French postcard by Editions Photomania, Paris, no. P 199. Photo: Elizabeth et Françoise Prouvost / Photomania.

French, American-born actor Christophe or Christopher Lambert (1957) is known for his good looks, gravelly, raspy voice and his unsettling eyes. His best-known roles are Tarzan, Lord of the Apes in Greystoke (1984) and the immortal Connor MacLeod in the Highlander film series (1986-2000). He was also the hero of countless futuristic action films, that often went straight to video.

Christophe Guy Denis Lambert was born in Great Neck, Long Island, New York in 1957. His mother was a French psychiatrist and his father was a French diplomat stationed in the US at the United Nations at the time of Lambert's birth. His family left the US when he was only two years old after his father was assigned by the UN to Switzerland. Christophe was educated at private boarding schools in Geneva. At the age of 12, he appeared in a play. At 16, he moved to Paris. Lambert worked with the London Stock Exchange and served in the French military, both allegedly at his father's insistence. Then he studied at the Paris Conservatoire for two years. He made his film debut with a small role in the comedy Ciao, les mecs/Ciao, You Guys (Sergio Gobbi, 1979) with Charles Aznavour. He soon appeared in more films but did not become a star until he played the leading role in Warner Brothers’ lush epic Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (Hugh Hudson, 1984). In this English-language film, he was credited as Christopher Lambert but in French-speaking countries, he would remain known as Christophe Lambert. His Greystoke co-stars included Andie MacDowell, Ian Holm, James Fox and Ralph Richardson in his final film performance. Tarzan buffs liked the film for remaining quite faithful to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story. Looking as good in period costumes as he did in a scanty loincloth, Lambert also became the newest sex symbol in France. That same year he also had his first lead role in a French film, opposite Catherine Deneuve in Paroles et musique/Love Songs (Élie Chouraqui, 1984). Then he played the male lead in the excellent thriller Subway (Luc Besson, 1985) opposite Isabelle Adjani, for which he was awarded a César Award for Best Actor. The intense gaze he showed in these and many later roles is the result of myopia at an early age. Myopia is a condition that causes the eyes to focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. He cannot see without his glasses, and because he cannot wear contact lenses, he is often forced to act while virtually blind. This has led to injuries while performing his own stunts without glasses.

In 1986, Christopher Lambert played his most famous role: the immortal Connor MacLeod, a sword-wielding Scotsman born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1518, who finds himself fighting evil in modern-day New York. Highlander (Russell Mulcahy, 1986), co-starring Sean Connery, was an international success. However, upon initial US release, it was not well-received, but it gained wide and persistent popularity in Europe and on other markets, as well as on home video. It has since obtained status as a cult classic film, leading to four sequels, a television series, and various other spin-offs. Lambert appeared in the three sequels that were released in cinemas, Highlander II: The Quickening (Russell Mulcahy, 1991), Highlander III: The Sorcerer (Andrew Morahan, 1994) and Highlander: Endgame (2000, Douglas Aarniokoski). He was not in the TV film Highlander: The Source (Brett Leonard, 2007) made for the Sci-Fi Channel – and had only a cameo appearance in the pilot of the 1992 television series. His films after Highlander, such as I Love You (Marco Ferreri, 1986) and The Sicilian (Michael Cimino. 1987), in which he starred as Salvatore Giuliano, were less successful than his previous pictures. In To Kill a Priest (Agnieszka Holland, 1988), he played a character based on Jerzy Popiełuszko, the young Polish priest who spoke out against the Communist regime. The film was well-received by critics but was a financial failure.

