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Marcel Dalio
Marcel Dalio
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Marcel Dalio (born Marcel Benoit Blauschild;[2] 23 November 1899 – 18 November 1983), sometimes credited mononymously as Dalio, was a French actor. He began his career in the 1930s as a leading man, notably starring in Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939), before becoming known as in-demand character actor.[3] His film career spanned nearly 200 productions released between 1931 and 1982, both in France and the United States.[3]

Key Information

Life and career

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Early life and career in France

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Dalio was born Marcel Benoit Blauschild[2] in Paris to Romanian-Jewish immigrant parents.[4][5] His Jewish name was Israel Mosche.[3] He trained at the Paris Conservatoire and performed in revues from 1920.[3] He appeared in stage plays from the 1920s and acted in French films in the 1930s, typically credited under the mononym "Dalio".

His first big film success was in Julien Duvivier's Pépé le Moko (1937). He followed them with starring roles in two films for Jean Renoir, La Grande Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939).

After divorcing his first wife, Jany Holt, he married the young actress Madeleine Lebeau in 1939.

Wartime exile

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In June 1940, Dalio and Lebeau left Paris ahead of the invading German army and reached Lisbon. They are presumed to have received transit visas from Aristides de Sousa Mendes, allowing them to enter Spain and journey on to Portugal. It took them two months to get visas to Chile. However, when their ship, the S.S. Quanza, stopped in Mexico, they were stranded (along with around 200 other passengers) when the Chilean visas they had purchased turned out to be forgeries. Eventually they were able to get temporary Canadian passports and entered the United States. Meanwhile, the advancing German Nazi army in occupied France used posters of his face as a representative of "a typical Jew". All other members of Dalio's family died in Nazi concentration camps.[3]

In Hollywood, although Dalio was never quite able to regain the profile he had in France, he appeared in 19 American films during the Second World War, in stereotypical roles as a Frenchman. Dalio's first film in the United States was the Fred MacMurray comedy One Night in Lisbon (1941) in which he portrayed a hotel concierge. Around the same time, he appeared in the Edward G. Robinson film Unholy Nights and the Gene Tierney film The Shanghai Gesture (also 1941). He remained busy, appearing in Flight Lieutenant (1942) starring Pat O'Brien and Glenn Ford. Dalio next portrayed a Frenchman, Focquet, in the film The Pied Piper (also 1942). In this film, Monty Woolley portrayed an Englishman trying to get out of France with an ever-increasing number of children ahead of the German invasion. Dalio then appeared among the star-studded cast in Tales of Manhattan (both 1942).

In the uncredited role of Emil the croupier in Casablanca (also 1942), he appeared in the scene when Captain Renault closes down Rick's Cafe American using the pretext, "I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!", Emil approaches him and hands him his usual bribe money saying, "Your winnings sir", while Rick darts Emil a flabbergasted look. His wife Madeleine Lebeau was also in the film, playing Yvonne, Rick's intermittent girlfriend. On 22 June, while Lebeau was filming her scenes with Hans Twardowski as the German officer, Dalio filed for divorce in Los Angeles on the grounds of desertion.

Lauren Bacall, Marcel Dalio and Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not (1944)

He was cast in some larger roles, for example in the war dramas Tonight We Raid Calais and Paris After Dark (both 1943), in the latter his ex-wife Lebeau also appeared. Dalio played a French policeman in The Song of Bernadette (also 1943). His penultimate wartime role in an American film was in the adaptation of To Have and Have Not (1944) reuniting him with Humphrey Bogart.

Postwar

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When the war in Europe ended in May 1945, Dalio returned to France to continue his movie career. His first appearance that year was in Her Final Role (Son dernier rôle, 1946). He appeared in ten more movies in France and one in England through the late 1940s. He played Captain Nikarescu in Black Jack (1950).

Dalio appeared in four American movies in the mid-1950s. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe and Flight to Tangier (both 1953) starring Joan Fontaine, Lucky Me starring Doris Day and Sabrina (both 1954) starring Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. In Sabrina, the bearded Dalio played one of Hepburn's fellow cooking students in Paris. He then briefly returned to France.

