Robert Hossein
Acting • Born 1927-12-30 – Died 2020-12-31
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. 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.
Filmography
132 credits
Rififi
Movie • 1955
Rémi Grutter
The Professional
Movie • 1981
Commissaire Rosen
Trivial
Movie • 2007
Antoine Bérangère
Prêtres interdits
Movie • 1973
Jean Rastaud
Love Is Better Than Life
Movie • 2022
Robert Prat
Versatile Lovers
Movie • 1970
Serge Belaïeff
Cemetery Without Crosses
Movie • 1969
Manuel
Angelique and the King
Movie • 1966
Jeoffrey de Peyrac
The Burglars
Movie • 1971
Ralph
Venus Beauty Institute
Movie • 1999
L'aviateur
The Wax Mask
Movie • 1997
Boris Volkoff
Bolero
Movie • 1981
Simon Meyer / Robert Prat
Crime and Punishment
Movie • 1956
René Brunel
Angelique and the Sultan
Movie • 1968
Joffrey de Peyrac "Le Rescator"
Untamable Angelique
Movie • 1967
Joffrey de Peyrac, 'Le Rescator'
Angelique
Movie • 1964
Jeoffrey de Peyrac
Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde
Movie • 2011
Self
The Vampire of Dusseldorf
Movie • 1965
Peter Kuerten
Love on a Pillow
Movie • 1962
Renaud Sarti
Children of Chaos
Movie • 1989
Robert
Long March
Movie • 1966
Carnot
Hossein, Ronet, Trintignant : Confidences de trois acteurs inoubliables
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)
Forgive Our Trespasses
Movie • 1956
(uncredited)
Raymond Devos dans tous ses sens
Movie • 2022
Self
San Antonio
Movie • 2004
Le ministre de l'intérieur / The Minister
Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman
Movie • 1973
Louis Prévost
God's Thunder
Movie • 1965
Marcel
A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later
Movie • 1986
Robert Hossein
Blonde in a White Car
Movie • 1959
Pierre Menda
Sextette
Movie • 1948
The Devil Who Limped
Movie • 1948
Guest in white (uncredited)
In the Eyes of Memory
Movie • 1948
A student from the Simon course
Les Miserables
Movie • 1995
Le maître de cérémonie
Maya
Movie • 1949
Un témoin du meurtre qui n'a rien vu (uncredited)
Paris Pick-Up
Movie • 1962
Robert Herbin
Hitch-Hike
Movie • 1962
Edouard, le fou
The Game of Truth
Movie • 1961
L'inspecteur de police
Death of a Killer
Movie • 1964
Pierre Massa
Marked Eyes
Movie • 1964
Franz
The Battle of El Alamein
Movie • 1969
Erwin Rommel
A Little Virtuous
Movie • 1968
Louis Brady
Scandalous Crimes
Movie • 1999
Judge Bocchi
The Phoney
Movie • 1975
Kaminsky
The Protector
Movie • 1974
Arnaud
Stranger in the House
Movie • 1992
Narrator (voice)
Marco the Magnificent
Movie • 1965
Prince Nayam
Highway Pick-Up
Movie • 1963
Daniel Boisset
Belmondo, itinéraire...
