François Périer


François Périer was a French actor renowned for his expressiveness and diversity of roles.

Career

He made over 110 film and TV appearances from 1938 to 1996, with notable excursion into the French avant-garde. He was also prominent in the theatre. Among his better-known parts was that of Hugo in the first production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains Sales in 1948. He was the narrator of the French-language version of Fantasia, and he made several commercial audio recordings popularizing classical music in France. In 1957, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Gervaise.

Personal life

Périer was born in Paris, France on 10 November 1919. He had two children with his first wife, Jacqueline Porel: photographer Jean-Marie and journalist Anne-Marie. He died on 29 June 2002 in Paris of a heart attack during his sleep.
His remains were interred at Passy Cemetery in Paris next to those of the stage and silent film actress Réjane, who was the grandmother of Périer's first wife.

Filmography