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Maurice Ronet | |
|---|---|
 Ronet in a scene from the Italian filmSeduction (1973) | |
| Born | Maurice Julien Marie Robinet (1927-04-13)13 April 1927 Nice, France |
| Died | 14 March 1983(1983-03-14) (aged 55) Paris, France |
| Education | Centre du Spectacle de la Rue-Blanche Paris Conservatoire |
| Occupation(s) | Film actor, director, and writer |
| Years active | 1949–1983 |
| Spouse | |
| Partner(s) | Josephine Chaplin (1977 – his death) |
| Children | 1 |
Maurice Ronet (French pronunciation:[mɔʁisʁɔnɛ]; 13 April 1927 – 14 March 1983) was a French film actor, director, and writer.
Maurice Ronet was bornMaurice Julien Marie Robinet in Nice,[1] 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 inSacha Guitry'sDeux couverts inLausanne. After attending the Parisian acting school Centre du Spectacle de la Rue-Blanche, he entered theParis Conservatoire in 1944, whereJean-Louis Barrault was one of his mentors. When he made his film debut at 22 inJacques Becker'sRendez-vous 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 marriedMaria Pacôme (a French stage actress and playwright), and they departed toMoustiers-Sainte-Marie 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 thepeinture non figurative movement, was exhibited with friendsJean Dubuffet andGeorges Mathieu. He also acted occasionally in small roles in the films of French directors likeYves Ciampi andRené 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 cinema's 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 the1953 Cannes Film Festival for a supporting role in Jean Dreville'sEndless Horizons (Horizons sans fin) and over the next few years as the romantic lead in André Michel'sLa sorcière (The Blonde Witch/The Sorceress, 1956) and inJules Dassin'sHe 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 inLouis Malle. Two years later, he made his international box-office breakthrough as Julien Tavernier in Malle's first feature filmElevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud 1958), which featuresJeanne Moreau.[2] He originated the role of Philippe Greenleaf inPurple Noon (Plein soleil, 1960),René Clément's adaptation ofThe Talented Mr. Ripley .[3]
Ronet's defining role reunited him with Malle and Moreau inLe feu follet (The Fire Within, 1963). Playing an alcoholic writer, his indelible portrayal of depression and suicide garnered him the highest acclaim of his prolific career. He was awarded France's Crystal Star (Étoile de Cristal) and the prize for Best Actor at the 1965São Paulo Film Festival; the film also won aSpecial Jury Prize at the 1963Venice Film Festival. He also collaborated withClaude Chabrol in four films, includingThe Champagne Murders (Le scandale, (1966), for which he won the Best Actor award at the 1967San Sebastián International Film Festival,Line of Demarcation (La ligne de démarcation, 1966) andThe Unfaithful Wife (La femme infidèle, 1968). He co-starred withAlain Delon andRomy Schneider inThe Swimming Pool (La Piscine, 1969) directed byJacques Deray.[4]
Other highlights includeJacques Doniol-ValcrozeThe Immoral Moment (La Dénonciation [fr], 1962);The Victors (Carl Foreman, 1963);Three Rooms in Manhattan (Trois chambres à Manhattan, (Marcel Carné, 1965);Lost Command (Mark Robson, 1966);Il giardino delle delizie [it] (Silvano Agosti, 1967);How Sweet It Is! (Jerry Paris, 1968) starringDebbie Reynolds;Raphaël ou le débauché, (Michel Deville, 1971);Beau-père (Bertrand Blier, 1981) and, one of his final films,Bob Swaim'sLa Balance, 1982.[5] He was originally cast as Ali inLawrence of Arabia.[6] However, he was replaced on location byOmar Sharif because of perceived difficulties with his accent.
Ronet made his directorial debut withThe Thief of Tibidabo (Le voleur de Tibidabo, 1964),[7] a self-reflexive, picaresque crime story shot in Barcelona, in which he also starred withAnna Karina.[8] He followed it with two documentaries:Vers l'île des dragons (1973), an allegorical journey to Indonesia to film theKomodo dragon and a report on the building of a dam in Cabora Bassa, Mozambique for French television. He directed and produced more programs for television: his own acclaimed adaptation ofHerman Melville'sBartleby in 1976 (which was released theatrically in 1978) as well as adaptations ofEdgar Allan Poe andCornell Woolrich stories.[9] He wrote two books:"L'ile des dragons" (1973), a personal recollection and a chronicle of the making ofVers l'île des dragons, and"Le métier de comédien" (1977), an honest and thorough discussion of the acting profession.
His marriage to Maria Pacôme quickly ended in a separation, and they divorced in 1956. In 1966 he constructed his home in the village ofBonnieux, Vaucluse,Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.[citation needed] He lived there, and in Paris, withJosephine Chaplin from 1977 until his death; their son Julien was born in 1980. He died in a Paris hospital, of cancer, aged 55. He is buried at the cemetery near his home.[citation needed]