Movie • 2011
Self
Tender Moment
Movie • 1968
Enrico Fontana
Marie-France Pisier, une femme sous influence
Movie • 2014
Self
Time of the Wolves
Movie • 1970
Dillinger
Riff Raff Girls
Movie • 1959
Marcel Point-Bleu
The Taste of Violence
Movie • 1961
Perez
OSS 117 Murder for Sale
Movie • 1968
Dr. Saadi
The Wicked Go to Hell
Movie • 1955
Fred
The Verdict
Movie • 1959
Georges Lagrange
Enough Rope
Movie • 1963
Inspektor Corby
Mademoiselle de Maupin
Movie • 1966
Captain Alcibiade
Madame
Movie • 1961
Le sergent François-Joseph Lefebvre
A Murder Is a Murder
Movie • 1972
Jean Carouse
A Police Officer Without Importance
Movie • 1973
Pierre Fresse
The Dirty Game
Movie • 1965
Dupont
The Road to Shame
Movie • 1959
Pierre Rossi
The Conspirators
Movie • 1969
Leonida Montanari
Desert Assault
Movie • 1969
Capitaine Curd Heinz (Rudi en Français)
Falling Point
Movie • 1970
Le Caïd
Double Agents
Movie • 1959
Lui
La Musica
Movie • 1967
Him
The Scarlet Lady
Movie • 1969
Julien
The Wretches
Movie • 1960
Jess Rooland
The Other Truth
Movie • 1966
Pierre Montaud, the Advocate
Vice and Virtue
Movie • 1963
SS Oberst Erik Schörndorf
I Killed Rasputin
Movie • 1967
Serge Sukhotin
A Man and His Dog
Movie • 2009
Un homme a la soupe populaire
Misdeal
Movie • 1969
Martin von Klaus
Young Girls Beware
Movie • 1957
Raven
Levy & Goliath
Movie • 1987
Goliath customer (uncredited)
Le Caviar rouge
Movie • 1986
Alex
Surprise-party
Movie • 1983
André Auerbach
Brigade Anti Gangs
Movie • 1966
Chief Commissioner Le Goff
Life Love Death
Movie • 1969
Man in the movie
Why Paris?
Movie • 1964
Le commissaire mène l’enquête
Movie • 1965
The lover (segment "Pour qui sonne le ...")
Hellé
Movie • 1972
Kleber
Annie Girardot, ainsi va la vie
Movie • 2008
Self
Crime Thief
Movie • 1969
Tian
OSS 117: Panic in Bangkok
Movie • 1964
Dr. Sinn
Lamiel
Movie • 1967
Roger Valber
Une femme nommée Marie
Movie • 2011
Narrator (voice)
Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern
Movie • 2006
Self
The Menace
Movie • 1961
Savary
Of Flesh and Blood
Movie • 1963
Samuel
Judge Roy Bean
Movie • 1971
Black Bird
L'Affaire
Movie • 1994
Paul Haslans
Le Tour d'Écrou
Movie • 1974
Peter Quint
Stars Meet in Moscow
Movie • 1959
Self
Les fleurs maladives de Georges Franju
Movie • 2009
Self
Take Me As I Am
Movie • 1960
Ed Dawson
Antigone
Movie • 2003
Créon
Démons de midi
Movie • 1979
Metteur en scène de théâtre
The Lion's Share
Movie • 1971
Maurice Ménard
Provisional Liberty
Movie • 1958
Jean-Paul Viberty / Jean Rungis
La croisade des enfants
Movie • 1988
Philippe-Auguste
Belmondo by Belmondo
Movie • 2016
Self
The Man Who Betrayed the Mafia
Movie • 1967
Maître Bianchini
Noni : Le Fruit de l'espoir
Movie • 2020
Le grand-père d'Angeli
No Sun in Venice
Movie • 1957
Sforzi
Aznavour by Charles
Movie • 2019
Self - Actor (archive footage)
The Big Pardon
Movie • 1982
Manuel Carreras
Quai des blondes
Movie • 1954
Chemise Rose
Série noire
Movie • 1955
Jo
Belmondo: The Incorrigible
Movie • 2022
Picking Strawberries
Movie • 2025
Paradjanov, le dernier collage
Movie • 1995
Self
Nulle part ailleurs
TV • 1987
Self
Le Grand Échiquier
TV • 1972
Self
Le Gorille
TV • 1990
Joseph Beaucis
The Little Murders of Agatha Christie
TV • 2009
Simon
Petits Meurtres en famille
TV • 2006
Simon
Spécial cinéma
TV • 1974
Self
Le Grand Échiquier
TV • 1972
Self - Main Guest
Champs-Elysées
TV • 1982
Self
Apostrophes
TV • 1975
Self
Cinépanorama
TV • 1956
Self
Le Juge
TV • 2005
Roger Marino
Téléthon
TV • 1987
Self
Vivement dimanche
TV • 1998
Self
Stars 90
TV • 1990
Self
Samedi soir
TV • 1971
Self
Midi trente
TV • 1972
Self
Sacrée Soirée
TV • 1987
Self
Reflets de Cannes
TV • 1954
Self