Jean Servais (; 24 September 1910 – 17 February 1976) was a Belgian film and stage actor. IMDb profile: Jean Servais He acted in many 20th century French cinema productions, from the 1930s through the early 1970s.

He was married to actress Dominique Blanchar (1952–1953) and later to Gilberte Graillot.

Career Servais trained at the Brussels Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, where he won the Second Prize. His acting skills came to the attention of Raymond Rouleau, and he was hired at the Théâtre du Marais, where he acted in Le mal de jeunesse, which was successful in Brussels and in Paris. He was also a member of Jean-Louis Barrault's theatre company.

His first film role was as the simple country dweller who was the victim of an error by the justice system in the film Criminel (1932), directed by Jack Forrester. Servais's film career continued in the 1930s with roles in films such as La Chanson De L'Adieu (1934) and La Vie Est Magnifique (1938). After a break in acting during World War II, he returned to the screen with roles in films such as La Danse De Mort (1948).

In the 1950s, he appeared in the crime drama Rififi (1955), which François Truffaut ranked as the best film noir,Los Angeles Times Review: 'Rififi' screening a welcome return of cracking good classic, by Kenneth Turan, 4 September 2015. directed by American Jules Dassin, in which he played a leader of a gang of jewel thieves.IMDb: Rififi (1955) - Full Cast & Crew

He appeared in another film directed by Jules Dassin in 1957, He Who Must Die (Celui qui doit mourir). He also appeared in a film written and directed by Luis Buñuel, La fièvre monte à El Pao (1959).

In the 1950s and 1960s, Servais rejoined the Renaud-Barrault theatre troupe for several plays, including La Répétition ou l'Amour puni (1950), Volpone (1955), and Marat/Sade (1966).

In the 1960s, Servais took small character roles in popular international fare such as The Longest Day (1962), an epic recreation of the Allied invasion of Normandy, and That Man from Rio (1964). Other films in which he acted include Le Sahara brûle (1961), Un Soir Par Hasard (1964), and Avec la peau des autres (1966).

He had roles in several films in the early 1970s, such as The Devil's Nightmare (1971), an Italian horror series, and Le Protecteur (1974), about a recently released prisoner who tries to find his daughter who has fallen into the underworld of prostitution.

Selected filmography Films with roles played by Jean Servais include:

Mater dolorosa (1932) Criminal (1933) – Bob Graham Youth (1933) – Pierre The Faceless Voice (1933) – Gérard Les Misérables (1934) – Marius Pontmercy Angèle (1934) – Albin Amok (1934) – Jan Song of Farewell (1934) – Frédéric Chopin Last Hour (1934) – Jean Benoit Bourrasque (1935) – Marcel Bardet Rose (1936) – Jean Sergent Valse éternelle (1936) – Pierre Kramer Une fille à papa (1936) – Henri Guiraud The Forsaken (1937) – Prieur Gigolette (1937) – Docteur Jacques Bernais (1937) – l'ingénieur Philippe Dancourt (1939) – Maxime / Massimo (1939) – Le docteur Maire Quartier sans soleil (1939) – Jo (1940) – Paul Those of the Sky (1941) – Monval Fromont jeune et Risler aîné (1941) – Fromont jeune Patricia (1942) – Fabien (1943) – Anders Finance noire (1943) – François Carré Mahlia the Mestiza (1943) – Henri de Roussière -le fils des parents adoptifs de Mahlia (1944) – Le vicomte Roland de la Chaume – un oisif The Seventh Door (1947) – Le chauffeur du car Prelude to Madness (1948) – Enrico Miller – il violinista The Dance of Death (1948) – Kurt Une si jolie petite plage (1949) – Fred Mademoiselle de La Ferté (1949) – Lord Osborne Le furet (1950) – Stadler The Glass Castle (1950) Une si jolie petite plage (1950) – Laurent Bertal (French version) Le Plaisir (1952) – L'ami de Jean / La voix de Maupassant (segment "Le Modèle") Mina de Vanghel (1953) – Ruppert Rue de l'Estrapade (1953) – Jacques Christian Tourbillon (1953) – Fred Maurin Le Chevalier de la nuit (1953) – Le châtelain Les crimes de l'amour (1953) – Ruppert (segment 1 : 'Mina de Vanghel') Rififi (1955) – Tony le Stéphanois The Heroes Are Tired (1955) – François Séverin Le couteau sous la gorge (1955) – Marc Hourtin The Lebanese Mission (1956) – Maj. Charles Hobson He Who Must Die (1957) – Priest Fotis The Wheel (1957) – Pierre Pelletier Send a Woman When the Devil Fails (1957) – Henri Godot Tamango (1958) – Doctor Corot That Night (1958) – André Reverdy Les Jeux dangereux (1958) – Fournier, le détective privé La Fièvre Monte à El Pao (1959) – Alejandro Gual Murder at 45 R.P.M. (1960) – Maurice Faugères The Sahara Is Burning (1961) – Wagner World in My Pocket (1961) – Gypo Les Menteurs (1961) – Paul Dutraz Le jeu de la vérité (1961) – Jean-François Vérate The Corsican Brothers (1961) – Gerolamo Sagona Le Crime ne paie pas (1962) – Ernest Vaughan (segment "L'affaire Hugues") The Longest Day (1962) – Rear Admiral Robert Jaujard The Cage (1963) – Rispal (1963) – Commissaire Beronnet (1963) – Piort Rififi in the City (1964) – Maurice Leprince That Man from Rio (1964) – Prof. Norbert Catalan (1965) – Dr. Roussel Thomas the Impostor (1965) – Pasquel-Duport Lost Command (1966) – General Melies Avec la peau des autres (1966) – Wegelt Qualcuno ha tradito (1967) – Jean Coplan Saves His Skin (1968) – Saroghu Black Jesus (1968) – Commander Better a Widow (1968) – Baron Misceni They Came to Rob Las Vegas (1968) – Gino Peau d'âne (1970) – La voix de (voice) The Devil's Nightmare (1971) – Baron von Rhoneberg (1972) – De Gournais, le directeur de la galerie L'Affaire Crazy Capo (1973) – Joseph Marchesi, dit Crazy Capo Le Protecteur (1974) – Ancelin Un tueur, un flic, ainsi soit-il... (1977) – Forzi (final film role)

References

Further reading Yvan Foucart: Dictionnaire des comédiens français disparus, Mormoiron : Éditions cinéma, 2008, p. 1185,

External links