The son of a sausage-maker,
Michel Simon was conscripted into the Swiss Army
at the start of World War I, but was thrown out through a combination
of tuberculosis and general insubordination. He was variously a boxer,
photographer, general handyman and right-wing anarchist, finally
becoming a stage actor in Geneva in 1920. His reputation soon grew, and
he moved to Paris in 1923, appearing in his first film in 1925 (the
same year he played Boudu for the first time on stage). With the coming
of sound, Simon became firmly established as one of France's
outstanding character actors, doing unforgettable work for
Jean Renoir (
The Bitch (1931),
Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)),
Jean Vigo (
L'Atalante (1934)) and
Marcel Carné (
Port of Shadows (1938),
Bizarre, Bizarre (1937)). In the 1950s he
worked less frequently, partly thanks to an accident involving makeup
dye that paralyzed part of his body and face. Despite this, he still
managed to appear in films right up to his death in 1975.
Jean de la Lune(1931)
The King's Jester(1941)
Le théâtre de Tristan Bernard(1975)
L'Ibis rouge(1975)as Zizi
Le boucher, la star et l'orpheline(1975)as L'érotologue
The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life(1972)as Avvocato Zorn
Blanche(1971)as Le châtelain
Boudu Saved from Drowning(1932)
The Two of Us(1967)
Dans la vie faut pas s'en faire(1962)
Pierrot la tendresse(1960)
Un certain Monsieur Jo(1958)
Mister Taxi(1952)
Star Life(1990)as Self
Au cinéma ce soir(1969)as Self
Compression(1995)as Self
Rembob'Ina(2018)as Self
Jeune cinéma(2023)as Self
Aux arts et cætera(2022)as Self
Belmondo L'Incorrigible(2022)as Self, Irwin Molyneux
Les Nuits de France Culture(1994)as Self
