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Francis Blanche

Francis Blanche

François Jean Blanche, known as "Francis Blanche" (20 July 1921 – 6 July 1974) was a French actor, singer, humorist and author. He was a very popular figure on stage, radio and in films, during the 1950s and 1960s. His two daughters, Barbara & Dominique, are artists with their studios in Eze. Blanche was born in an artistic family, mainly of stage actors—including his father Louis Blanche and his uncle, Emmanuel Blanche, who was a painter—. He completed his secondary schooling at fourteen, the youngest in France to do so at the time. In the 1940s and 1950s, Blanche was part of Robert Dhéry's theatrical company Les Branquignols, with whom he played in the film Ah! Les belles bacchantes, starring Robert Dhéry, Colette Brosset (Dhéry's then-wife), and Louis de Funès; directed by Jean Loubignac in 1954. Blanche teamed up with Pierre Dac to form a comic duo best remembered for Le Sâr Rabindranath Duval, a sketch about a phony and nonsensical Indian clairvoyant and guru (1957). They also created a popular and equally nonsensical radiophonic series, loosely based on a highly improbable espionage and conspiration plot, Malheur aux barbus, which was broadcast on Paris Inter in 213 episodes from 1951 to 1952. The same plot and characters were revived on Europe 1 in a series called Signé Furax, enjoying no less than 1,034 daily episodes between 1956 and 1960. Both broadcasts were phenomenal audience successes in the pre-television era. Blanche was also renowned for broadcasting phone pranks, in which he entertained listeners by making the most improbable situations sound plausible. He wrote poems, and the lyrics of 673 songs. On stage, he acted in Tartuffe and Néron and, in 1955, Chevalier du Ciel, an operetta by Luis Mariano at the Gaîté-Lyrique theatre. Blanche also enjoyed a successful cinematographic career, both as an actor and scriptwriter. He appeared as a hard-headed German colonel ("Obersturmführer Schulz") opposite Brigitte Bardot in Babette s'en va-t-en guerre (1959). He was one of the favourite actors of French filmmaker Georges Lautner, and played Maître Folace (a shady solicitor counselling a colourful gangster mob) in Les Tontons flingueurs (1963). Blanche also appeared in Boris Vassilief's Les Barbouzes (1964). He delighted in parodying classical music, adapting famous works such as Schubert's "Die Forelle" (The Trout) into a crazy and slightly risqué piece about a 16-year-old romantic girl obsessed with Schubert's song to the point of giving birth to a live trout while performing it on her piano. Similarly, he turned Beethoven's 5th Symphony into a lengthy and quite repetitive musical glorification of the clothes peg and its fictitious inventor, Jérémie-Victor Opdebec. Blanche died at the age of 52, from a heart attack with a background of untreated Type 1 diabetes. He is buried in Èze cemetery. Source: Article "Francis Blanche" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Personal information

Birthday

1921-07-20

Birth Place

Paris, France

Movies and TV shows :

poster

À bout portant

1968

8.0

TV
A Dog, A Mouse and a Sputnik

A Dog, A Mouse and a Sputnik

1958

4.0

Movie
A Whale That Had a Toothache

A Whale That Had a Toothache

1975

5.0

Movie
Accroche-toi, y'a du vent!

Accroche-toi, y'a du vent!

1962

0.0

Movie
Actualités télérévisées

Actualités télérévisées

1964

0.0

Movie
Adieu Berthe

Adieu Berthe

1970

0.0

Movie
Alice au pays des merveilles

Alice au pays des merveilles

1970

5.7

Movie
Anyone Can Kill Me

Anyone Can Kill Me

1957

5.9

Movie
Are You Engaged to a Greek Sailor or an Airline Pilot?

Are You Engaged to a Greek Sailor or an Airline Pilot?

