Biography: life and films
It was in the 1960s that Claude Piéplu began to become a familiar face to cinema audiences in France, cropping up frequently in mainstream comedies such as Robert Dhéry's La Belle Américaine (1961) and Julien Duvivier's Le Diable et les dix commandements (1962). He was a habitué of Louis de Funès comedies, making memorable appearances in Le Gendarme de St. Tropez (1964), Hibernatus (1969) and Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973). Over the following decade, his talents were put to good use by some of the most distinguished filmmakers working in France, including Claude Chabrol (Les Noces rouges, 1973), Luis Buñuel (Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie, 1972), Bertrand Blier (Les Valseuses, 1976) and Costa-Gavras (Section spéciale, 1975).
A natural comic performer with a subtly sinister edge, Piéplu was well-suited for the part of The Professor he played in Michel Deville's Paltoquet (1986), the film that earned him his one and only César nomination. His final film appearance was in Claude Zidi's hit comedy Astérix et Obélix contre César (1999), in which he played the druid Panoramix. In a career that spanned more than fifty years, Claude Piéplu, a character actor par excellence, appeared in around 100 films for cinema and television. He is also fondly remembered for voicing the animated television series Les Shadoks, which began airing in 1968. He died in Paris on 24th May 2006 after a long illness, aged 83.
© James Travers 2013
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Filmography
Key: a = actor
Adorables démons (1957) [a]
Suivez-moi jeune homme (1958) [a]
L'Affaire d'une nuit (1960) [a]
Le Caïd (1960) [a]
Comment réussir en amour (1962) [a]
Cherchez l'idole (1963) [a]
Faites sauter la banque! (1964) [a]
Le Gendarme de St. Tropez (1964) [a]
Les Pieds dans le plâtre (1965) [a]
La Bourse et la vie (1966) [a]
Si j'étais un espion (1967) [a]
Diaboliquement vôtre (1968) [a]
L'Écume des jours (1968) [a]
Le Diable par la queue (1969) [a]
Le Pistonné (1970) [a]
La Coqueluche (1971) [a]
Le Drapeau noir flotte sur la marmite (1971) [a]
Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972) [a]
Sex-shop (1972) [a]
Elle court, elle court la banlieue (1973) [a]
Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (1973) [a]
Prêtres interdits (1973) [a]
Gross Paris (1974) [a]
La Gueule de l'emploi (1974) [a]
La Moutarde me monte au nez (1974) [a]
Le Fantôme de la liberté (1974) [a]
Par le sang des autres (1974) [a]
Un nuage entre les dents (1974) [a]
C'est dur pour tout le monde (1975) [a]
Les Galettes de Pont-Aven (1975) [a]
Calmos (1976) [a]
L'Ordinateur des pompes funèbres (1976) [a]
La Meilleure façon de marcher (1976) [a]
Dites-lui que je l'aime (1977) [a]
Le Mille-pattes fait des claquettes (1977) [a]
Chaussette surprise (1978) [a]
Et vive la liberté! (1978) [a]
Le Pion (1978) [a]
Le Sucre (1978) [a]
Ils sont grands, ces petits (1979) [a]
Beau temps mais orageux en fin de journée (1986) [a]
La Galette du roi (1986) [a]
Après après-demain (1990) [a]
Les Paradoxes de Buñuel (1997) [a]
The greatest French film directors
The very best of the French New Wave
The best of British film comedies