Dalio portrayed the Claude Rains character, Captain Renault, in the short-lived television series Casablanca (1955). Dalio had the role of a French sergeant in the war drama Jump into Hell (also 1955) about the French defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. Dalio appeared in the musical comedy Ten Thousand Bedrooms starring Dean Martin, with Paul Henreid in the supporting cast. He also appeared as a French priest in a war movie, again about the French involvement in Vietnam, called China Gate which features the acting of Nat King Cole. Finally that year, Dalio played Zizi in The Sun Also Rises (all 1957) his third movie based on an Ernest Hemingway novel, this time starring Tyrone Power and Ava Gardner. Over the next four years, he appeared in Lafayette Escadrille, The Perfect Furlough (both 1958) starring Tony Curtis, The Man Who Understood Women starring Henry Fonda, Pillow Talk (both 1959) starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day, Can-Can (1960) starring Frank Sinatra and The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) starring Sinatra and Spencer Tracy.

After making more movies in France, Dalio received a major supporting role in the mystery The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), set entirely in England but filmed primarily in Hollywood. Two of Dalio's previous co-stars, Tony Curtis and Frank Sinatra, had cameos in the film. This was followed with the part of Father Cluzeot in the John Wayne movie, Donovan's Reef (also 1963). After appearing again with Tony Curtis in Wild and Wonderful (1964), Dalio returned to France. He continued making movies for Hollywood, but he also appeared in many French productions.

Later movies featuring Dalio include Lady L (1965) starring Sophia Loren and Paul Newman, How to Steal a Million (1966) starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole and How Sweet It Is! (1968) starring Debbie Reynolds and James Garner. In Mike Nichols' Catch-22 Dalio played the old Italian living in the whorehouse, while he also appeared in The Great White Hope (both 1970) with James Earl Jones. From then on, he did movies almost entirely in France, the best known of them being the comedy The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973) and the controversial erotic horror La Bête (1975) directed by Walerian Borowczyk.

His last appearance was in a TV movie portraying Lord Exeter in Les Longuelune (1982).

Television

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Dalio also appeared in numerous television shows both in the United States (between 1954 and 1963) and in France (1968 to 1981). These include guest appearances in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Peter Gunn, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick (in "Game of Chance" with James Garner and Jack Kelly), Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond and Ben Casey.

Personal life

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Dalio married four times. His first to marriages, both ending in divorce, where to actresses Jany Holt and Madeleine Lebeau. He married Hollywood based French journalist Madeleine [Alena] Prime in Los Angeles, in 1981, and the two were together until his death.

Death

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Dalio died in Paris on 18 November 1983, just 5 days shy of his 84th birthday. He is buried in Montrouge Cemetery in Hauts de Seine.

Selected filmography

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Marcel Dalio (born Israel Moshe Blauschild; 23 November 1899 – 18 November 1983) was a French character actor of Romanian Jewish descent who appeared in over 150 films, gaining prominence for his versatile portrayals of authority figures, servants, and croupiers in both French and Hollywood cinema. Dalio's early career in French theater and silent films led to breakthrough roles in Jean Renoir's anti-war epic (1937), where he played the wealthy Jewish prisoner Lieutenant Rosenthal, and the satirical comedy La Règle du jeu (1939), as the melancholic gamekeeper Octave, performances that showcased his expressive face and nuanced emotional range. Fleeing Nazi-occupied France in 1940 with his wife, actress Madeleine Lebeau, Dalio resettled in the United States, where he contributed to wartime films including the croupier Emil in Casablanca (1942) and minor parts in To Have and Have Not (1944), leveraging his accented English to embody European exiles and functionaries. Returning to France post-war, he sustained a prolific output in European productions until the 1970s, with later appearances in American films like Sabrina (1954) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), solidifying his status as a reliable supporting player whose career bridged pre-war French artistry and post-war international cinema.