1971

3.7

Movie
Aux frais de la princesse

Aux frais de la princesse

1969

1.0

Movie
Babette Goes to War

Babette Goes to War

1959

5.5

Movie
Belle de Jour

Belle de Jour

1967

7.4

Movie
Ces messieurs de la gâchette

Ces messieurs de la gâchette

1970

3.3

Movie
Champagne for Savages

Champagne for Savages

1964

6.0

Movie
Chance at Love

Chance at Love

1964

5.8

Movie
poster

Cinépanorama

1956

8.0

TV
Clémentine chérie

Clémentine chérie

1964

6.0

Movie
Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4)

Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4)

2009

0.0

Movie
Crooks in Clover

Crooks in Clover

1963

7.7

Movie
Dandelions by the Roots

Dandelions by the Roots

1964

5.6

Movie
Deux Romains en Gaule

Deux Romains en Gaule

1967

6.5

Movie
poster

Discorama

1959

0.0

TV
Du mou dans la gâchette

Du mou dans la gâchette

1967

5.6

Movie
Easy Come Easy Go

Easy Come Easy Go

1960

4.0

Movie
Erotissimo

Erotissimo

1969

6.0

Movie
Faites donc plaisir aux amis

Faites donc plaisir aux amis

1969

4.5

Movie
Frédérica

Frédérica

1942

4.0

Movie
Good Enough to Eat

Good Enough to Eat

1951

6.5

Movie
Hitch-Hike

Hitch-Hike

1962

5.5

Movie
Honoré de Marseille

Honoré de Marseille

1956

5.7

Movie
House of Sin

House of Sin

1961

4.0

Movie
I. You. They.

I. You. They.

1973

4.0

Movie
I've Had It

I've Had It

1973

5.0

Movie
Il furto è l'anima del commercio!?...

Il furto è l'anima del commercio!?...

1971

3.5

Movie
Ils ont vingt ans

Ils ont vingt ans

1950

0.0

Movie
Jaloux comme un tigre

Jaloux comme un tigre

1964

2.0

Movie
La Dernière Bourrée à Paris

La Dernière Bourrée à Paris

1973

1.0

Movie
La Grande Maffia

La Grande Maffia

1971

3.0

Movie
La Polka des menottes

La Polka des menottes

1957

6.8

Movie
poster

Le bonheur conjugal

1965

0.0

TV
Le bourgeois gentil mec

Le bourgeois gentil mec

1969

1.0

Movie
Le canard en fer blanc

Le canard en fer blanc

1967

3.8

Movie
Le Olimpiadi dei mariti

Le Olimpiadi dei mariti

1960

7.3

Movie
Le pillole di Ercole

Le pillole di Ercole

1960

0.0

Movie
Le Solitaire

Le Solitaire

1973

5.3

Movie
Les 100 vies de Francis Blanche

Les 100 vies de Francis Blanche

2022

0.0

Movie
Les baratineurs

Les baratineurs

1965

4.0

Movie
Les Compagnons de la marguerite

Les Compagnons de la marguerite

1967

6.3

Movie
Les enquiquineurs

Les enquiquineurs

1966

3.0

Movie
Les Gorilles

Les Gorilles

1964

5.5

Movie
Les gros bras

Les gros bras

1963

3.8

Movie
Les gros malins

Les gros malins

1969

1.0

Movie
Les jambes en l'air

Les jambes en l'air

1971

4.0

Movie
Les Livreurs

Les Livreurs

1961

0.0

Movie
Les malabars sont au parfum

Les malabars sont au parfum

1966

3.3

Movie
Les pieds nickelés

Les pieds nickelés

1964

5.8

Movie
Life is beautiful

Life is beautiful

1956

4.5

Movie
Little Girls and High Finance

Little Girls and High Finance

1960

6.5

Movie
Long Live Henry IV... Long Live Love!

Long Live Henry IV... Long Live Love!

1961

5.2

Movie
Long Live the Duke!

Long Live the Duke!

1960

0.0

Movie
Love and the Frenchwoman

Love and the Frenchwoman

1960

4.9

Movie
Male Hunt

Male Hunt

1964

6.6

Movie
Match contre la mort

Match contre la mort

1959

0.0

Movie
poster

Midi trente

1972

6.0

TV
Midnight... Quai de Bercy

Midnight... Quai de Bercy

1953

6.5

Movie
No Pockets in a Shroud

No Pockets in a Shroud

1974

5.3

Movie
OK Patron

OK Patron

1974

5.0

Movie
Operation Gold Ingot

Operation Gold Ingot

1962

0.0

Movie
Par le sang des autres

Par le sang des autres

1974

5.0

Movie
Pas de caviar pour tante Olga

Pas de caviar pour tante Olga

1965

0.0

Movie
Peek-a-boo

Peek-a-boo

1954

4.9

Movie
People in Luck

People in Luck

1963

5.6

Movie
Pierre Dac et Francis Blanche : Le Meilleur du Parti d'en Rire

Pierre Dac et Francis Blanche : Le Meilleur du Parti d'en Rire

2020

0.0

Movie
Poussez pas grand-père dans les cactus

Poussez pas grand-père dans les cactus

1969

3.5

Movie
Qu'est-ce qui fait courir les crocodiles ?

