Maurice Ronet

Maurice Ronet 13 April 1927 14 March 1983 was a French film actor director and writer Maurice Ronet was born Maurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice Alpes Maritimes He was the only child of professional stage actors Émile Robinet and Gilberte Dubreuil He made his stage debut at the age of 14 alongside his parents in Sacha Guitrys Deux couverts in Lausanne After attending the Parisian acting school Centre du Spectacle de la RueBlanche he entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1944 where JeanLouis Barrault was one of his mentors When he made his film debut at 22 in Jacques Beckers Rendezvous de juillet 1949 in a role that was written specifically for him by Becker he had little interest in pursuing an acting career After completing the film he married Maria Pacôme a French stage actress and playwright and they departed to MoustiersSainteMarie in Provence where he tried his hand at ceramics After completing his military service he returned to Paris in the early 1950s where he took courses in philosophy and physics and pursued his passion for literature music piano and organ film and painting His artwork part of the peinture non figurative movement was exhibited with friends Jean Dubuffet and Georges Mathieu He also acted occasionally in small roles in the films of French directors like Yves Ciampi and René Wheeler with ambitions of becoming a filmmaker himself Gradually however he came to discover a freedom in acting and a creative satisfaction that provided a synthesis of all his interests Maurice Ronet became one of European cinemas more prolific actors Between 1955 and 1975 he appeared in over 60 films He often portrayed characters who were in conflict with themselves or society He first garnered acclaim at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival for a supporting role in Jean Drevilles Endless Horizons Horizons sans fin and over the next few years as the romantic lead in André Michels La sorcière The Blonde WitchThe Sorceress 1956 and in Jules Dassins He Who Must Die Celui qui doit mourir 1957 It was at the presentation of La Sorcière at Cannes where he met a creative and an intellectual counterpart in Louis Malle Two years later he made his international boxoffice breakthrough as Julien Tavernier in Malles first feature film Elevator to the Gallows Ascenseur pour léchafaud 1958 which features Jeanne Moreau He originated the role of Philippe Greenleaf in Purple Noon Plein soleil 1960 René Cléments adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley Source Article Maurice Ronet from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA