Guy Marchand (22 May 1937 – 15 December 2023) was a French actor, musician, and singer.[1] He appeared in over 100 films in over 30 years,[2] but was best known for his role as the fictional television private detectiveNestor Burma.[3]
Guy Émile Marchand was born in Paris, 19th arrondissement,[4] the son of a scrap merchant and a housewife and grew up inBelleville, during the Occupation and contractedtuberculosis at the age of ten. Spending time inSarthe in the country he learned to ride and kept a love of horses throughout his life.[5] In Paris, he regularly went to the Danube cinema.[6] While at the Lycée Voltaire secondary school in Paris he played the clarinet in night clubs inSaint-Germain-des-Prés.[7]
His military service was in an airborne troops division at the École des troupes aéroportées (BETAP) inPau, becoming a sous-lieutenant – parachutist.[8] He was assigned to the 3rd foreign infantry regiment as liaison officier during theAlgerian war. As a parachute officer he was an advisor for the filmLe Jour le plus long and entered the world of cinema.[9] He made around 60 parachute jumps in his life.[10]
His first success however was as acrooner, with a popular hit of 1965La Passionata, followed by other albums and singles.
His film career mainly saw him in supporting roles; an inspector opposite Lino Ventura inGarde à vue, byClaude Miller won him aCésar in 1982 and the same year he was inNestor Burma, détective de choc, by Jean-Luc Miesch, whereMichel Serrault took the title role, but which Marchand later interpreted for over ten years in the television seriesNestor Burma.
He published an autobiography entitledLe Guignol des Buttes-Chaumont in 2007 in which he wrote of his childhood, experiences in Algeria, his singing career and love for cars.[11] Marchand died inCavaillon on 15 December 2023, at the age of 86.[12]
