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Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 65-year film career, which began in 1923, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Buñuel, Jacques Feyder, and Henri-Georges Clouzot. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as a desperate truck driver in Clouzot's The Wages of Fear, for which he received a Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953.
He was Mobilization for the First World War in July 1915, but was diagnosed in September with "mental disorders" and sent home. During the war, he took numerous theatrical tours, notably a tour to the US under the direction of Lucien Guitry. He became a member of the Firmin Gémier theatre company at the Théâtre Antoine, before devoting himself exclusively to cinema. His first major contract was with Russian producers Joseph Ermolieff and Alexandre Kamenka, who taught him using Stanislavski's system.
He appeared in six films directed by Jacques de Baroncelli, including Pêcheur d'Islande (1924), based on the novel by Pierre Loti, which was one of the most popular French films of the decade and showed Vanel's greater range and depth. Others for de Baroncelli included maritime dramas Nitchevo (1926) and Feu! (1927).
With the advent of sound films, his voice, and the inflections he gave, consolidated his popularity as a character actor with a wide range of colorful roles. At the beginning of the 1930s he signed a contract with Pathé-Natan and stood out in three films by Raymond Bernard, Pathé's lead director – Montmartre (1931) as a pimp; Wooden Crosses (1932) as World War I infantryman; and as Javert alongside Harry Baur in Les Misérables (1933).
He was also directed by Maurice Tourneur in Accused, Stand Up! (1930) and Dance Hall (1931), both of which also featured Gaby Morlay. He appeared as a barkeeper in Le Grand Jeu (1934) directed by Jacques Feyder and as an airman in Anatole Litvak's L'Équipage (1935).
The poetic realism film movement in France in the mid to late 1930s saw him appear in Marcel Carné's debut film Jenny (1936) and in Julien Duvivier's Popular Front drama La Belle Équipe in which he was Jean Gabin's friend and romantic rival. The following year, he appeared opposite Erich von Stroheim in The Rail Pirates directed by Christian-Jaque and, in 1938, opposite Jules Berry in Crossroads by Kurt Bernhardt. In 1939, he appeared as a Canadian Mountie hunting Michèle Morgan and Pierre Richard-Willm in La Loi du nord.
In Occupied France, he never stopped working but his credits were fewer. He appeared with Fernandel in The Marvelous Night directed by Jean-Paul Paulin. One of his best films and roles was in Jean Grémillon's The Woman Who Dared starring alongside Madeleine Renaud. Another was Les affaires sont les affaires (1942) by Jean Dréville.
At the Liberation of France in 1944, he was worried by the French Resistance. He explained that his support for Marshal Pétain was because of his memories as a veteran of the First World War. Vanel denounced the excesses of Vichy France, and above all, being a patriot, did not endorse collaboration with the Germans.
After the war, his career slumped and was no longer considered bankable. From 1948, he toured extensively in Italy and appeared in many Italian films, including In the Name of the Law (1949) by Pietro Germi.
Vanel was again directed by Clouzot two years later in Les Diaboliques and in The Truth (1960). He also appeared as a prosecutor in L'Affaire Maurizius (1954) by Julien Duvivier and in Sacha Guitry's Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954). He won best actor at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for L'Affaire Maurizius.
In his only Hollywood production, shot on the French Riviera, he played Bertani, a restaurant owner and friend of the character played by Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 film, To Catch a Thief. In 1956, in Death in the Garden by Luis Buñuel, he appeared alongside Simone Signoret. He was Best Actor at the 1957 San Sebastián International Film Festival for Burning Fuse.
He remained very active during this decade, in particular in the role of a judge in The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life directed by Ettore Scola. A special tribute was given to him at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. He received a nomination for Best Actor at the César Awards for Sept morts sur ordonnance in 1975 and in 1979, he received an honorary César Award for his career
Francesco Rosi directed him in some of his best later performances in Illustrious Corpses (1976) and Three Brothers (1981) where, almost in his nineties, he plays the character of an old farmer from Apulia, who is visited by his three children. In Italy he won the David di Donatello for best actor in a supporting role.
In 1986, he recorded the song "La vie rien ne va est la" with Mireille Mathieu.
His last film appearance was in Jean-Pierre Mocky's film Les Saisons du plaisir in 1988.
In 2002, at the request of filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, Louis Sclavis composed and recorded music for Dans la nuit.
Film career
He began a successful career as an actor, appearing in numerous silent films in the 1910s and 1920s, particularly in the roles of gruff and bitter characters. He considered his "real" film debut to be in Robert Boudrioz's Tillers of the Soil, which was produced by Abel Gance in 1919 but held up for release. He also appeared in Alexandre Volkoff's 10-part serial film The House of Mystery (1923) which pleased audiences and critics.