During the 1990s, Christopher Lambert starred in action and science fiction films such as the thriller Knight Moves (Carl Schenkel, 1992) with Diane Lane, Fortress (Stuart Gordon, 1992), Gunmen (Deran Sarafian, 1993) with Mario Van Peebles, and the Italian-produced Nirvana (Gabriele Salvatores, 1997). His filmography also included low-budget films such as Adrenalin: Fear the Rush (Albert Pyun, 1997), which were generally poorly received by critics and often enjoyed only direct-to-video releases. In the course of that decade, Lambert also occasionally appeared in French films such as the thriller Max et Jérémie/Max & Jeremie (Claire Devers, 1992) with Philippe Noiret. In 1995, he played the role of the thunder god Raiden in Mortal Kombat (Paul W.S. Anderson, 1995), a movie adaptation of the popular video game series. Lambert was interested in reprising his character in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (John R. Leonetti, 1997), but he was committed to his role in Beowulf (Graham Baker, 1999), and the role was given to James Remar. Primarily an action star, Lambert occasionally showed up in other genres, including the romantic comedy Arlette (Claude Zidi, 1997) with Josiane Balasko. He also became active as a film producer and has produced French films such as the drama N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir/Don't Forget You're Going to Die (Xavier Beauvois, 1995) and the gangster film J'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici/I will go to heaven for hell is here (Xavier Durringer, 1997).

In 2001, Christophe Lambert played the lead role of Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in the France-Canada production Vercingétorix/Druids (Jacques Dorfmann, 2001), which was a critical and financial failure. In 2009, he was the lead in White Material (Claire Denis, 2009) opposite Isabelle Huppert. Both the film and Lambert's performance received critical acclaim. Lambert was married twice. He met his first wife, American film actress Diane Lane in 1985 when they were both in Rome on separate publicity junkets. They married three years later and had one daughter, Eleanor Lambert (1993). They divorced in 1994. In 1996 he married Jaimyse Haft. They divorced in 2006. He later had a relationship with actress Sophie Marceau with whom he appeared in the crime drama La disparue de Deauville/Trivial (Sophie Marceau, 2007). In a 2010 interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, he stated that he lives mostly on an aeroplane and he can't stay anywhere longer than a few months. Along with owning a mineral water business and food processing plant, Lambert produces Côtes-du-Rhône wines with partner Eric Beaumard at a vineyard located in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, France. When not on location, he divides his time between his winery, his ‘main residence’ in Switzerland, and his daughter in Los Angeles. More recently, he could be seen in the Bulgarian romantic comedy The Foreigner (Niki Iliev, 2012) and in the Marvel Comics film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor, 2012) featuring Nicholas Cage. He co-starred in the French romantic comedy Un plus une (Claude Lelouch, 2015), the comedy Hail, Caesar! (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2016) and in the star-studded comedy Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction (Claude Lelouch, 2017). He remained active in the action genre with the thriller The Broken Key (Louis Nero, 2017) with Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen and the martial arts film Kickboxer: Retaliation (Dimitri Logothetis, 2018). Lambert received high praise for his role as SS officer Karl Frenzel in the Russian film Sobibor (Konstantin Khabensky, 2018) about the only successful uprising in a Nazi death camp. Lambert was part of the ensemble cast of Bel Canto (Paul Weitz, 2018). He played the French ambassador who was part of the Japanese embassy hostage crisis (also called the Lima Crisis) of 1996–1997 in Lima, Peru. His latest film is the horror thriller It's not over (Alessandro Riccardi, 2022).

Sources: Ed Stephan (IMDb), Lizzy Davies (The Guardian), Sandra Brennan (AllMovie), Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Christophe Lambert Christophe Lambert French Actor European Film Star Movie Movies Screen Cine Cinema Kino Star Film Vintage Postcard Postkarte Cartolina Carte Postale Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart Elizabeth Prouvost Prouvost Françoise Prouvost Photomania

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French postcard by Editions Photomania, Paris, no. 214. Photo: Elizabeth and Françoise Prouvost / Photomania.

French, American-born actor Christophe or Christopher Lambert (1957) is known for his good looks, gravelly, raspy voice and his unsettling eyes. His best-known roles are Tarzan, Lord of the Apes in Greystoke (1984) and the immortal Connor MacLeod in the Highlander film series (1986-2000). He was also the hero of countless futuristic action films, that often went straight to video.