Early Life and Background

Family Origins and Childhood

Marcel Dalio was born Israel Moshe Blauschild on July 17, 1900, in , , to Romanian-Jewish immigrant parents who had settled in the city prior to his birth. His father, Isidore Blauschild, operated as a leather goods manufacturer, reflecting the modest entrepreneurial pursuits common among Eastern European Jewish immigrants in early 20th-century . His mother, Sarah Cerf, worked as a cleaning lady, underscoring the family's working-class circumstances. The Blauschild family resided at 20 rue Barbette in the 3rd arrondissement, a central but densely populated area of Paris known for its mix of immigrant communities and artisan trades. Little is documented about Dalio's specific childhood experiences, though his upbringing in a Jewish household amid the cultural vibrancy and economic challenges of pre-World War I Paris likely influenced his early exposure to the performing arts, which he pursued formally in adolescence.

Education and Initial Training

Dalio, born Israel Moshe Blauschild in to Romanian-Jewish immigrant parents, received his in the city's public schools, supplemented by informal street learning characteristic of his working-class upbringing. Formal acting training commenced at the prestigious ( Conservatoire), where he enrolled in 1916 and studied until 1918 amid the disruptions of , during which he later served as a decorated . Upon completing his conservatory studies, Dalio debuted professionally in theatrical revues in 1920, marking the start of his initial performance training through practical stage experience. He continued building his craft in cabarets, music halls, and stage plays throughout the , focusing on character roles that leveraged his distinctive Parisian accent and expressive features, before gaining prominence in French cinema. This era of live performance refined his versatility, enabling transitions between comedic and dramatic portrayals without reliance on additional institutional instruction.

Pre-War Career in France

Transition to Theater and Film

Following his demobilization from World War I service in 1919, Dalio briefly attended the Conservatoire d'art dramatique in , where he received foundational training in dramatic arts before transitioning to professional performance. He began his stage career in the early through appearances in cabarets and music-hall revues, leveraging his expressive features and versatile persona to gain initial footing in Parisian entertainment venues. These variety acts, common in the post-war cultural scene, allowed him to hone comedic and character-driven skills amid the vibrant revue tradition of the era. By the mid-1920s, Dalio expanded into legitimate theater, performing in stage plays that showcased his ability to portray nuanced supporting roles, often drawing on his Jewish heritage and urban sophistication for authenticity. This period solidified his reputation within France's theatrical circles, where he collaborated with emerging talents and established troupes, though specific play credits from these years remain sparsely documented in contemporary accounts. Dalio's entry into cinema occurred in the early 1930s, aligning with the rapid expansion of French sound film production. His screen debut came in the 1932 short Les Quatre Jambes, directed by Marc Allégret, marking his shift from live performance to the emerging medium. Subsequent minor roles in features like Mon Chapeau (1933) followed, but his breakthrough arrived with the 1937 film Pépé le Moko, directed by Julien Duvivier, where he portrayed the informant Regis, a role that capitalized on his ability to embody duplicitous, world-weary characters and established him as a sought-after in French cinema. This transition reflected broader industry trends, as theater veterans adapted to film's demand for visually striking character actors amid the transition to synchronized sound.

Key Roles in French Cinema

Dalio established himself as a prominent in French cinema during the 1930s, often portraying complex figures marked by cunning, social ambiguity, or ethnic nuance. His breakthrough came in Julien Duvivier's (1937), where he played L'Arbi, a duplicitous navigating the criminal underbelly of ' Casbah alongside as the titular ; this role marked his first major success and highlighted his ability to embody morally compromised allies in poetic realist dramas. That same year, Dalio appeared in Jean Renoir's anti-war masterpiece (1937), portraying Lieutenant Rosenthal, a wealthy French-Jewish officer captured during whose resourcefulness and cultural refinements underscore themes of class and solidarity among prisoners. The performance, drawing on Dalio's own Sephardic heritage, contributed to the film's exploration of human bonds transcending national and social divides, earning international acclaim upon release. By 1939, Dalio reunited with Renoir for , taking the central role of Robert de la Chesnaye, a Jewish industrialist and Marquis whose opulent chateau hosts a satirical tableau of pre-war French , , and ; his character's polished yet insecure demeanor anchors the film's critique of upper-class detachment. These Renoir collaborations solidified Dalio's reputation for nuanced portrayals of outsiders within elite or illicit circles, influencing his in both French and later Hollywood productions.

