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Robert Hossein
Actor

Robert Hossein

30 Dec 1927Born
31 Dec 2020Died
93Age at death
110Credits

Biography

Robert Hossein was a French film actor of Parsi origin, director and writer. He directed the 1982 adaption of Les Misérables, and appeared in Vice and Virtue, Le Casse, Les Uns et les Autres and Venus Beauty Institute. His most recent roles include starring as Michèle Mercier's husband in the Angélique series and as a Catholic priest who falls in love with Claude Jade and becomes a communist in Prêtres interdits (Forbidden Priests) in 1973.

Hossein started directing films in 1956 with Les salauds vont en enfer from a story by Frédéric Dard whose novels and plays went on to furnish Hossein with much of his later film material.

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Right from the start Hossein established his characteristic trademarks: using a seemingly straightforward suspense plot and subverting its conventions (sometimes to the extent of a complete disregard of the traditional demand for a final twist or revelation) in order to concentrate on ritualistic relationships. This is the director's running preoccupation which is always stressed in his films by an extraordinary command of film space and often striking frame compositions where the geometry of human figures and set design is used to accentuate the psychological set-up of the scene. The mechanisms of guilt and the way it destroys relationships is another recurring theme, presumably influenced by Hossein's lifelong interest in the works of Dostoyevski.

Although Hossein had some modest international successes with films like Toi, le venin and Le vampire de Dusseldorf, he was much singled out for scorching criticism by the critics and followers of the New Wave for the unashamedly melodramatic frameworks of his films. The fact that he was essentially an auteur director with a consistent set of themes and an extraordinary mastery of original and unusual approaches to staging his stories, was never appreciated. He was not averse to trying his hand at widely different genres and was never defeated, making the strikingly different spaghetti western Une corde, un Colt and the low-budgeted but daringly subversive period drama J'ai tué Raspoutine. However, because of the lack of wider success and continuing adverse criticism, Hossein virtually ended his film directing career in 1970, having concentrated on theatre where his achievements were never questioned, and subsequently returning to film directing only twice. With two or three exceptions, his films remain commercially unavailable and very difficult to see.

He is the son of André Hossein a Zoroastrian French composer of Azerbaijani-Tajik descent, and a Jewish comedy actress from Kiev. He was married three times: first to Marina Vlady (he has two sons with her, Pierre and Igor), later to Caroline Eliacheff (with whom he has a son, Nicholas). He is currently married to actress Candice Patou, with whom he has one son, Julien.

According to an article written by Emannuel Peze, Hossein experienced a conversion to Catholicism in 1971 during a visit to the Marian apparition at San Damiano in Lombardo Italy.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Hossein, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 110 credits.