Qu'est-ce qui fait courir les crocodiles ?

1971

4.0

Movie
Racconti romani di una ex-novizia

Racconti romani di una ex-novizia

1973

2.0

Movie
Requiem pour un caïd

Requiem pour un caïd

1964

5.7

Movie
Rita the Field Marshal

Rita the Field Marshal

1967

5.2

Movie
Romulus and the Sabines

Romulus and the Sabines

1961

5.0

Movie
Salut Berthe !

Salut Berthe !

1968

4.4

Movie
poster

Samedi soir

1971

6.0

TV
Say it with Flowers

Say it with Flowers

1974

4.0

Movie
Scandal Man

Scandal Man

1972

4.0

Movie
Snobs!

Snobs!

1962

5.7

Movie
Some Like It... Cold

Some Like It... Cold

1960

5.5

Movie
Sweet and Sour

Sweet and Sour

1963

4.6

Movie
Tartarin de Tarascon

Tartarin de Tarascon

1962

4.8

Movie
Thank Heaven for Small Favors

Thank Heaven for Small Favors

1963

6.5

Movie
The Abominable Man of Customs

The Abominable Man of Customs

1963

5.0

Movie
The Bear

The Bear

1960

6.0

Movie
The Big Grasshopper

The Big Grasshopper

1967

6.2

Movie
The Big Scare

The Big Scare

1964

6.0

Movie
The Big Wash

The Big Wash

1968

6.0

Movie
The Black Tulip

The Black Tulip

1964

6.2

Movie
The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot

The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot

1973

5.2

Movie
The Eroticist

The Eroticist

1972

5.6

Movie
The Girl of a Thousand Months

The Girl of a Thousand Months

1961

2.0

Movie
The Great Gadget

The Great Gadget

1967

3.2

Movie
The Great Java

The Great Java

1971

6.1

Movie
The Great Spy Chase

The Great Spy Chase

1964

6.8

Movie
The Green Mare

The Green Mare

1959

5.6

Movie
The Hideout

The Hideout

1962

0.0

Movie
The Indestructible

The Indestructible

1959

5.0

Movie
The Killer is Listening

The Killer is Listening

1948

1.0

Movie
The Little Professor

The Little Professor

1958

3.1

Movie
The Men in the Family

The Men in the Family

1967

5.2

Movie
The Motorcycle Cops

The Motorcycle Cops

1959

5.0

Movie
The Oldest Profession

The Oldest Profession

1967

5.1

Movie
The Real Bargain

The Real Bargain

1965

1.0

Movie
The Sad Sack

The Sad Sack

1950

0.0

Movie
The Seventh Juror

The Seventh Juror

1962

6.9

Movie
The Sleeping Sentinel

The Sleeping Sentinel

1966

4.7

Movie
The Stud

The Stud

1970

4.9

Movie
The Terror with Cross-Eyes

The Terror with Cross-Eyes

1972

0.0

Movie
The Vendetta

The Vendetta

1962

5.4

Movie
The Virgins

The Virgins

1963

4.6

Movie
The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers

The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers

1964

5.3

Movie
Too Late to Love

Too Late to Love

1959

5.6

Movie
Toto in Paris

Toto in Paris

1958

6.2

Movie
Trust Me!

Trust Me!

1954

5.4

Movie
Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille

Un merveilleux parfum d'oseille

1969

3.0

Movie
Under Your Hat

Under Your Hat

1965

3.6

Movie
We Like It Cold

We Like It Cold

1960

6.5

Movie
Who Stole the Body?

Who Stole the Body?

1963

6.5

Movie