Paul Bonifas

Paul Bonifas
Paul Bonifas
Born	3 June 1902; Paris, France
Died	9 November 1975 (aged 73); Vernouillet, Yvelines, France
Other names	Paul Boniface; Victor Boniface; Bonifas
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1933–1975

Paul Bonifas (3 June 1902 – 9 November 1975^[1]) was a French actor, born in Paris.

Career

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.^[2]

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[3]

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.^[2]

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).^[2]

Death

Bonifas died on 9 November 1975 at Vernouillet, Yvelines, France.^[2]

Selected filmography

Le voyage de Monsieur Perrichon (1934)
Crime and Punishment (1935) (uncredited)
Les Cinq Sous de Lavarède (1939) as Un marin
The Porter from Maxim's (1939)
The Big Blockade (1942) as Bit Part (uncredited)
The Foreman Went to France (1942) as Prefect of Rouville
Candlelight in Algeria (1944) as French Proprietor
Heaven Is Round the Corner (1944) as Rostond
English Without Tears (1944) as Monsieur Rolland
Champagne Charlie (1944) as Targetino
The Man from Morocco (1945) as French Mayor
Dead of Night (1945) as French Nightclub Patron (segment "Ventriloquist's Dummy") (uncredited)
Johnny Frenchman (1945) as Jerome
Lisbon Story (1946) as Stephan Corelle
Bedelia (1946) as Insurance Manager
Juliette, or Key of Dreams (1951) as La capitaine du cargo
Clara de Montargis (1951)
Pardon My French (1951) as Monsieur Bleubois
Monsieur Fabre (1951) as Le ministre Victor Duruy
Duel in Dakar (1951) as Le commandant
Take Me to Paris (1951)
The Green Glove (1952) as Inspector
La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (1952) as Le voyageur (uncredited)
Dans la vie tout s'arrange (1952) as Monsieur Bleubois
Piédalu Works Miracles (1952)
Love in the Vineyard (1952) as L'Américain
Holiday for Henrietta (1952) as Le marchand de journaux (uncredited)
Open Letter (1953) as Honoré - le peau-père
Their Last Night (1953) as Le commissaire principal
Frou-Frou (1955) as Le réceptionniste de l'hôtel (uncredited)
Marie Antoinette Queen of France (1956) as Herman
Trapeze (1956) as Paul - circus peddler (uncredited)
La Terreur des dames (1956)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) as Master Lecornu
The Case of Doctor Laurent (1957) as Guillaumin
Mademoiselle and Her Gang (1957) as La patron du bistrot
Nous autres à Champignol (1957)
Les Espions (1957) as Mr. Barjot (uncredited)
Rafles sur la ville (1958) as L'inspecteur Renaud
Les Misérables (1958) as Le médecin de l'hôpital
En légitime défense (1958) as Le président de la cour
The Female (1959) as L'aubergiste
Archimède le clochard (1959) (uncredited)
The Enemy General (1960) as Mayor
Love and the Frenchwoman (1960) as Ginette"s father (segment "Virginité, La")
The Gigolo (1960) (uncredited)
The Truth (1960) as Un greffier
Goodbye Again (1961) as Cellarman (uncredited)
Fanny (1961) as The Postman
Le Miracle des loups (1961) as Le chirurgien / Doctor of Louis XI
Cause toujours, mon lapin (1961)
Sundays and Cybele (1963) as L'épicier
Jeff Gordon, Secret Agent (1963) as Le notaire
The Trip to Biarritz (1963) as Bourrély
Les Abysses (1963) as Mons. Lapeyre
Charade (1963) as Mr. Felix
Greed in the Sun (1964) as Dr. Magnart
The Train (1964) as Spinet
La Sentinelle endormie (1965) as Lanier
Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)
Is Paris Burning? (1966) as Mayor (uncredited)
Triple Cross (1966) as Charlie
Very Happy Alexander (1968) as Le garde (uncredited)
La Promesse (1969) as Gustave
The Christmas Tree (1969) (uncredited)
La Horse (1970) as Un témoin lors de l'accident dela voiture
Cold Sweat (1970) as The doctor
Donkey Skin (1970) as Le quatrième médecin
Love Me Strangely (1971) as Le portier de l'hôtel
The Train (1973) as Le voisin
Hail the Artist (1974) as Le vieil acteur
The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1974)
The Common Man (1975) as Le maire
Rosebud (1975) as man with 2 CV