Michel serrault jean poiret biography

French actor, director, and screenwriter

For the French clergyman, botanist, and explorer, see Jean Louis Marie Poiret. For the French colonial administrator, see Jean Louis Georges Poiret.

Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré (17 August 1926 – 14 March 1992), was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play La Cage aux Folles.

Early career

Poiret was born in Paris, and first rose to prominence in 1951 playing the role of Fred Transport, one of the heroes of Pierre Dac and Francis Blanche's radio series Malheur aux Barbus. In 1952, he met his future co-star of La CageMichel Serrault at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. They starred in the sketch "Jerry Scott, Vedette Internationale".

In 1961, Poiret, as a member of the French cinematic society Pathé, wrote and recorded "La Vache à Mille Francs", a parody of "La Valse à Mille Temps" by Jacques Brel.

In 1973, he married actress Caroline Cellier, with whom he had one child.

La Cage aux Folles

In 1973, Poiret wrote and starred in the stage play La Cage aux Folles. Its film adaptation in 1978 brought Poiret immense success. Although Poiret was replaced by Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi in the role of Renato Baldi, Serrault reprised his stage-role of Zaza Napoli and won a César Award for his work.

Later career

In 1992, Poiret directed Le Zèbre (The Zebra). his first and only film, an adaptation of Alexandre Jardin's novel. It starred Thierry Lhermitte and Caroline Cellier, and it was one of the top grossing films in France for the year and the highest-grossing debut European film for the year (with a gross of $12 million).

Poiret died of a heart atta

Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and movie actor. He appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 movies.

He met and worked with Jean Poiret in the early 1950s. Their movies were Cette sacrée gamine (1956) with Brigitte Bardot and Sacha Guitry's last movie Assassins et voleurs [fr] (1957).

References

At the beginning of 1973 a phenomenon was in the making. An incredible triumph of the Parisian stage.

And one night in January, at about half past eleven, three sacred monsters of the theater push the door of Coupe-Chou . They were Michel Serrault, Pierre Mondy and Jean Poiret. They were accompanied by the then director of the Palais-Royal, Jean-Michel Rouzière. They had their usual places at Coupe-Chou , Poiret, Serrault and Mondy... but that evening, they were going to stay until 6 o'clock in the morning!

They were in the middle of the rehearsal of a play that was going to celebrate the reunion of the famous duo. This piece was of course: "La Cage aux Folles". A triumph without precedent, and moreover, without a successor. "La Cage" will be performed 5 years in a row at the Palais Royal, then two years at the Variétés.

But let's not anticipate. For the time being, no one could predict the success to come. No one, not even the theatre director who had already planned a play for the next season. Besides, not everything was ready, there were still problems to be solved... " The Cage" was not ready.

And the working sessions continued at Coupe-Chou .
"In a back room to be quiet" claimed Poiret. Of course, they are set up in the Library. It's studious, a library. The last act of the play had to be reworked.

And while eating, Poiret and Serrault improvised the lines that were going to make a thousand people scream with laughter every night for seven years! And Serrault was rehearsing his role in the restaurant, he was gradually getting into the character of Zaza Napoli, he was working on his languid looks, his eyelashes fluttering, and he was making eyes at the customer at the next table... who was beginning to worry for good. This unfortunate customer would end up whispering to Christian and Francis, the restaurant managers:

"Has he changed sides, Serrault?"
"No, he's working. "
" Ah? Funny jo