Paul Bonifas
72 movies · 8 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jun 3, 1902
- Died
- Nov 9, 1975 (age 73)
- Place of birth
- Paris, France
- Also known as
- The Molière Players · Henri Paul Bonifas · Paul Boniface · Victor Boniface
Biography
Paul Bonifas (3 June 1902 – 9 November 1975) was a French actor, born in Paris.
In the 1920s, while working for the French customs service, Bonifas took classes in acting at the Conservatoire de Paris in his spare time. He left with the first prize for comedy, which allowed him to join the Odéon Theatre in 1933, then the Comédie-Française in 1938.
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He made his first film appearance in 1935 in a version of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, directed by Pierre Chenal.
During World War II he served as a lieutenant in the artillery, was badly wounded, and evacuated from Dunkirk with his unit. In London he joined the Free French, and worked for Radio Londres broadcasting to occupied France.
In 1942 he appeared in the film The Foreman Went to France.
In 1943 he formed "The Molière Players", who staged a repertoire of mainly Molière works in London theatres, as well as in regional towns and at French army barracks. He came to the Comedy Theatre, London with Théâtre Molierè in 1943 and 1944, performing in L'Anglais Tel Qu'on Le Parle, Le Malade Imaginaire, Gringoire, Le Misanthrope et L'Auvergnat, Les Femmes Savantes, Le Paquebot Tenacity, La Testament Du Pere Leleu and L'Extra. His Company included Andre Frere, Georges Rex, Suzette Marquis, Elma Soiron and Paul Clarus.
In 1944 "The Molière Players" appeared in the short film Aventure malgache directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This was written by, and based on the experiences of, Jules Francois Clermont, an actor in Bonifas' troupe working under the name of Paul Clarus, who had operated an illegal radio station Madagascar Libre in Madagascar while the island was under Vichy control.
Bonifas then appeared in a number of other British films, including Two Fathers with Bernard Miles, directed by Anthony Asquith, and had minor roles in the musicals Heaven Is Round the Corner and Champagne Charlie, the action adventure film The Man from Morocco, the comedy-drama Johnny Frenchman and the horror film Dead of Night.
Bonifas returned to France in 1946 and resumed his career in theatre, specializing in comedy, but also taking dramatic roles.
His later film career included appearances in Trapeze (1956), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956), Fanny (1961), Charade (1963), Greed in the Sun (1964), The Train (1964), Is Paris Burning? (1966), Triple Cross (1966), and The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974).
Bonifas died on 9 November 1975 at Vernouillet, Yvelines, France.
Source: Article "Paul Bonifas" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Paul Bonifas: movies and TV shows
Acting (80)
- 1975 Le Père Amable
as Vatinol
- 1975
- 1975 The Common Man
as Le Maire
- 1974 Antigone
as le choeur
- 1974 The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe
as le père de François Perrin
- 1973 The Last Train
as Le voisin
- 1973
- 1971 Love Me Strangely
as Hotel porter
- 1970 Cold Sweat
as The doctor
- 1970 An Artistic Couple
as Henri Faroy
- 1970 The Horse
as Witness to Car Accident
- 1970
- 1969 The Christmas Tree
as (uncredited)
- 1969 Secret World
as Gustave / servant
- 1968 La Séparation
as Prêtre
- 1968
- 1966 Triple Cross
as Charlie
- 1966
- 1966
- 1966
- 1966 The Sleeping Sentinel
as Lanier
- 1965 Le Naïf amoureux
as 'Tonton Louis'
- 1964 Lucky Jo
as Légiste (uncredited)
- 1964 The Train
as Spinet
- 1964 Greed in the Sun
as Doctor Magnart, former professor in Lyon
- 1964 Jeff Gordon, Secret Agent
as Le notaire
- 1964
- 1963 Charade
as Mr. Felix
- 1963
- 1963 The Depths
as Mons. Lapeyre
- 1963 The Trip to Biarritz
as Bourrély
- 1962 Sundays and Cybele
as Grocer
- 1962 Les Célibataires
as Chandelier
- 1961
- 1961 Blood on His Sword
as Le chirurgien / Doctor of Louis XI
- 1961 Fanny
as The Postman
- 1961 Goodbye Again
as Cellarman
- 1960 The Truth
as Un greffier
- 1960 The Gigolo
as (uncredited)
- 1960 The Enemy General
as Mayor
- 1960 Love and the Frenchwoman
as Le père de Ginette (segment "La Virginité")
- 1958 A Woman Like Satan
as Innkeeper
- 1958 A Legitimate Defense
as le président de la cour
- 1958 Les Misérables
as Hospital doctor
- 1958 Sinners of Paris
as L'inspecteur Renaud
- 1957 Mademoiselle and Her Gang
as Marcel, owner of the hotel
- 1957 Love in the Afternoon
as Police Chief (uncredited)
- 1957 The Case of Dr. Laurent
as Guillaumin
- 1956 The Hunchback of Notre Dame
as Master Lecornu
- 1956
- 1955 Frou-Frou
as Le réceptionniste de l'hôtel (uncredited)
- 1954
- 1953 Their Last Night
as le commissaire principal
- 1953 Lettre ouverte
as Honoré, the father-in-law
- 1952 Holiday for Henrietta
as The Newsagent (uncredited)
- 1952 Ils sont dans les vignes...
as American
- 1952
- 1952 Dans la vie tout s'arrange
as Monsieur Bleubois
- 1952 The Green Glove
as Inspector
- 1952 The Truth About Bebe Donge
as Traveler (uncredited)
- 1951 Duel à Dakar
as The Commander
- 1951
- 1951 Amazing Monsieur Fabre
as Le ministre Victor Duruy
- 1951 Pardon My French
as Monsieur Bleubois
- 1951
- 1951 Juliette, or Key of Dreams
as Captain of the cargo ship
- 1946 Bedelia
as Insurance Manager
- 1946 Lisbon Story
as Stephan Corelle
- 1945 Johnny Frenchman
as Jerome
- 1945 Dead of Night
as French Nightclub Patron (Segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy") (Uncredited)
- 1945 The Man from Morocco
as French Mayor
- 1944 Champagne Charlie
as Targetino
- 1944 English Without Tears
as Monsieur Rolland
- 1944 Candlelight in Algeria
as French Proprietor
- 1944 Two Fathers
as The Frenchman
- 1944 Aventure Malgache
as Michel
- 1942 The Foreman Went to France
as Prefect of Rouville
- 1939
- 1939 The Five Cents of Lavarede
as Sailor
- 1935