Christophe Guy Denis Lambert was born in Great Neck, Long Island, New York in 1957. His mother was a French psychiatrist and his father was a French diplomat stationed in the US at the United Nations at the time of Lambert's birth. His family left the US when he was only two years old after his father was assigned by the UN to Switzerland. Christophe was educated at private boarding schools in Geneva. At the age of 12, he appeared in a play. At 16, he moved to Paris. Lambert worked with the London Stock Exchange and served in the French military, both allegedly at his father's insistence. Then he studied at the Paris Conservatoire for two years. He made his film debut with a small role in the comedy Ciao, les mecs/Ciao, You Guys (Sergio Gobbi, 1979) with Charles Aznavour. He soon appeared in more films but did not become a star until he played the leading role in Warner Brothers’ lush epic Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (Hugh Hudson, 1984). In this English-language film, he was credited as Christopher Lambert but in French-speaking countries, he would remain known as Christophe Lambert. His Greystoke co-stars included Andie MacDowell, Ian Holm, James Fox and Ralph Richardson in his final film performance. Tarzan buffs liked the film for remaining quite faithful to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story. Looking as good in period costumes as he did in a scanty loincloth, Lambert also became the newest sex symbol in France. That same year he also had his first lead role in a French film, opposite Catherine Deneuve in Paroles et musique/Love Songs (Élie Chouraqui, 1984). Then he played the male lead in the excellent thriller Subway (Luc Besson, 1985) opposite Isabelle Adjani, for which he was awarded a César Award for Best Actor. The intense gaze he showed in these and many later roles is the result of myopia at an early age. Myopia is a condition that causes the eyes to focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. He cannot see without his glasses, and because he cannot wear contact lenses, he is often forced to act while virtually blind. This has led to injuries while performing his own stunts without glasses.

In 1986, Christopher Lambert played his most famous role: the immortal Connor MacLeod, a sword-wielding Scotsman born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1518, who finds himself fighting evil in modern-day New York. Highlander (Russell Mulcahy, 1986), co-starring Sean Connery, was an international success. However, upon initial US release, it was not well-received, but it gained wide and persistent popularity in Europe and on other markets, as well as on home video. It has since obtained status as a cult classic film, leading to four sequels, a television series, and various other spin-offs. Lambert appeared in the three sequels that were released in cinemas, Highlander II: The Quickening (Russell Mulcahy, 1991), Highlander III: The Sorcerer (Andrew Morahan, 1994) and Highlander: Endgame (2000, Douglas Aarniokoski). He was not in the TV film Highlander: The Source (Brett Leonard, 2007) made for the Sci-Fi Channel – and had only a cameo appearance in the pilot of the 1992 television series. His films after Highlander, such as I Love You (Marco Ferreri, 1986) and The Sicilian (Michael Cimino. 1987), in which he starred as Salvatore Giuliano, were less successful than his previous pictures. In To Kill a Priest (Agnieszka Holland, 1988), he played a character based on Jerzy Popiełuszko, the young Polish priest who spoke out against the Communist regime. The film was well-received by critics but was a financial failure.

During the 1990s, Christopher Lambert starred in action and science fiction films such as the thriller Knight Moves (Carl Schenkel, 1992) with Diane Lane, Fortress (Stuart Gordon, 1992), Gunmen (Deran Sarafian, 1993) with Mario Van Peebles, and the Italian-produced Nirvana (Gabriele Salvatores, 1997). His filmography also included low-budget films such as Adrenalin: Fear the Rush (Albert Pyun, 1997), which were generally poorly received by critics and often enjoyed only direct-to-video releases. In the course of that decade, Lambert also occasionally appeared in French films such as the thriller Max et Jérémie/Max & Jeremie (Claire Devers, 1992) with Philippe Noiret. In 1995, he played the role of the thunder god Raiden in Mortal Kombat (Paul W.S. Anderson, 1995), a movie adaptation of the popular video game series. Lambert was interested in reprising his character in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (John R. Leonetti, 1997), but he was committed to his role in Beowulf (Graham Baker, 1999), and the role was given to James Remar. Primarily an action star, Lambert occasionally showed up in other genres, including the romantic comedy Arlette (Claude Zidi, 1997) with Josiane Balasko. He also became active as a film producer and has produced French films such as the drama N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir/Don't Forget You're Going to Die (Xavier Beauvois, 1995) and the gangster film J'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici/I will go to heaven for hell is here (Xavier Durringer, 1997).

