Michael Lonsdale

Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch[1] (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows.[4] He is best known in the English-speaking world for his roles as the villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker,[5] the detective Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal, The Abbot in The Name of the Rose and Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day.

Michael Lonsdale
Lonsdale in 2013
Born
Michael Edward Lonsdale-Crouch[1][2]

(1931-05-24)24 May 1931
Paris, France
Died21 September 2020(2020-09-21) (aged 89)
Paris, France
Other namesMichel Lonsdale
OccupationActor
Years active1955–2016[3]

Early life and education

Lonsdale was born in Paris, the natural son of British Army officer Edward Lonsdale Crouch and Simone Calderon (née Béraud).[6][1] He was brought up initially on the island of Jersey,[7] then in London from 1935, and later, during the Second World War, in Casablanca, Morocco.[8]

Career

He returned to Paris to study painting in 1947, but was drawn into the world of acting instead, first appearing on stage at the age of 24.[8][9] Lonsdale was bilingual, and appeared in both English-language and French-language productions. He appeared in a starring role with Roger Moore in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker.[10] and with Sean Connery, in the 1984 film The Name of the Rose. He would later appear in Munich, a film that also starred another Bond, Daniel Craig.

In February 2011, he won a César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Of Gods and Men.[4]

Lonsdale was also the author of ten books.[4]

Personal life and death

A practising Roman Catholic, he was close to the Emmanuel Community.

In his 2016 memoir Le Dictionnaire de Ma Vie, Lonsdale revealed he had fallen for Delphine Seyrig, having met her as a student in Tania Balachova's acting classes at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in 1947. He wrote that "it was her or nothing", which was why he never married.[11]

