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Michael Lonsdale
Actor

Michael Lonsdale

24 May 1931Born
21 Sep 2020Died
89Age at death
192Credits

Biography

Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French-British actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is often known in the English-speaking world for his roles as the villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, deputy police commissioner Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Abbot in The Name of the Rose (1986) and Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day (1993).

Lonsdale was born in Paris, the natural son of British Army officer Edward Lonsdale Crouch and Simone Calderon (née Béraud).

Read the full biography

He was brought up initially on the island of Jersey, then in London from 1935, and later, during the Second World War, in Casablanca, Morocco.

He returned to Paris to study painting in 1947, but was drawn into the world of acting instead, first appearing on stage at the age of 24. Lonsdale was bilingual, and appeared in both English-language and French-language productions. He appeared in a starring role with Roger Moore in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker. and with Sean Connery, in the 1986 film The Name of the Rose. He would later appear in Munich (2005), a film that also starred another Bond, Daniel Craig.

In February 2011, he won a César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Of Gods and Men.

Lonsdale was also the author of ten books.

A practising Roman Catholic, he was close to the Emmanuel Community.

In his 2016 memoir Le Dictionnaire de Ma Vie, Lonsdale revealed he had fallen for Delphine Seyrig, having met her as a student in Tania Balachova's acting classes at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in 1947. He wrote that "it was her or nothing", which was why he never married.

Lonsdale died in Paris on 21 September 2020, aged 89.

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

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 192 credits.

  1. 2025The Life of MirrorsFilm
  2. 2024African GloryFilm: Christopher Columbus
  3. 2023The OutsiderFilm: Narrator (Voice)
  4. 2019Degas and IFilm: Edgar Degas
  5. 2019Salvador Dalí: Génie tragi-comiqueFilm: Narrator
  6. 2017Bazin's FilmFilm: Narrator
  7. 2016SculptFilm
  8. 2016The First, the LastFilm: Jean-Berchmans
  9. 2016Les Filles au Moyen-ÂgeFilm: Daniel
  10. 2014J.R.R. Tolkien: Designer of WorldsFilm: (voice)
  11. 2014N: The Madness Of ReasonFilm: Narrator
  12. 2014MaestroFilm: Cedric Rovère
  13. 2014RosennFilm: (voice)
  14. 2013Le Renard jauneFilm: Jean Virno
  15. 2012Gebo and the ShadowFilm: Gebo
  16. 2011Veilleurs dans la nuit - Une journée monastique à l'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du BarrouxFilm: Narrateur
  17. 2011The Cardboard VillageFilm: Old Priest
  18. 2011Free MenFilm: Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit
  19. 2011Hitler in HollywoodFilm: Michael Lonsdale
  20. 2011TiteufFilm: Le psy (voice)
  21. 2010Of Gods and MenFilm: Luc
  22. 2009You'll Miss MeFilm: Max
  23. 2009AgoraFilm: Theon
  24. 2009Au siècle de Maupassant, contes et nouvelles du XIXeSeries: Le Grand Loustalot (1 episode)
  25. 2008The Man from LondonFilm: Kocsmáros (voice)
  26. 2008Le Silence de l'épervierSeries: Antoine Carsac (8 episodes)
  27. 2007To Each His Own CinemaFilm: The old blind man (segment "Le Don")
  28. 2007Heartbeat DetectorFilm: Mathias Jüst
  29. 2007Go West: A Lucky Luke AdventureFilm: Bartleby (voice)
  30. 2007The Last MistressFilm: le vicomte Prony
  31. 2006Les Mains d'AndréaFilm
  32. 2006Goya's GhostsFilm: Inquisitor General
  33. 2006Jeanne, à petits pasFilm: Louis
  34. 2005MunichFilm: Papa
  35. 2005GentilleFilm: Jean
  36. 2005The SeparationFilm: Paul Doumer
  37. 2005Bye Bye BlackbirdFilm: Robert
  38. 2005The Perfume of the Lady in BlackFilm: Professor Stangerson
  39. 2005InvisibleFilm: Le gardien
  40. 2004Under a False NameFilm: David
  41. 2004AdieuFilm: Serge
  42. 2004Five Times TwoFilm: Bernard
  43. 2003Le FuretFilm: Don Salvadore
  44. 2003The Mystery of the Yellow RoomFilm: Stangerson
  45. 2003Kaena: The ProphecyFilm: Opaz (voice)
  46. 2002Le Mythe CathareFilm: Narrator
  47. 2001Those Facing UsFilm: Mikaël
  48. 2000ActorsFilm: Man walking down the street
  49. 2000Is Dead - Portrait incomplet de Gertrude SteinFilm: Narrator (voice)
  50. 1999A Monkey's TaleFilm: Maître Flavius (Voice)
  51. 1998RoninFilm: Jean-Pierre
  52. 1998Let There Be Light!Film: Monseigneur Loublié
  53. 1998Don JuanFilm: Don Luis
  54. 1997Mauvais GenreFilm: Honoré de Balzac
  55. 1997Jean Eustache's Wasted BreathFilm: (voice)
  56. 1997Noise of Love and WarFilm: The director
  57. 1996La Plante HumaineFilm: Michel
  58. 1995Nelly and Monsieur ArnaudFilm: Dollabella
  59. 1995Jefferson in ParisFilm: Louis XVI
  60. 1995Vroum-vroumFilm
  61. 1994Dieu sait quoiFilm: Narrator
  62. 1993The Remains of the DayFilm: Dupont D'Ivry
  63. 1993WoyzeckFilm: Le capitaine
  64. 1993L'ordre du jourFilm: Stark
  65. 1991My Life Is HellFilm: Gabriel
  66. 1991MaigretSeries: Guillaume Serre, Sir Lampson (1 episode)
  67. 1990Out 1Film: Thomas
  68. 1990Un cane scioltoSeries: Procuratore (2 episodes)
  69. 1989SouvenirFilm: Xavier Lorion
  70. 1989Earthen ManFilm: (voice)
  71. 1988The Tribulations of Balthazar KoberFilm: Cammerschulze
  72. 1987Der Madonna-MannFilm: Tanzmann
  73. 1986Le Tiroir secretSeries: Philippe Jolivet (1 episode)
  74. 1986The Name of the RoseFilm: The Abbot
  75. 1986Rendez-vous manquésFilm: Moralès
  76. 1986L'air d'aimerFilm: Raymond
  77. 1986Emile ReynaudFilm: Narrator
  78. 1986The Memory of the Eye E.J. MareyFilm: Narrator
  79. 1985Billy Ze KickFilm: Commissaire Bellanger
  80. 1985Le Génie du fauxSeries: Constantin Escher (4 episodes)

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