The Wages of Fear
Henri-Georges Clouzot helped get him back on track, choosing him to co-star in The Wages of Fear (1953) where he played a tough truck driver who gradually reveals his inner fragility. Vanel won an award for best actor at the Cannes Film Festival.
Television
The growth of French television gave him new opportunities and in 1972, he triumphed as a patriarch in Les Thibault, an adaptation of the novel by Roger Martin du Gard.
Directing
Vanel directed his only feature film in 1929, Dans la nuit. In 1931, he shot another short film, Affaire Classé with Pierre Larquey and Gabriel Gabrio, released in 1935 under the title Le Coup de minuit.
Death
Vanel retired to Mouans-Sartoux in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, near Cannes, where he lived with Arlette Bailly (1928–2015), his third wife, 36 years his junior. He was hospitalized in Cannes on the night of Friday, 14 April 1989 and died in the early hours of the morning the following day. Part of his ashes were scattered off the coast of Menton, the rest were placed in the cemetery of Mougins or Mouans-Sartoux.
Awards
Selected filmography
1916 Jim Crow 1917 La p'tite du sixième 1920 Miarka Mario, le garde-chasse Louis Mercanton 1921 Crépuscule d'épouvante Guillaume Brohan La fille de Camargue 1922 Possession Dimitri Louis Mercanton Tempêtes Raoul Mauduit 1923 Tillers of the Soil Bernard Larade Robert Boudrioz The House of Mystery Henri Corradin Alexandre Volkoff Calvaire d'amour Georges Brémond L'autre aile Gaston Lager Du crépuscule à l'aube 1924 In the Spider's Web Stephen Powers La mendiante de Saint-Sulpice Gilbert Rollin La Flambée des rêves Lucien Réneval Le vol Favier Heart of an Actress Germaine Dulac Pêcheur d'Islande Jan 1925 Le réveil Le Prince Jean Barocco Barocco Charles Burguet 1926 L'Orphelin du Cirque Garment, le traitre / Legru The Flame Boussat René Hervil 600,000 Francs a Month John Durand Robert Péguy La Nuit de la revanche Nitchevo Captain Cartier Jacques de Baroncelli 1927 Charité The Prey of the Wind Pierre Vignal René Clair Feu! Le lieutenant Frémiet Queen Louise Napoleon Karl Grune The White Slave Dr. Warner Augusto Genina Martyr Charles Burguet Die Apachen von Paris Bécot 1928 Da hält die Welt den Atem an The Crew Maurice Tourneur Da hält die Welt den Atem an The Passenger Jacques de Baroncelli 1929 Waterloo Napoleon Karl Grune Drei Tage auf Leben und Tod – aus dem Logbuch der U.C.1 Der Steuermann The Love of the Brothers Rott Erich Waschneck An Ideal Woman Jean Durand Les Fourchambault 1930 Chiqué Francois Dans la nuit L'ouvrier carrier Accused, Stand Up! Henri Lapalle Maurice Tourneur L'Arlésienne Mitifio, un gardian Le capitaine jaune Le capitaine 1931 Dance Hall Ramon Maurice Tourneur The Yellow House of Rio King-Fu / Scalpa Montmartre André Marco, dit Dédé Raymond Bernard 1932 Wooden Crosses Caporal Breval Raymond Bernard In the Name of the Law Lancelot Maurice Tourneur Dainah the Mulatto Le mécanicien Michaux Gitanes Léon 1934 Les Misérables Inspecteur Javert Raymond Bernard At the End of the World Georges Laudy Le Grand Jeu Clément Jacques Feyder 1935 King of the Camargue Rampal The Crew Le lieutenant Maury The Green Domino Nebel – un sculpteur L'impossible aveu Fred 1936 The Volga Boatman Le colonel Goreff Vladimir Strizhevsky Michel Strogoff Ivan Ogareff Richard Eichberg La Peur Robert Sylvain The Flame Victor Boussat André Berthomieu They Were Five Charles Billot aka Charlot Julien Duvivier Jenny Benoit Marcel Carné Les Grands Henri Lormier Port Arthur Commander Vassidloff The Assault Alexandre Mérital Pierre-Jean Ducis 1937 Southern Mail L'ambassadeur Herlin Pierre Billon Police mondaine Salviati Troïka sur la piste blanche Michel Steinberg Abused Confidence Jacques Ferney Henri Decoin 1938 Rail Pirates Henri Pierson The Woman from the End of the World Durc, l'officier mécanicien The West Jean Cadière Henri