Paul Bonifas

Paul Bonifas (3 June 1902 – 9 November 1975) was a French actor, born in Paris. In the 1920s, while working for the French customs service, Bonifas took classes in acting at the Conservatoire de Paris in his spare time. He left with the first prize for comedy, which allowed him to join the Odéon Theatre in 1933, then the Comédie-Française in 1938. He made his first film appearance in 1935 in a version of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, directed by Pierre Chenal. During World War II he served as a lieutenant in the artillery, was badly wounded, and evacuated from Dunkirk with his unit. In London he joined the Free French, and worked for Radio Londres broadcasting to occupied France. In 1942 he appeared in the film The Foreman Went to France. In 1943 he formed "The Molière Players", who staged a repertoire of mainly Molière works in London theatres, as well as in regional towns and at French army barracks. He came to the Comedy Theatre, London with Théâtre Molierè in 1943 and 1944, performing in L'Anglais Tel Qu'on Le Parle, Le Malade Imaginaire, Gringoire, Le Misanthrope et L'Auvergnat, Les Femmes Savantes, Le Paquebot Tenacity, La Testament Du Pere Leleu and L'Extra. His Company included Andre Frere, Georges Rex, Suzette Marquis, Elma Soiron and Paul Clarus. In 1944 "The Molière Players" appeared in the short film Aventure malgache directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This was written by, and based on the experiences of, Jules Francois Clermont, an actor in Bonifas' troupe working under the name of Paul Clarus, who had operated an illegal radio station Madagascar Libre in Madagascar while the island was under Vichy control. Bonifas then appeared in a number of other British films, including Two Fathers with Bernard Miles, directed by Anthony Asquith, and had minor roles in the musicals Heaven Is Round the Corner and Champagne Charlie, the action adventure film The Man from Morocco, the comedy-drama Johnny Frenchman and the horror film Dead of Night. Bonifas returned to France in 1946 and resumed his career in theatre, specializing in comedy, but also taking dramatic roles. His later film career included appearances in Trapeze (1956), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956), Fanny (1961), Charade (1963), Greed in the Sun (1964), The Train (1964), Is Paris Burning? (1966), Triple Cross (1966), and The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974). Bonifas died on 9 November 1975 at Vernouillet, Yvelines, France. Source: Article "Paul Bonifas" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.  

Date of Birth : 1902-06-03

Place of Birth : Paris, France

Paul Bonifas

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Movies

The Train
Charade
Le Train
Cent Mille Dollars au soleil
Cold Sweat
La Vérité
The Green Glove
Aventure Malgache
Love in the Afternoon
Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's
La parole est au témoin
Leur dernière nuit
Dupont Lajoie
Un couple d'artistes
Les Cinq Sous de Lavarède
Duel à Dakar
La Vérité sur Bébé Donge
Piédalu fait des miracles
Clara de Montargis
Ils sont dans les vignes...
Monsieur Fabre
La Fête à Henriette
Lettre ouverte
Le naïf amoureux
Le père Amable
Notre-Dame de Paris
La Promesse
The Man from Morocco
Fanny
Lucky Jo
Le Retour du Grand Blond
La Femme et le Pantin
La Française et l'Amour
Mademoiselle et son gang
Les Misérables
Le Gigolo
Dans la vie tout s'arrange
Un beau monstre
Rafles sur la ville
Cause toujours, mon lapin
La Sentinelle endormie
Le Voyage à Biarritz
La séparation
En légitime défense
Pardon My French
The Enemy General
Les abysses
Cybèle ou les dimanches de ville d'Avray
Lisbon Story
Goodbye Again
Le Miracle des loups
Champagne Charlie
The Foreman Went to France
La Horse
Bedelia
L'Arbre de Noël
Johnny Frenchman
English Without Tears
Juliette ou La clef des songes
La terreur des dames
Dead of Night
Des frissons partout
Frou-Frou
Antigone
Triple Cross
Candlelight in Algeria
Le Cas du docteur Laurent
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