Beleaguered-looking French-British character actor, born André Gaston Maillol in Toulouse. Active in the United Kingdom (where he would take out citizenship by naturalisation in 1967) and billed as André Maranne from 1956, he provided a cultivated presence as stereotypical French gendarmes, customs officers, and waiters. His best-known role was that of
Herbert Lom's bespectacled and hapless aide, Sergeant François Chevalier, in six Pink Panther movies. He also appeared in an episode of
Fawlty Towers (1975) as a culinary aide to Basil. Maranne was genuinely myopic but disliked wearing his glasses on screen.
While TV appearances were undoubtedly his forte, on occasion Maranne graced the big screen. Aside from the Pink Panther films, notable appearances included a deft comic turn in
Darling Lili (1970) (alongside the equally hilarious
Jacques Marin) and as Admiral Pierre-Charles de Villeneuve, the ill-fated commander of the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar in
The Nelson Affair (1973).
For BBC radio, Maranne worked as presenter of Bonjour Francoise (1968), a French language course for beginners. He also acted in
La Chasse au Trésor (1968), a BBC drama series for young children, designed to teach the basics of French. It was set in France and featured an all-French cast.
Maranne retired in 1991 to Brighton, England, where he died in 2021, aged 94.
Bergerac(1981)as Commissaire Dejeux
The Gravy Train(1990)as Maitre D'
KYTV(1989)as Marcel
Colin's Sandwich(1988)as Frenchman
The Free Frenchman(1989)as Defence minister
The World About Us(1967)as Self - Narrator
Behind the Scenes with 'Thunderball'(1995)as SPECTRE Number 10
Arena(1975)as Self
The Magical World of Disney(1954)as Duvalier
