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Charles Denner
Born	29 May 1926  Tarnów
Died	10 September 1995  (aged 69) Dreux
Occupation	Film actor

Charles Denner (29 May 1926 – 10 September 1995) was a French actor born to a Jewish family inTarnów, Poland. During his 30-year career he worked with some of France's greatestdirectors of the time, includingLouis Malle,Claude Chabrol,Jean-Luc Godard,Costa-Gavras,Claude Lelouch andFrançois Truffaut, who gave him two of his most memorable roles, as Fergus inThe Bride Wore Black (1968) and as Bertrand Morane inThe Man Who Loved Women (1977).^[1]

Charles Denner was born in 1926 to a Jewish family in the city ofTarnów in south-easternPoland. When he was four, they emigrated to France.

DuringWorld War II, his family took refuge inBrive-la-Gaillarde, where they were helped by RabbiDavid Feuerwerker. Denner served as aFree French partisan in the Vercors mountains and destroyed aNaziSS truck with agrenade; he was wounded and later received theCroix de Guerre for this operation.

Passionate about theatre from his childhood, Denner became a student ofCharles Dullin, a famous theatre teacher of his time, under whose guidance he remained until 1945. Another great figure of French theatre,Jean Vilar, impressed by Denner's performance atLes mamelles de Tirésias (The Breasts of Tiresias), called him four years after he left Vilar to join theThéâtre National Populaire (TNP). It was there that he gave some of his earliest stage performances, in plays such asHeinrich von Kleist'sPrinz Friedrich von Homburg andAlfred de Musset'sLorenzaccio, among others.

In 1955, directorYves Allégret offered Denner a small role inLa Meilleure part (The Best Part), thus introducing him for the first time to cinema audiences. Two years later, in 1957, he secured another secondary role inLouis Malle's legendaryElevator to the Gallows, alongsideJeanne Moreau, a co-performer of his from the days of the TNP.

In 1962Jean-Luc Godard wanted to filmJean Giraudoux's playPour Lucrèce starring Denner along withSami Frey andMichel Piccoli, but when cast and crew had already been assembled he called off the shoot on the first day of filming after a prolonged downpour caused a long delay.^[2]

In 1963 Denner was offered his first leading role byClaude Chabrol inLandru, a film considered by many as his greatest on-screen performance. Despite his growing recognition on the big screen, the stage remained his true passion. He gave his most memorable performances in plays such asMolière'sLes Fourberies de Scapin (Scapin's Schemings) andBrecht'sDrums in the Night.

On 10 September 1995 Denner died of pneumonia inDreux, France.

• Charles Denner atIMDb
• Charles Denner - All Things Denner

• 1926 births
• 1995 deaths
• 20th-century Polish Jews
• Deaths from pneumonia in France
• 20th-century French male actors
• French male stage actors
• French male film actors
• People from Tarnów
• Male actors from Lesser Poland Voivodeship
• People from Eure-et-Loir
• Actors from Centre-Val de Loire
• Polish emigrants to France
• Naturalized citizens of France
• Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)

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