Fescourt Légions d'honneur Captaine Dabrau Bar du sud Le capitaine Olivier S.O.S. Sahara Loup Jacques de Baroncelli Crossroads Roger de Vétheuil Curtis Bernhardt 1939 Savage Brigade Général Kalitjeff Marcel L'Herbier Yamilé sous les cèdres le chef maronite Rachid el Hamé La Loi du Nord Le caporal Dalrymple Jacques Feyder 1940 Cristobal's Gold Le Coronel – le chef de la police Jacques Becker The Marvelous Night Le fermier Jean-Paul Paulin 1941 The Black Diamond François Mitry Jean Delannoy 1942 Business Is Business Isidore Lechat Promise to a Stranger Bernard Parker Haut-le-Vent François Ascarra 1943 Le soleil a toujours raison L'homme du mas Les Roquevillard Maître François Roquevillard 1944 The Woman Who Dared Pierre Gauthier Jean Grémillon 1945 Hanged Man's Farm François 1946 Gringalet Ravaut André Berthomieu Le Bateau à soupe Le capitaine Hervé 1947 La Cabane aux souvenirs Lauragais Woman of Evil Laurent 1948 The Woman I Murdered François Bachelin Jacques Daniel-Norman 1949 In the Name of the Law Massaro Turi Passalacqua Pietro Germi Vertigine d'amore Mugnaio Resplanton / France: Emile Resplandin 1950 The Fighting Men Don Salvatore Sparaino Roberto Savarese Hearts at Sea Nostromo Norus Giorgio Bianchi 1951 The Crossroads Lubiani Fernando Cerchio Tragic Spell Bastiano Mario Sequi The Last Sentence Giudice Marco Valsetti Mario Bonnard 1952 Malaire Noguère aîné 1953 The Wages of Fear M. Jo Henri-Georges Clouzot 1954 Royal Affairs in Versailles Monsieur de Vergennes Sacha Guitry Maddalena Giovanni Lamberti On Trial Wolf Andergast The Cheerful Squadron Il capitano Hurluret Paolo Moffa 1955 Les Diaboliques Alfred Fichet, le commissaire Henri-Georges Clouzot To Catch a Thief Bertani Alfred Hitchcock Tom Toms of Mayumba Carlo Leonardi Folco Quilici A Missionary Père Gauthier Maurice Cloche Sunset in Naples Guido Brignone 1956 Difendo il mio amore Verdisio Giulio Macchi Death in the Garden Castin Luis Buñuel 1957 Burning Fuse Albatrasse Henri Decoin The Suspects Commissaire Perrache 1958 Léonce Pozzi, dit "Le Fondu" Le Piège Caillé The Mask of the Gorilla Colonel Berthomieu Bernard Borderie 1959 Les Naufrageurs Marnez Prisoner of the Volga Ossip Semjonowitsch Victor Tourjansky Berthomieu dit 'Le Vieux' Island Fishermen L'armateur Mével 1960 The Truth Maître Guérin Henri-Georges Clouzot Maria, Registered in Bilbao El viejo Ladislao Vajda 1961 Tintin and the Golden Fleece Père Alexandre Jean-Jacques Vierne 1962 The Steppe Pére Christophore Alberto Lattuada Lo sgarro 1963 Rififi in Tokyo Van Hekken Jacques Deray Paoli A King Without Distraction Le procureur du Roi François Leterrier Magnet of Doom Dieudonné Ferchaux Jean-Pierre Melville 1965 Le Chant du monde Marinau, le matelot Marcel Camus 1967 Shock Troops Passevin Costa-Gavras 1968 La prisonnière L'invité au vernissage qui dit 'Oui, ça correspond au schéma du bonhomme' (uncredited) Henri-Georges Clouzot 1969 Ballade pour un chien Viachet 1970 Sébastien et la Mary-Morgane Louis Maréchal Cécile Aubry Ils Le professeur Swaine 1971 Juliani 1972 La nuit bulgare Bohringer Gang War in Naples Don Mimo De Ritis Pasquale Squitieri The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life Il Presidente, Giudice Dutz Ettore Scola 1974 Par le sang des autres Le curé 1975 Sept morts sur ordonnance Old Brézé Jacques Rouffio Grandfather Parra 1976 Illustrious Corpses Procurator Varga Francesco Rosi Boomerang Me Ritter José Giovanni Golden Night Charles Fournier Serge Moati À l'ombre d'un été Jean Landot 1977 Alice or the Last Escapade Henri Vergennes Claude Chabrol 1978 Ne pleure pas Le grand-père 1980 Le chemin perdu Léon Schwarz 1981 La Puce et le Privé Mathieu Fortier Three Brothers Donato Giuranna Francesco Rosi 1987 Si le soleil ne revenait pas Anzevui Claude Goretta 1988 Les Saisons du plaisir Charles Van Bergh (final film role)
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