Lonsdale died in Paris on 21 September 2020, aged 89.[12][4]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1956 It Happened in Aden Sinclair
1960 La main chaude Nobert [13]
Les portes claquent Georges Hortegrenave
1962 Adorable Liar Albert [13]
Le Crime ne paie pas L'employé de la morgue (segment "L'homme de l'avenue"), Uncredited
La dénonciation Mercier [13]
Snobs! Charles Dufaut [13]
The Trial Priest [14]
1964 Behold a Pale Horse Reporter [13]
Jealous as a Tiger L'automobiliste qui grimace [13]
1965 Les copains Lamenbin [13]
Je vous salue, mafia! Hyman [13]
1966 Your Money or Your Life Le conférencier au club des timides [13]
Is Paris Burning? Debu-Bridel Uncredited [15]
Judoka-Secret Agent Thomas Perkins
Le fer à repasser
1967 Les compagnons de la marguerite Lastac / Lataque, expert en écritures / La voix du juge d'instruction [13]
L'authentique procès de Carl-Emmanuel Jung Un avocat [13]
1968 L'homme à la Buick L'inspecteur / The inspector [13]
The Bride Wore Black René Morane [14]
Stolen Kisses Georges Tabard [14]
La grande lessive! Delaroche [13]
1969 Hibernatus Professor Edouard Lauriebat [13]
Détruire, dit-elle Stein [14]
L'hiver Julien & Marc [13]
1970 L'étalon Both [13]
Le revolver et la rose Philippe de la Tour / Dimitri Korkesky
1971 Le printemps L'homme qui fuit [13]
Le Souffle au cœur Father Henri [14]
Les assassins de l'ordre Inspector Bertrand [13]
Out 1 Thomas [14]
Papa les petits bateaux... Hippolyte [13]
Jaune le soleil Un juif [13]
1972 The Old Maid Monod [13]
Il était une fois un flic... Le commissaire Lucas [13]
Chut! Sergel [13]
L'automne Julien, le réalisateur [13]
Out 1: Spectre Thomas [13]
1973 The Day of the Jackal Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel [14]
La fille au violoncelle Philippe Lariel [13]
Les grands sentiments font les bons gueuletons Stéphane [13]
1974 Successive Slidings of Pleasure The Judge [14]
La grande Paulette Paul
Stavisky Docteur Mézy By Alain Resnais [14]
La vérité sur l'imaginaire passion d'un inconnu Le reporter TV / Ponce Pilate [13]
Une baleine qui avait mal aux dents Le peintre [13]
Caravan to Vaccares Duc de Croyter [13]
The Phantom of Liberty Le chapelier / Hatter [14]
Un linceul n'a pas de poches Raymond [13]
The Suspects Le juge Souftries [13]
1975 Serious as Pleasure L'inspecteur Fournier / Inspector Fournier [13]
Galileo Cardinal Barberini, later Pope Urban VIII [14]
Aloïse The second doctor [13]
Section spéciale Le ministre de l'intérieur Pierre Pucheu [13]
La traque David Sutter [13]
The Romantic Englishwoman Swan [14]
India Song Le vice-consul de Lahore [14]
Folle à tuer Stéphane Mostri [13]
Le téléphone rose Morrison [13]
Ne
1976 Scrambled Eggs Le Président de la République [13]
Mr. Klein Pierre [14]
Son nom de Venise dans Calcutta désert Récitant Voice [13]
Bartleby L'huissier [13]
L'Eden Palace Raoul
1977 Le diable dans la boîte Georges Aubert [13]
L'adieu nu Boris / The visitor
The Accuser Abéraud [13]
The Left-Handed Woman Kellner [13]
Aurais dû faire gaffe... le choc est terrible
Une sale histoire Documentray [14]
Jacques Prévert Himself
1979 The Passage Alain Renoudot [13]
Moonraker Hugo Drax [14]
Ève avait l'éclat métallique de l'été
1980 Seuls Le peintre [13]
Ella, une vraie famille Le comédien studio d'enregistrement
1981 The Bunker Martin Bormann TV movie [13]
Chariots of Fire Garth Jones [13]
Les jeux de la Comtesse Dolingen de Gratz Bertrand Haines-Pearson [13]
Seuls Ludovic
1982 Le rose et le blanc Léon
Sweet Inquest on Violence Ash, le financier [13]
Chronopolis Narrator Voice
Mora As writer
Enigma Bodley
1983 Eréndira Senator Onésimo Sanchez [16]
Une jeunesse Bejardy [13]
1984 The Judge Le Docteur [13]
Le Bon Roi Dagobert Saint Eloi [13]
Les Boulugres Le Roi Voice
1985 The Holcroft Covenant Ernst Manfredi [14]
L'éveillé du Pont de l'Alma Antoine [13]
Billy Ze Kick Commissaire Bellanger [13]
1986 Canevas la ville Voice
The Name of the Rose The Abbot [14]
1987 The Madonna Man Tanzmann [13]
L'enfant et le président Le président
1988 Niezwykla podróz Baltazara Kobera Le maître [14]
1989 Souvenir Xavier Lorion
L'homme de terre Narrator Voice
Cela s'appelle l'amour Himself
1991 My Life Is Hell Gabriel By Josiane Balasko [13]
1993 Woyzeck Le capitaine
L'ordre du jour Stark [13]
The Remains of the Day Dupont D'Ivry [14]
1995 Jefferson in Paris Louis XVI [14]
Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud Dolabella [13]
1996 The Human Plant (La Plante humaine) Michel
1997 Mauvais genre Honoré de Balzac
1998 Don Juan Don Luis [13]
Let There Be Light / Que la lumière soit Monseigneur Loublié By Arthur Joffé [13]
Ronin Jean-Pierre [17]
1999 A Monkey's Tale Master Martin Voice
2000 Les Acteurs Man in the street By Bertrand Blier
Ceux d'en face Mikaël [13]
2003 The Mystery of the Yellow Room Stangerson [13]
Kaena: The Prophecy Opaz Voice, French version
Adieu Serge [13]
Le Furet Don Salvadore [13]
2004 L'empreinte Romain Dessouches
Strange Crime David [13]
5x2 Bernard By François Ozon [13]
2005 Les invisibles Le gardien [13]
Bye Bye Blackbird Robert
The Perfume of the Lady in Black Le professeur Stangerson [13]
Good Girl Jean [13]
Selon Rachel
Munich Papa [17]
2006 Il sera une fois... Le vieux monsieur [13]
Goya's Ghosts Father Gregorio [14]
2007 Heartbeat Detector
(La Question Humaine)		 Mathias Jüst [14]
To Each His Own Cinema The old blind man (segment "Le Don") [13]
The Last Mistress Le vicomte de Prony [16]
Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure Bartleby Voice
2009 Agora Theon [14]
Je vais te manquer Max
Park Benches The Client doormat [13]
2010 Of Gods and Men Luc César Award for Best Supporting Actor
Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor		 [14]
Hitler à Hollywood Himself [13]
2011 Titeuf Le psy Voice
Les hommes libres Le recteur Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit [14]
The Cardboard Village Il vecchio prete [13]
2012 Gebo et l'Ombre Gebo By Manoel de Oliveira [14]
2013 Le renard jaune Jean Virno [13]
2014 Rosenn Voice
Maestro Cédric Rovère [13]
2015 Les filles au Moyen Âge Daniel [13]
2016 The First, the Last Jean-Berchmans [13]
Sculpt (final film role) [18]

Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1982 Smiley's People Anton Grigoriev TV miniseries [15]
1986 Le Tiroir secret TV miniseries
1991 Maigret et la Grande Perche Monsieur Serre TV series
2001 Maigret et la Croqueuse de Diamants Sir Lampson TV series
2013 Marguerite Yourcenar, alchimie du paysage The Narrator TV documentary
Le tourbillon de Jeanne L'homme TV series

Video games
YearTitleRoleNotes Ref(s)
2008Destroy All Humans! Path of the FuronHenri CrousteauVoice-over
2012007 LegendsHugo DraxVoice-over [19]

References
  1. Mes Étoiles: les rencontres qui ont éclairé mon chemin, Michael Lonsdale and Patrick Scheyder, Bayard, 2018
  2. "Michael Lonsdale et Jeanne-Marie Conquer". Maison internationale des Poètes et des Écrivains de Saint-Malo. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  3. Rédaction, La; le 21/09/20 17:00, Mis à jour. "Mort de Michael Lonsdale : retour sur ses plus grands rôles". linternaute.com (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  4. "Michael Lonsdale, icône du cinéma et du théâtre, est mort". L'Obs (in French). 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  5. Canby, Vincent (29 June 1979). "Moonraker (1979) MOONRAKER". The New York Times.
  6. Qui est qui en France, Jacques Lafitte, 2008, p. 1433
  7. "Michael Lonsdale – Bond villain in Moonraker – dies, aged 89". Radio Times. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  8. Goodman, Lanie (3 December 2010). "A gentle screen giant subtly shines". The Wall Street Journal.
  9. "Les Inrocks - Michael Lonsdale" (in French). Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  10. Allen Kim (21 September 2020). "Michael Lonsdale, actor who played Bond villain in 'Moonraker,' dies at 87". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  11. "Michael Lonsdale obituary". The Guardian. 22 September 2020.
  12. "Michael Lonsdale, Bond Villain in 'Moonraker,' Dies at 89 | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 21 September 2020.
  13. "Michael Lonsdale – Actor". mubi.com. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  14. "Michael Lonsdale obituary". the Guardian. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  15. Pulver, Andrew (21 September 2020). "Michael Lonsdale, Bond villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker, dies aged 89". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  16. "Michael Lonsdale movie reviews & film summaries | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  17. "Bond villain actor Michael Lonsdale dies aged 89". BBC News. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  18. Allen Kim (21 September 2020). "Michael Lonsdale, actor who played Bond villain in 'Moonraker,' dies at 87". CNN. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  19. "Michael Lonsdale obituary: French actor dies at 89". Legacy.com. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
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