World War II and Exile

Flight from Occupied France

In June 1940, as German forces rapidly advanced through following the collapse of the , Marcel Dalio, a Jewish whose as Rosenthal in (1937) had made him recognizable, fled with his wife, actress , mere hours before the city's occupation on June 14. The couple initially traveled southward, evading the Wehrmacht's advance amid widespread chaos and the impending regime's collaboration with Nazi racial policies, which targeted for registration, property confiscation, and eventual . Reaching , , by late June or early July, Dalio and Lebeau joined thousands of European refugees congregating there as a neutral hub for transatlantic escape routes, often dependent on forged documents, bribes, or diplomatic intervention to secure passage. They reportedly obtained transit visas from , the Portuguese consul in who, against Lisbon's orders, issued over 30,000 such documents to and anti-fascists in June 1940, enabling their temporary stay before onward travel. Dalio's flight was further underscored by Nazi in occupied , where authorities distributed posters featuring his film image as emblematic of "the typical Jew," a development his relatives witnessed and which highlighted the immediate mortal risk he had narrowly avoided. From , the couple sailed aboard a ship, arriving in in September 1940 after a circuitous voyage that included stops to evade threats; Dalio's parents, who remained in , later perished in . This exile severed Dalio's pre-war French career but positioned him for reinvention in Hollywood, where anti-Nazi sentiment and demand for European talent facilitated his entry despite language barriers and wartime disruptions.

Hollywood Adaptation and Wartime Roles


Following the German occupation of Paris in June 1940, Dalio fled France with his wife Madeleine Lebeau, traveling through southern Europe, South America, and Mexico before reaching the United States using Canadian passports. He arrived in Hollywood aided by fellow French expatriates in the film industry, including actors Charles Boyer and director Jean Renoir.
Upon arrival, Dalio spoke limited English, which initially confined him to smaller roles requiring a pronounced French accent. His debut Hollywood film was One Night in Lisbon (1941), where he portrayed a concierge. Typecasting as opportunistic or shady French characters became prevalent, exacerbated by wartime demand for European accents in supporting roles and the Vichy regime's propaganda misuse of his image as a "typical Jew," which circulated in Nazi-controlled media. Dalio's wartime filmography included the croupier "Master of the Spinning Wheel" in (1941). In (1942), he played Emil, the at Rick's Café Américain, a role reflecting his real-life exile status among other European refugees in the cast; he was considered for the larger part of Captain Renault but deemed unsuitable due to his accent. He appeared as a French policeman in The Song of Bernadette (1943) and reunited with Lebeau—by then his ex-wife—in Paris After Dark (1943), a depicting the . Later wartime roles featured Dalio as French Premier in the biographical film Wilson (1944) and as the hotel owner Gerard, known as Frenchy, in (1944), collaborating again with from . These performances, often in ensemble casts with American stars, highlighted his versatility within typecast limitations, contributing to Hollywood's portrayal of wartime Europe while he navigated personal displacement.

Post-War Career

Return to France and European Films

Following the Allied victory in in May 1945, Dalio returned to , where he learned that his parents had perished in Auschwitz in 1943. He promptly resumed his film career in , appearing in post-liberation productions that capitalized on his pre-war familiarity as a versatile . Among his early returns to French cinema was the role in Dédée d'Anvers (1948), a drama directed by depicting prostitution and smuggling in , where Dalio portrayed a in the seedy underworld setting. This period marked a brief resurgence in domestic films before Dalio divided his time between continents, though he continued selective European engagements amid his Hollywood commitments. By the late 1950s, Dalio featured in several French comedies and dramas, including Contrebande au Caire (1957) as a operative, Vacances à (1958) as Henri Valentin, and Confidences sur l'oreiller (1958) as Mr. Pierot, roles that often emphasized his expressive face and urbane demeanor in ensemble casts. These appearances reflected a pattern of in continental productions, where he played authority figures or eccentrics, contrasting his wartime Hollywood exile but echoing his interwar French successes. Despite this, Dalio's European output remained sporadic until the and , when he increasingly prioritized French projects, including C'est la guerre (1958) involving drill instruction.

