Albert Rémy

Albert Rémy (9 April 1915 – 26 January 1967) was a prolific French character actor whose career spanned the golden age of French cinema, from the early 1940s until his untimely death in 1967. Born in Sèvres, a suburb of Paris, he entered the film industry during the German occupation, debuting with an uncredited role in Strange Inheritance (1943) before quickly becoming a reliable supporting presence in a wide variety of genres, from historical epics to gritty crime dramas. Over the next two decades he appeared in more than a hundred films, often portraying authority figures, fathers, or rugged laborers, and his distinctive voice and expressive eyes made him a favorite among directors seeking authentic secondary characters. He worked with celebrated filmmakers such as Marcel Carné, appearing as Scarpia Barrigni in the classic Les Enfants du Paradis (1945), and later collaborated with François Truffaut, delivering a memorable performance as Julien Doinel, the father of the titular rebel in The 400 Blows (1959). Truffaut cast him again in Shoot the Piano Player (1960), where he played Chico Saroyan, the brother of the melancholic pianist, demonstrating his capacity for both drama and subtle humor. International productions also benefited from his talent; he was featured in John Frankenheimer’s wartime thriller The Train (1964) as the French officer Didont, and in René Clément’s sweeping epic Is Paris Burning? (1966) as a police sergeant, underscoring his versatility across French and Anglo‑American cinema. Despite rarely receiving top‑billing, Rémy’s consistent presence helped shape the texture of post‑war French film, and his performances remain studied by actors and scholars alike. He died in Paris at the age of 51, leaving behind a rich legacy of supporting roles that continue to be celebrated in retrospectives of mid‑century French film.