The actor who played Geoffrey de Peyrac. Film "Angelica - Marquise of Angels". Robert Hossein

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

The screen adaptation of works about the adventures of the beautiful Angelica once gained great success with the audience. All the performers of key roles managed to become famous. The man who embodied the image of Geoffrey de Peyrac was no exception. What is known about the character and the actor who played him?

Geoffrey de Peyrac: prototype and hero

First of all, it is worth understanding what kind of character we are talking about. The image of Geoffrey de Peyrac made an indelible impression on the audience. He is one of the main characters in the novels about Angelica, the husband of the main character. Physical deformity did not prevent this man from winning the heart of a young beauty, even if she was forced to become his wife. Angelica was never able to forget her lover when fate separated them.

Anne Golon is the woman who gave birth to such a bright and original character as Geoffrey de Peyrac. The prototype of the hero is the husband of the writer Serge, in collaboration with whom she created a series of books about the adventures of Angelica.

Love line

The family forces the main character to acceptthe offer of a we althy aristocrat, as he needs money. At first she is disgusted by the husband who was forced on her, then gradually his virtues are revealed to her. Geoffrey is a man of innumerable talents. He studies science and engineering, travels a lot, writes poetry and plays music. The hero managed to become so rich and powerful that he aroused the envy of King Louis the Fourteenth himself. The ruler of France ensured that the "enemy" was sentenced to death. The main character, convinced that her other half is no more, is forced to fight for survival.

Angelique and Geoffrey de Peyrac are not parting forever. There comes a moment when the audience learns that the supposedly executed count actually escaped death. Managing to survive, he is forced into hiding, prompting him to turn into a pirate. Geoffrey is desperately trying to reunite with the woman he loves, however, unexpected obstacles keep getting in the way.

Actor biography

The above is about the character, but who played him? Robert Hossein is the man who received this honor. The future performer of the role of the count was born in Paris, it happened in December 1927. The actor was born into a musical family, his father Andre was a violinist, and his mother Anna was a pianist. Among Robert's ancestors there are Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, Jews.

Russian language Ossein perfectly mastered in his childhood. This is the merit of his mother, whose family was forced to leave Kyiv inrevolutionary years. The future actor was barely 15 when he started studying at the theater studio. Then Robert graduated from the courses of Rene Simon, began to receive roles in performances. He managed to gain the greatest popularity at the Grand Guignol, which is known as a "horror theater".

First successes

On the set, Robert Hossein first appeared in 1948 - he made his debut in the film "Memories are not for sale." Then films with his participation begin to come out one after another: “Maya”, “Blonde Embankment”, “Black Series”, “Men's Showdown”, “Bastards Go to Hell”. The last of the mentioned films was also his directorial debut.

In 1956, the French adaptation of Dostoevsky's work "Crime and Punishment" was presented to the audience court. Director Georges Lampin offered a key role to Robert. This decision was made, among other things, because the actor speaks excellent Russian.

Shooting in "Crime and Punishment" allowed Ossein to become a sought-after actor. He played one major role after another, for example, in the films “You are poison”, “Freedom under supervision”, “Night of spies”, “Beware, girls”. The status of his on-screen partner for several years belonged to Marina Vlady, to whom the future performer of the role of the count was married for some time.

Highest hour

Hossein became a sought-after actor a few years before the release of Angelica, Marchioness of Angels. However, it was the film adaptation of the works of Anne and Serge Golon that gave him a starstatus. The role of the director was taken over by Bernard Borderie, who has already managed to become famous thanks to the filming of the film version of The Three Musketeers. It was he who managed to convince Hossein that the role of Count Joffrey is up to him.

Angelica, Marchioness of Angels received mixed reviews from critics. The scriptwriters were reproached for allowing themselves some deviations from the plot. However, the story of the adventures of the brave Angelica and her mysterious husband was met with enthusiasm by the audience.

Of course, Bernard Borderie did not limit himself to releasing one part of the story. "Angelica and the King", "Indomitable Angelica" - tapes in which the audience again meets their favorite characters, including the supposedly executed count. It becomes known that the character not only escaped death, but also managed to make a name for himself in the pirate world. As an invincible Rescator, he fights the Royal Navy at sea.

Other film work

First of all, this man was remembered by the audience as Geoffrey de Peyrac. The actor can be proud of other outstanding roles. In the drama "I killed Rasputin" he brilliantly embodied the image of one of the key characters - Sergei Sukhotin. The plot, as the name implies, revolves around the murder of a famous old man. Ossein is not only the performer of one of the central roles, but also the director of the picture. He consulted a lot with eyewitnesses of the events and their descendants in order to tell the audience the mysterious story of Rasputin's death as reliably as possible.

A prominent role went to the actor in the crime film "The Time of the Wolves". It is also impossible not to note the image of the commissioner, which Robert created in the action-packed film "Professional". Interestingly, this picture was very popular in our country in the early 90s.

Viewers who liked the acting duet of Hossein and Michel Mercier (who plays the role of Angelica) should certainly pay attention to other films featuring this tandem. In total, the stars met on the set about eight times. In addition to Angelica, the duet can be seen in the films Heavenly Thunder, The Second Truth, Cemetery Without Crosses.

Ossein and Vlady

Of course, fans cannot but be interested in the personal life of the person who played Geoffrey de Peyrac. In 1955, Robert for the first time decided to part with his freedom, the movie star Marina Vlady became his chosen one. For the first couple of years of their life together, the couple gave the impression of an ideal couple, practically did not part, including on the set. Then quarrels began, which led to a divorce. Marina and Robert's relationship ended in 1959.

Movie star gave Ossein two children. The boys were named Igor and Peter, they did not follow in their parental footsteps. The eldest son is engaged in the cultivation of pearls, the youngest preferred the career of a musician.

Second and third wife

Shortly after parting with Vladi Ossein, he again tied the knot. His choice fell on screenwriter Karolin Elyashev - the actor lived with this woman for about 15 years. The second wife gave the performer the roleGeoffrey de Peyrac son of Nicolas. For a while he acted in films, then he preferred the life of a rabbi in Strasbourg.

The actor broke up with his third wife Marie-France. The fourth wife, Candace, with whom he is currently married, gave birth to his fourth son, Julien. It is known that Robert and Candice's romance began with the fact that he invited her to play in his film Les Misérables, which was released in 1982.