Pierre Brasseur

Biography

Pierre Brasseur, born Pierre-Albert Espinasse (22 December 1905, Paris – 16 August 1972, Bruneck, Italy) was a French actor.

He was the son of actor Georges Espinasse and actress Germaine Brasseur while the latter was married to Albert Brasseur. His grandfather, Jules Brasseur, was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name Brasseur was continued by his son Claude and his grandson Alexandre.

Renowned for playing outsized characters, Brasseur is probably best known in the anglophone world for his (semi-fictionalised) portrayal of the actor Frédérick Lemaître in Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise, 1945) and as Docteur Génessier (more subdued) in the horror film Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux sans visage, 1960) co-starring with Alida Valli.

On May 30, 1927, Brasseur performed the spoken role of the Narrator in the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky's opera-oratorio Oedipus rex.

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