A 1958 film En cas de malheur based on Simenon’s romans dur In Case of Emergency saw Gabin act alongside Brigitte Bardot. Gabin and Simenon’s careers first intersected with the 1950 adaptation La Marie du port. No longer a matinee idol, he played a succession of everyman parts. Told that he would never again work in Hollywood, Gabin enlisted in the French liberation forces and fought against German troops in Africa.Īt the end of the war, he returned to acting. A third project, The Temptress, was canceled when he demanded that the producers cast Marlene Detrich as his co-star (Gabin and Dietrch were real-life lovers). Relocating to Hollywood, he was offered a contract by Twentieth Century Fox and promoted as “The Spencer Tracy of French pictures.” An artistically fruitless period, he made Moontide for Fox and The Imposter for RKO. In stark contrast to Georges Simenon, Gabin refused to collaborate with the Nazi regime’s film industry. One of the pre-war period’s biggest stars, his career’s trajectory was interrupted when hostilities erupted across the continent. Performances in Pepe Le Moko, La Grande Illusion, La Bete Humaine, Le Jour se leve, and Le Quai des brumes were critically acclaimed.

He started a screen career at the dawn of the talking picture era.Ī commanding screen actor, he appeared in 95 films in a career that lasted over 40 years. Graduating from bit-parts to a leading man, he demonstrated an ability to play a wide variety of roles. After a period working as a labourer and warehouse clerk he was cajoled by his father to join the Folies Bergère.

The son of music hall artistes, he initially had no interest in an acting career. Renowned French film star’s Maigret trilogy.ĭespite being largely unknown to English audiences, Jean Gabin was one of French cinema’s biggest stars.

Maigret sets a trap georges simenon