Jean Marchat

Biography

A prestigious theater actor and stage director, member of the Comédie-Française, Jean Marchat also founded his own company, the Rideau de Paris. But, as is often the case with great names of the stage, Marchat's movie career does not live up to what he achieved on the boards. The handsome, manly, impressive actor could proudly say: 'I served Corneille, Péguy, Gide, Giraudoux, Mérimée, Roblès ... and many others'. He certainly did not boast about the ones he worked for in films: Gleize, Paulin, Stelli, Reinert, Vernay or Kapps! Not that any of their work was systematically terrible but those filmmakers definitely lacked ambition and personality. Occasionally though, Marchat would appear in a more artistic work. He was in a scene or two for Grémillon, Bresson or Guitry. But most of the time he lent his name to run-of-the-mill productions. He did it playing by the rules, without disdain. He always brought all his authority and his assurance to the characters he played, inferior as the film he was in was. He particularly shone when he embodied unpleasant fellows (an arrogant aristocrat, an upper class criminal, a spy, a collaborator) or figures of authority such as judges, prosecutors, bishops, generals and nobles.