Undoubtedly, this man left a major mark on the history of French cinema. Who knows, perhaps if the great Gabin Jean had not turned into a skilled actor, then a brilliant career in the field of an operetta comedian or chansonnier would certainly have awaited him. He was able to make French cinema more democratic, it became more loyal and respectful of the human person. In his first works, Gabin Jean played a strong-willed man from the people, for whom nobility and loy alty are the highest value. By the beginning of the 40s of the last century, the French actor began to be perceived by the audience as a romantic hero, who is subject to a standard melodrama to turn into a real tragedy. His images corresponded to the "spirit of the times": horror and fear filled the souls of people on the eve of fascist aggression, and Gabin Jean was able to convey the full depth of these feelings. What was his creative path? Let's take a closer look at this issue.
Biography Facts
Gabin Jean is a native of the French capital. He was born on May 17, 1904. The real name of the future movie star is Jean Alexis Moncorger. His father and mother were cabaret performers. Childhood JeanGabin, whose filmography includes dozens of bright roles, spent in the small town of Meriel, located near Paris.
The boy loved to watch boxing and football, but did not choose a career as an athlete. After graduating from a communal school, Jean Alexis Monkorzhe began his career: he was a courier, then worked as a worker at a railway station. But the young man himself was well aware that he was born for another.
First steps in art
As an eighteen-year-old boy, Jean Gabin enters the troupe of the Folies Bergère music hall as an extra. Over time, he begins to play in operettas and musical performances, firmly securing the status of a "comic womanizer". Then there was a break in his creative career, as the time had come for the young man to "repay his debt to the Motherland." After military service, Jean Gabin, whose films are still popular, worked for some time at the Folies Bergère music hall. However, soon the young man decides to conquer show business under his own pseudonym Jean Gabin.
He took on any images that he was offered in the capital's operettas and music halls. The novice chansonnier over time was able to imitate the voice and convey the manner of performance of the famous pop tenor - Maurice Chevalier. He was invited to the theater troupe, which went on tour to South America, and Jean Gabin agrees to this proposal. Upon arrival from abroad, he gets a job at the Moulin Rouge. Honing talent and skill, Jean Alexis Monkorzhe soonbecomes a famous actor: the prestigious temples of Melpomene began to offer him roles.
First movie roles
Already at the age of 24, Jean Gabin made his film debut. However, it should be noted that he took part in "silent" films, so then the viewer did not remember him as a performer. It wasn't until 1930 that the young actor played a role in the sound film To Each His Own. It was she who became triumphant for the actor from Paris.
The directors Rene Puyol and Hans Steinhoff discovered Gabin's acting talent.
Actor becomes famous
In the beginning, the French actor received offers in which he was offered supporting roles. He did not refuse to work with the "masters" of productions - Jacques Tourner and Maurice Tourner.
Another director, Julien Divivier, helped develop the skill and potential of the actor Jean Alexis Monkorzhe. In 1936, Jean Gabin, whose films began to please the French audience, becomes a screen star. The role of a romantic hero in the military drama "Foreign Legion Battalion" provided him with recognition and audience love. Well, world fame Gabin brought work in the film "Pepe le Moco" (J. Dividier, 1937) and the military film "The Great Illusion" (J. Renoir, 1937). The second film was a huge success at the box office. Working with maestro Jean Renoir was also fruitful: it brought an even larger army of admirers of the Parisian actor. The movie "The Beast Man" (1938), based on the work of E. Zola, also became successful for Gabin.
It should also be noted that the actor collaborated with the famous director Marcel Carnet. Films with Jean Gabin, namely: "Embankment of the Mists" (1938) and "The Day Begins" (1939) became his calling card.
A forced measure
Soon the Second World War came, and Jean Alexis Moncorger was forced to give up his work in the cinema in the territory occupied by the Nazis. He decides to go to Hollywood with Marlene Dietrich herself. Gabin enters into a contract with the American film studio RKO Pictures. However, before the start of the filming process, the actor who got the main role in the film demanded that there be work in the cinema for Marlene as well. The management of the film studio did not agree to this. As a result, the shooting was stopped, and the contract was terminated. In the United States, his career did not work out: having played in two "low-grade" films, namely: "Moontide" (1942) and "The Pretender" (1943), he becomes a soldier in the army and after the victory returns to his homeland with the rank of commander. He personally participated in the liberation of Paris.
A new round in my career
After the Second World War, a new stage begins in the work of Jean Gabin. He changes roles on the set, preferring to play mature, experienced and down to earth men.
We are talking, in particular, about the role of Pierre in the film "At the Walls of Malapaga" (R. Clement, 1948) and the image of a variety theater entrepreneur in the film "French Cancan" (J. Renoir, 1954).
Second wind
Despite the change of image, Jean Gabin did not lose the army of fans previously won by hard work. Some film critics predicted the actor's decline in his career. But this did not happen. His stage partners were Bridget Bordeaux, Lino Ventura, Jeanne Moreau. Alain Delon and Jean Gabin became a great acting duet, which was proved by the films: “The Sicilian Clan”, “Melody from the Basement” and “Two in the City”. The actor from Paris has not lost his individuality and charisma at all. He began to play authoritative fathers of the family, individuals with rich life experience. This is confirmed by the film "Les Misérables".
Jean Gabin transforms into the image of Valjean, who served a solid sentence in hard labor for stealing a crust of bread. Over the next two decades, the actor will take part in about fifty films, most of which were intended for Gafer Films, a film company that he established together on an equal footing with the actor Fernandel.
Private life
Jean Gabin's personal life developed in a peculiar way. He married quite early. His chosen one was the actress Gaby Bassett. The marriage lasted five years. Then he had a stormy romance with Marlene Dietrich. Re-Jean Alexis Monkorzhe married fashion model Dominique Fournier. In this marriage, the actor had three children: a son, Matias, and two daughters, Valerie and Florence.
In the last years of his life, the actor had serious he alth problems: he often felt pain in his heart. In the suburbs of Paris, namely in the town of Neuilly-sur-Seine, he spent his last days, dying of a heart attack. It happened on November 15, 1976. Gabin's body was cremated, scattering his ashes over the sea.