Later Hollywood and International Work

Following his return to France in the late 1950s, Dalio maintained a presence in Hollywood through periodic roles in American productions, often portraying continental European characters. In the 1950s, he featured prominently in several notable films, including On the Riviera (1951), a musical comedy with Danny Kaye; The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), as nightclub owner Emile opposite Gregory Peck; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), as a Parisian magistrate alongside Marilyn Monroe; and Sabrina (1954), as Baron St. Fontanel with Audrey Hepburn. These appearances capitalized on his distinctive accent and expressive features, typically in supporting capacities that added exotic flair to comedic or dramatic ensembles. Into the 1960s and 1970s, Dalio's Hollywood engagements became more sporadic but included high-profile projects such as (1963), a mystery thriller; (1966), a caper comedy reuniting him with ; and (1970), where he played the "Old Man" in the war satire directed by . These roles underscored his versatility in blending into ensemble casts of major stars, from in (1961) to in . Internationally, he appeared in (1965), an English-language comedy-drama filmed in Europe with and , directed by , which bridged French and Anglo-American cinema. Dalio's later work reflected a transatlantic career, with over 100 credits amassed post-war, though increasingly focused on European productions while selectively returning for Hollywood opportunities.

Television Appearances

Dalio's television appearances were sporadic, focusing on guest roles in American anthology, spy, and Western series during his later Hollywood years, where he often embodied suave or eccentric European figures. These roles capitalized on his distinctive voice and screen presence, typically in episodes emphasizing intrigue or . His U.S. credits spanned from 1958 to 1973, after which he returned to French productions, primarily TV movies in the late and early .
YearSeriesRoleEpisode
1958Corporal Marcel"The Return of the Hero"
1959Jean Gabot"The Dark Room"
1960Victor Rosseau"The Battle of Mokelumne Hill"
1964The RoguesMarcel"The Real Russian Caviar"
1965The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Mr. Wavecrest"The Bow-Wow Affair"
1968Col. Lopez"The Price of Revenge"
1969It Takes a ThiefInspector Bouchard"The Great Casino Caper"
1970The Name of the GameDr. Jean-Pierre"The White Birch"
1971The Critic"The Cemetery"
1973The F.B.I. Pleshette"The Jug Marker"
In , Dalio's final screen work included supporting roles in TV movies such as Le mythomane (1981), Les sept jours du marié (1982), and (1982), reflecting a shift to domestic television amid declining health.

Personal Life

Marriages and Relationships

Dalio's first marriage was to the Romanian-born actress Jany Holt in 1936; the union ended in divorce in 1939. In 1939, shortly after his divorce, Dalio married the French actress , who was 16 years his junior; they wed on October 30 in Antony, near , after meeting during a theatrical production. The couple fled Nazi-occupied together in June 1940 aboard the , one of the last ships to evacuate refugees from Europe, eventually reaching the United States via and . Their marriage dissolved amid wartime strains, with divorce proceedings finalized on July 29, 1943, and the decree entered on September 24, 1947. Lebeau, who later portrayed Yvonne in (1942), remained professionally active post-divorce and passed away in 2016. Dalio's third and final marriage occurred late in life to Madeleine Alena Prime, a French journalist based in Hollywood, in [Los Angeles](/page/Los Angeles) in 1981. This union lasted until Dalio's death two years later. No children are recorded from any of his marriages.

Health and Death

Marcel Dalio died on November 18, 1983, in , , at the age of 84. He was discovered deceased in his apartment at 30, avenue du Président-Kennedy in the 16th arrondissement on November 19. Dalio had remained active in his acting career into his 80s, with no publicly documented chronic health conditions or illnesses preceding his death in available contemporary reports. He is interred at the Cimetière parisien de .

