Louis De Funes

Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza was a French actor who is considered by many to be one of the giants of French comedy. His acting style is remembered for its high energy performance, a wide range of facial expressions and an engaging, snappy impatience.

He was enormously successful in several countries for many years — France, also Bulgaria, Hungary, Iran, Spain, Germany, Belgium, former Yugoslavia, The Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Albania, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, China and the Soviet Union — but remained almost unknown in the English-speaking world. He was only noted in the United States in 1974 with the release of The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob. In a 1968 poll, he was voted France's favorite actor. Many of his most successful films such as those in the Gendarme of Saint-Tropez series were pure slapstick, and although de Funès could play serious roles with a good deal of subtlety he was particularly known for his grimacing and outrageous facial contortions as he expressed anger, contempt, and astonishment. In a personal statement he claimed only to be interested in films that would draw an audience of 500,000 at least.