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. He came to the Comedy Theatre, London with Théâtre Molierè in 1943 and 1944, performing in L'Anglais Tel Qu'on Le Parle, Le Malade Imaginaire, Gringoire, Le Misanthrope et L'Auvergnat, Les Femmes Savantes, Le Paquebot Tenacity, La Testament Du Pere Leleu and L'Extra. His Company included Andre Frere, Georges Rex, Suzette Marquis, Elma Soiron and Paul Clarus. 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.
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Le père Amable | Vatinol | 1975-11-22 |
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Rosebud | 1975-03-24 | |
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Dupont Lajoie | Le Maire | 1975-02-26 |
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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 | Hotel porter | 1971-02-10 |
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La Horse | Witness to car accident | 1970-02-22 |
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Un couple d'artistes | Henri Faroy | 1970-09-20 |
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Cold Sweat | The doctor | 1970-12-18 |
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L'Arbre de Noël | (uncredited) | 1969-09-25 |
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La Promesse | Gustave / servant | 1969-07-09 |
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La séparation | Prêtre | 1968-09-17 |
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Triple Cross | Charlie | 1966-12-09 |
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La Sentinelle endormie | Lanier | 1966-01-21 |
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Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo ? | 1966-10-21 | |
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Le naïf amoureux | 'Tonton Louis' | 1965-06-26 |
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Des frissons partout | Le notaire | 1964-03-11 |
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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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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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Le Voyage à Biarritz | Bourrély | 1963-03-15 |
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La parole est au témoin | 1963-11-17 | |
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Cybèle ou les dimanches de ville d'Avray | Grocer | 1962-11-12 |
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Les Célibataires | Chandelier | 1962-10-23 |
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Cause toujours, mon lapin | 1961-10-06 | |
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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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Fanny | The Postman | 1961-06-28 |
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La Vérité | Un greffier | 1960-11-02 |
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Le Gigolo | (uncredited) | 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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The Enemy General | Mayor | 1960-10-18 |
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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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Les Misérables | Hospital doctor | 1958-03-12 |
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Rafles sur la ville | L'inspecteur Renaud | 1958-01-15 |
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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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Notre-Dame de Paris | Master Lecornu | 1956-12-19 |
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La terreur des dames | 1956-11-23 | |
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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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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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Piédalu fait des miracles | 1952-10-10 | |
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La Vérité sur Bébé Donge | Traveler (uncredited) | 1952-02-13 |
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Ils sont dans les vignes... | American | 1952-10-31 |
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La Fête à Henriette | The Newsagent (uncredited) | 1952-12-17 |
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Clara de Montargis | 1951-06-20 | |
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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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Duel à Dakar | The Commander | 1951-12-06 |
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Juliette ou La clef des songes | Captain of the cargo ship | 1951-05-18 |
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Lisbon Story | Stephan Corelle | 1946-05-20 |
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Bedelia | Insurance Manager | 1946-07-08 |
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Dead of Night | French Nightclub Patron (Segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy") (Uncredited) | 1945-09-09 |
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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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Aventure Malgache | Michel | 1944-01-01 |
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Two Fathers | The Frenchman | 1944-01-19 |
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Candlelight in Algeria | French Proprietor | 1944-03-19 |
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Champagne Charlie | Targetino | 1944-08-25 |
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English Without Tears | Monsieur Rolland | 1944-07-28 |
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The Foreman Went to France | Prefect of Rouville | 1942-06-22 |
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Les Cinq Sous de Lavarède | Sailor | 1939-03-07 |
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Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's | 1939-11-10 |