  1. 2025Picking StrawberriesFilm
  2. 2022Belmondo: The IncorrigibleFilm
  3. 2022Love Is Better Than LifeFilm: Robert Prat
  4. 2020Noni : Le Fruit de l'espoirFilm: Le grand-père d'Angeli
  5. 2011Une femme nommée MarieFilm: Narrator (voice)
  6. 2009A Man and His DogFilm: Un homme a la soupe populaire
  7. 2009The Little Murders of Agatha ChristieSeries: Simon
  8. 2007TrivialFilm: Antoine Bérangère
  9. 2006Petits Meurtres en familleSeries: Simon (4 episodes)
  10. 2005Le JugeSeries: Roger Marino (2 episodes)
  11. 2004San AntonioFilm: Le ministre de l'intérieur / The Minister
  12. 2003AntigoneFilm: Créon
  13. 1999Scandalous CrimesFilm: Judge Bocchi
  14. 1999Venus Beauty InstituteFilm: L'aviateur
  15. 1997The Wax MaskFilm: Boris Volkoff
  16. 1995Les MiserablesFilm: Le maître de cérémonie
  17. 1994L'AffaireFilm: Paul Haslans
  18. 1992Stranger in the HouseFilm: Narrator (voice)
  19. 1990Le GorilleSeries: Joseph Beaucis (13 episodes)
  20. 1990Cyrano de BergeracFilm: Director
  21. 1989Children of ChaosFilm: Robert
  22. 1988La croisade des enfantsFilm: Philippe-Auguste
  23. 1987Levy & GoliathFilm: Goliath customer (uncredited)
  24. 1986A Man and a Woman: 20 Years LaterFilm: Robert Hossein
  25. 1986Le Caviar rougeFilm: Alex, Screenplay, Director
  26. 1983Surprise PartyFilm: André Auerbach
  27. 1982Les MisérablesFilm: Director, Screenplay
  28. 1982The Big PardonFilm: Manuel Carreras
  29. 1981The ProfessionalFilm: Commissaire Rosen
  30. 1981BoleroFilm: Simon Meyer / Robert Prat
  31. 1979Démons de midiFilm: Metteur en scène de théâtre
  32. 1976Henry James StoriesSeries: Peter Quint (1 episode)
  33. 1975The PhoneyFilm: Kaminsky
  34. 1974The ProtectorFilm: Arnaud
  35. 1974Le Tour d'ÉcrouFilm: Peter Quint
  36. 1973Prêtres interditsFilm: Jean Rastaud
  37. 1973A Police Officer Without ImportanceFilm: Pierre Fresse
  38. 1973Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a WomanFilm: Louis Prévost
  39. 1972A Murder Is a MurderFilm: Jean Carouse
  40. 1972HelléFilm: Kleber
  41. 1971The BurglarsFilm: Ralph
  42. 1971The Lion's ShareFilm: Maurice Ménard
  43. 1971Judge Roy BeanFilm: Black Bird
  44. 1970Falling PointFilm: Le Caïd, Director, Writer
  45. 1970Versatile LoversFilm: Serge Belaïeff
  46. 1970Time of the WolvesFilm: Dillinger
  47. 1969The ConspiratorsFilm: Leonida Montanari
  48. 1969Desert AssaultFilm: Capitaine Curd Heinz (Rudi en Français)
  49. 1969Crime ThiefFilm: Tian
  50. 1969The Scarlet LadyFilm: Julien
  51. 1969MisdealFilm: Martin von Klaus
  52. 1969Life Love DeathFilm: Man in the movie
  53. 1969Cemetery without CrossesFilm: Manuel, Director, Writer
  54. 1969The Battle of El AlameinFilm: Erwin Rommel
  55. 1968Once Upon a Time in the WestFilm: Member of Frank's Gang in Flashback (uncredited)
  56. 1968Tender MomentFilm: Enrico Fontana
  57. 1968OSS 117 Murder for SaleFilm: Dr. Saadi
  58. 1968Angelique and the SultanFilm: Joffrey de Peyrac "Le Rescator"
  59. 1968A Little VirtuousFilm: Louis Brady
  60. 1967Untamable AngeliqueFilm: Joffrey de Peyrac, 'Le Rescator'
  61. 1967LamielFilm: Roger Valber
  62. 1967The Man Who Betrayed the MafiaFilm: Maître Bianchini
  63. 1967I Killed RasputinFilm: Serge Sukhotin, Director, Writer
  64. 1967La MusicaFilm: Him
  65. 1966Brigade Anti GangsFilm: Chief Commissioner Le Goff
  66. 1966Long MarchFilm: Carnot
  67. 1966The Other TruthFilm: Pierre Montaud, the Advocate
  68. 1966Angelique and the KingFilm: Jeoffrey de Peyrac
  69. 1966Mademoiselle de MaupinFilm: Captain Alcibiade
  70. 1965God's ThunderFilm: Marcel
  71. 1965Marco the MagnificentFilm: Prince Nayam
  72. 1965Le commissaire mène l’enquêteFilm: The lover (segment "Pour qui sonne le ...")
  73. 1965The Dirty GameFilm: Dupont
  74. 1965The Vampire of DusseldorfFilm: Peter Kuerten, Director, Screenplay
  75. 1964AngeliqueFilm: Jeoffrey de Peyrac
  76. 1964Marked EyesFilm: Franz, Director
  77. 1964Why Paris?Film
  78. 1964Shadow of EvilFilm: Dr. Sinn
  79. 1964Death of a KillerFilm: Pierre Massa, Director, Screenplay
  80. 1963Highway Pick-UpFilm: Daniel Boisset

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.