prestigious publications, he was idolized by viewers and critics. He got on the set quite late, at the age of 33.

The creative biography of Pierre Richard dates back to Serge Corber's comedy "An Idiot in Paris", which was released in 1967. There, he first appears in a cameo role, playing an eccentric and ridiculous policeman.

The meeting with the director Yves Robert, with whom he plays in the comedy "Lucky Alexander" in 1968, becomes a landmark for him.

Tall blond in black boot

The first high-profile role in the filmography of actor Pierre Richard is Robert's 1972 comedy "The Tall Blond Man in the Black Boot". In this tape, he gets the main role.

He plays a violinist named François Perrin, who gets caught up in a conspiracy by the French secret services. He is mistaken for a secret superspy. In reality, François is an absent-minded violinist. Surveillance begins for him, bugs are installed in the house, and an employee Christine is sent to him, who is supposed to seduce him.

Perrin, without noticing it, deftly bypasses all the traps set for him. The film almost immediately becomes a classic of world cinema, and everyone will know about the talent of actor Pierre Richard.

In 1974, "Return of the Tall Blonde" was released, which is no less successful than the first film.

Director's experiments

It is interesting that already at that time Richard tried himself as a director. In 1970, he filmed the comedy "Scattered", in which he himself plays the main role. The next year, the hilarious picture "The Misfortunes of Alfred" about a man who can't commit suicide.

Also among his directorial credits are films such as "I don't know anything, but I'll say it anyway", "I'm timid, but II'm being treated!", "It's not me, it's him!", "It's not harmful to dream", "Right into the wall".

Toy

Many images created by Richard are imbued not only with humor, but also with tender lyrics. Such, for example, is the unemployed journalist from Francis Weber's comedy "Toy", which is released in 1976.

The son of a millionaire announces that he will turn into his toy, and brings him to his chic mansion. A protester, Perrin is persuaded to stay for a few days so as not to upset the capricious teenager. Getting involved in this game, he understands that everything is not so simple in the family, and the child lacks affection and attention that parents cannot give him.

Global success

After this work, Richard becomes a world famous actor. Almost every of his films is a success with the audience. In 1978, Gerard Ury's comedy "Escape" was released, in which the hero of our article plays a lawyer who unwittingly goes on the run with his client.

Uri's next big hit is Uri's Umbrella Shot, in which he plays failed actor Grégoire Leconte, who mistakenly signed a contract with the mafia, thinking he was making an agreement with a movie producer.

In 1981, Richard appears on the screen in a pair with Gerard Depardieu in the adventure comedy "The Unlucky". This tandem becomes so famous that the directors then release two more tapes with their participation - "Daddy" and"Runaways".

An interesting fact about Pierre Richard is that in 1982 he took part in the unique project of Yves Robber, playing two roles in the film "Twin" at once - Mattias and his fictional brother Matthieu, who meet with rich sisters - twins.

In the 90s, the pictures "Psychics at large" and "Married love" were released. In 1996, the actor starred in the film "A Thousand and One Recipes of a Cook in Love" by Georgian director Nana Djordjadze. She is even nominated for an Oscar.

In 2000, Richard tries himself as a dramatic actor in the drama of Jean-Daniel Verhak, playing the itinerant artist Vitalo Pedrotti. And in 2003, it appears in a modern interpretation of the image of "Robinson Crusoe", which the rebellious workers landed on a desert island. In 2004, he plays another notable dramatic role as the aristocrat Jean-René in Damien Audoul's When We Are No More.

Family & Hobbies

Little is known about Pierre Richard's personal life, he prefers not to dwell on this topic. It is known that his first wife was the ballerina Daniel Minazzoli, from whom he has two sons - double bassist Christophe and saxophonist Olvier. Both perform under the name Defe.

After his divorce from Danielle, he had several novels, recently he is often met in the company of the Brazilian model Seyla, who is 40 years younger than him.

Among the hobbies of the hero of our article is winemaking. He has 20hectares of vineyards in the south of France, where Pierre regularly spends the end of summer. He also enjoys fishing, traveling, racing cars and tennis, and still rides a motorcycle that is 40 years old.

The actor notes that his parents laid entrepreneurial acumen in his character, so in order to achieve his goal, he is actually ready to "go over the corpses".

Recent work

Richard is now 84 years old, but he still continues to work. For example, in 2017 he starred in the comedy Miracles in Paris by Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon. He played a small, but bright and memorable role of the eccentric old man Duncan in the story about the girl Dominica, who goes in search of her grandmother Fiona and finds true love.

Also among his latest projects are "Baby Spiru", "Mr. Stein Goes Online", "You Can't Run From Your Family". In the melodrama One Profile for Two, the comedian plays the role of an elderly romantic who loses the meaning of life after the death of his wife. His daughter buys him a computer to save his father from depression, and he finds new love on social networks.