1902-06-03 Paris, France
Paul Bonifas (3 June 1902 – 9 November 1975) was a French actor, born in Paris. In the 1920s, while working for the French customs service, Bonifas took classes in acting at the Conservatoire de Paris in his spare time. He left with the first prize for comedy, which allowed him to join the Odéon Theatre in 1933, then the Comédie-Française in 1938. He made his first film appearance in 1935 in a version of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, directed by Pierre Chenal. During World War II he served as a lieutenant in the artillery, was badly wounded, and evacuated from Dunkirk with his unit. In London he joined the Free French, and worked for Radio Londres broadcasting to occupied France. In 1942 he appeared in the film The Foreman Went to France. In 1943 he formed "The Molière Players", who staged a repertoire of mainly Molière works in London theatres, as well as in regional towns and at French army barracks. In 1944 "The Molière Players" appeared in the short film Aventure malgache directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This was written by, and based on the experiences of, Jules Francois Clermont, an actor in Bonifas' troupe working under the name of Paul Clarus, who had operated an illegal radio station Madagascar Libre in Madagascar while the island was under Vichy control. Bonifas then appeared in a number of other British films, including Two Fathers with Bernard Miles, directed by Anthony Asquith, and had minor roles in the musicals Heaven Is Round the Corner and Champagne Charlie, the action adventure film The Man from Morocco, the comedy-drama Johnny Frenchman and the horror film Dead of Night. Bonifas returned to France in 1946 and resumed his career in theatre, specializing in comedy, but also taking dramatic roles. His later film career included appearances in Trapeze (1956), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956), Fanny (1961), Charade (1963), Greed in the Sun (1964), The Train (1964), Is Paris Burning? (1966), Triple Cross (1966), and The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974). Bonifas died on 9 November 1975 at Vernouillet, Yvelines, France. Source: Article "Paul Bonifas" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Dupont Lajoie | Le Maire | 1975-02-26 |
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Le père Amable | Vatinol | 1975-11-22 |
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Antigone | le choeur | 1974-12-21 |
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Le Retour du Grand Blond | le père de François Perrin | 1974-11-12 |
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Le Train | Le voisin | 1973-10-31 |
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Un beau monstre | Le portier de l'hôtel | 1971-02-10 |
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La Horse | Witness to car accident | 1970-02-22 |
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Un couple d'artistes | 1970-01-01 | |
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Cold Sweat | The doctor | 1970-12-18 |
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La Promesse | Gustave / servant | 1969-07-09 |
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L'Arbre de Noël | (uncredited) | 1969-09-25 |
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La séparation | Prêtre | 1968-09-17 |
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La Sentinelle endormie | 1966-01-21 | |
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Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo ? | 1966-10-21 | |
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Triple Cross | Charlie | 1966-12-09 |
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Le naïf amoureux | 'Tonton Louis' | 1965-06-26 |
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Lucky Jo | Légiste (uncredited) | 1964-11-12 |
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The Train | Spinet | 1964-09-24 |
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Des frissons partout | Le notaire | 1964-03-11 |
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Cent Mille Dollars au soleil | Doctor Magnart, former professor in Lyon | 1964-04-17 |
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Charade | Mr. Felix | 1963-12-01 |
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Les abysses | Mons. Lapeyre | 1963-06-05 |
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La parole est au témoin | 1963-11-17 | |
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Le Voyage à Biarritz | 1963-03-15 | |
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Les Célibataires | Chandelier | 1962-10-23 |
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Cybèle ou les dimanches de ville d'Avray | Grocer | 1962-11-12 |
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Fanny | The Postman | 1961-06-28 |
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Goodbye Again | Cellarman | 1961-05-23 |
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Le Miracle des loups | Le chirurgien / Doctor of Louis XI | 1961-09-06 |
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Cause toujours, mon lapin | 1961-10-06 | |
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Le gigolo | (uncredited) | 1960-10-18 |
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The Enemy General | Mayor | 1960-10-18 |
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La Française et l'Amour | Le père de Ginette (segment "La Virginité") | 1960-09-16 |
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La Vérité | Un greffier | 1960-11-02 |
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En légitime défense | le président de la cour | 1958-06-11 |
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La Femme et le Pantin | Innkeeper | 1958-12-19 |
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Rafles sur la ville | L'inspecteur Renaud | 1958-01-15 |
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Les Misérables | Le médecin de l'hôpital | 1958-03-11 |
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Le Cas du docteur Laurent | Guillaumin | 1957-04-03 |
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Mademoiselle et son gang | Marcel, owner of the hotel | 1957-07-11 |
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Love in the Afternoon | Police Chief (uncredited) | 1957-05-29 |
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La terreur des dames | 1956-11-23 | |
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Notre-Dame de Paris | Master Lecornu | 1956-12-19 |
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Frou-Frou | Le réceptionniste de l'hôtel (uncredited) | 1955-06-19 |
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Leur dernière nuit | le commissaire principal | 1953-10-23 |
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Lettre ouverte | Honoré, the father-in-law | 1953-03-11 |
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Piédalu fait des miracles | 1952-10-10 | |
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La Vérité sur Bébé Donge | 1952-02-13 | |
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La Fête à Henriette | The Newsagent (uncredited) | 1952-12-17 |
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Dans la vie tout s'arrange | Monsieur Bleubois | 1952-08-01 |
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The Green Glove | Inspector | 1952-02-28 |
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Ils sont dans les vignes... | American | 1952-10-31 |
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Juliette ou La clef des songes | La capitaine du cargo | 1951-05-18 |
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Duel à Dakar | The Commander | 1951-12-06 |
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Pardon My French | Monsieur Bleubois | 1951-08-10 |
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Monsieur Fabre | Le ministre Victor Duruy | 1951-09-26 |
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Clara de Montargis | 1951-06-20 | |
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Lisbon Story | Stephan Corelle | 1946-05-20 |
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Bedelia | Insurance Manager (as Paul Boniface) | 1946-07-08 |
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Johnny Frenchman | Jerome | 1945-10-29 |
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The Man from Morocco | French Mayor | 1945-04-17 |
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Dead of Night | French Nightclub Patron (Segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy") (Uncredited) | 1945-09-09 |
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Champagne Charlie | Targetino | 1944-08-25 |
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Candlelight in Algeria | French Proprietor | 1944-03-19 |
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Aventure Malgache | Michel | 1944-01-01 |
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English Without Tears | Monsieur Rolland | 1944-07-28 |
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Two Fathers | The Frenchman | 1944-01-19 |
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The Foreman Went to France | Prefect of Rouville | 1942-06-22 |
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Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's | 1939-11-10 | |
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Les Cinq Sous de Lavarède | 1939-03-07 |