Legacy and Assessment

Critical Reception and Achievements

Dalio garnered critical acclaim for his early performances in Jean Renoir's masterpieces, particularly as the wealthy Jewish prisoner Lieutenant Rosenthal in (1937), a film that became the first foreign-language entry nominated for the . His portrayal contributed to the film's exploration of class, nationality, and humanity amid captivity, earning praise for embodying resilience and cultural sophistication within an ensemble lauded for its anti-war . In La Règle du jeu (1939), Dalio's role as the urbane Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye highlighted his ability to convey layered aristocratic poise and vulnerability; film critic singled out a of Dalio as "the best shot [Renoir] ever filmed," noting its capture of multifaceted emotional depth. Transitioning to Hollywood after fleeing occupied France, Dalio's roles often leaned into ethnic typecasting as croupiers, hoteliers, or shady operators, yet reviewers valued his distinctive gravelly voice and expressive features for injecting authenticity into wartime dramas. His supporting turn as the croupier Emil in (1942) and as the bartender Frenchy in (1944) were seen as emblematic of his reliable character work, enhancing the films' atmospheric tension despite limited screen time. Critics later appreciated his versatility in shifting between sympathetic and cunning figures, a trait that sustained his employability across genres. Dalio's achievements lie primarily in his prolific output—over 180 film credits spanning five decades—and his rare success bridging French and American cinema, as noted in contemporary obituaries. Though he received no major personal awards, his contributions to enduring classics like Renoir's works and Hollywood staples underscored his status as a quintessential , whose presence amplified thematic depth without dominating narratives. Post-war returns to European productions further solidified his legacy in roles blending with wry humor, influencing perceptions of Franco-American cinematic exchange.

Typecasting, Stereotypes, and Controversies

In Hollywood, Marcel Dalio was predominantly typecast as a stereotypical Frenchman, appearing in supporting roles that emphasized his accent, expressive features, and Gallic charm, such as croupiers, waiters, policemen, and concierges. He portrayed the roulette croupier Emil in (1942), bantering with Humphrey Bogart's character about gambling odds, and the French inspector "Frenchy" in (1944), assisting in wartime intrigue. These parts, numbering around 19 films during , confined him to ethnic character archetypes rather than dramatic leads, often involving light-hearted commentary on food, women, or Parisian sophistication. Dalio's earlier French cinema roles reinforced stereotypes of the shady métèque (foreigner), including informants, pickpockets, and opportunistic figures like the Jewish banker Rosenthal in La Grande Illusion (1937), whose assimilated status highlighted ethnic ambiguities. In Hollywood, this translated to urbane but minor French expatriates, perpetuating a reductive image of the effusive, accented European in service to Anglo-American narratives, with names like Luigi or Vladimir underscoring otherness despite the French label. Controversies surrounding Dalio stemmed largely from his amid rising . Prior to the war, right-wing French critics condemned his casting as the non-Jewish Marquis de la Chesnaye in (1939), arguing it inappropriately elevated a to aristocratic Frenchness, contributing to the film's initial backlash. During the occupation, and Nazi propagandists exploited stills from his Renoir films—depicting him as an assimilated Jew—for anti-Semitic posters labeling him a "typical Jew," plastered across to vilify perceived Jewish influence. This imagery forced reshoots of his scenes in Entrée des artistes (1938, re-released 1944) with a non-Jewish replacement, while his family perished in concentration camps. No major personal scandals marred his career, but these events underscored how his physical type—dark features and prominent nose—fueled both and propagandistic .

Selected Filmography

  • Pépé le Moko (1937) as L'Arbi
  • La grande illusion (1937) as Lieutenant Rosenthal
  • La règle du jeu (1939) as Robert de la Cheyniest
  • Casablanca (1942) as Emil the croupier
  • (1944) as Gerard (Frenchy)
  • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) as Olympe
  • Sabrina (1954) as Baron St. Fontanel
  • (1966) as Bonnet's Father
  • (1970) as Old Man
  • Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973) as Salomon

References

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