In 2001, Christophe Lambert played the lead role of Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in the France-Canada production Vercingétorix/Druids (Jacques Dorfmann, 2001), which was a critical and financial failure. In 2009, he was the lead in White Material (Claire Denis, 2009) opposite Isabelle Huppert. Both the film and Lambert's performance received critical acclaim. Lambert was married twice. He met his first wife, American film actress Diane Lane in 1985 when they were both in Rome on separate publicity junkets. They married three years later and had one daughter, Eleanor Lambert (1993). They divorced in 1994. In 1996 he married Jaimyse Haft. They divorced in 2006. He later had a relationship with actress Sophie Marceau with whom he appeared in the crime drama La disparue de Deauville/Trivial (Sophie Marceau, 2007). In a 2010 interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, he stated that he lives mostly on an aeroplane and he can't stay anywhere longer than a few months. Along with owning a mineral water business and food processing plant, Lambert produces Côtes-du-Rhône wines with partner Eric Beaumard at a vineyard located in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, France. When not on location, he divides his time between his winery, his ‘main residence’ in Switzerland, and his daughter in Los Angeles. More recently, he could be seen in the Bulgarian romantic comedy The Foreigner (Niki Iliev, 2012) and in the Marvel Comics film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor, 2012) featuring Nicholas Cage. He co-starred in the French romantic comedy Un plus une (Claude Lelouch, 2015), the comedy Hail, Caesar! (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2016) and in the star-studded comedy Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction (Claude Lelouch, 2017). He remained active in the action genre with the thriller The Broken Key (Louis Nero, 2017) with Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen and the martial arts film Kickboxer: Retaliation (Dimitri Logothetis, 2018). Lambert received high praise for his role as SS officer Karl Frenzel in the Russian film Sobibor (Konstantin Khabensky, 2018) about the only successful uprising in a Nazi death camp. Lambert was part of the ensemble cast of Bel Canto (Paul Weitz, 2018). He played the French ambassador who was part of the Japanese embassy hostage crisis (also called the Lima Crisis) of 1996–1997 in Lima, Peru. His latest film is the horror thriller It's not over (Alessandro Riccardi, 2022).

Sources: Ed Stephan (IMDb), Lizzy Davies (The Guardian), Sandra Brennan (AllMovie), Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Christophe Lambert Christophe Lambert Highlander French Actor European Film Star Movie Movies Screen Cine Cinema Kino Star Film Vintage Postcard Postkarte Cartolina Carte Postale Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart Photomania Elizabeth and Françoise Prouvost Prouvost

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French postcard in the Collection Cinéma by Studio Magazine / Photomania, Paris, no. PSM 401. Photo: Luc Roux.

French, American-born actor Christophe or Christopher Lambert (1957) is known for his good looks, gravelly, raspy voice and his unsettling eyes. His best-known roles are Tarzan, Lord of the Apes in Greystoke (1984) and the immortal Connor MacLeod in the Highlander film series (1986-2000). He was also the hero of countless futuristic action films, that often went straight to video.

Christophe Guy Denis Lambert was born in Great Neck, Long Island, New York in 1957. His mother was a French psychiatrist and his father was a French diplomat stationed in the US at the United Nations at the time of Lambert's birth. His family left the US when he was only two years old after his father was assigned by the UN to Switzerland. Christophe was educated at private boarding schools in Geneva. At the age of 12, he appeared in a play. At 16, he moved to Paris. Lambert worked with the London Stock Exchange and served in the French military, both allegedly at his father's insistence. Then he studied at the Paris Conservatoire for two years. He made his film debut with a small role in the comedy Ciao, les mecs/Ciao, You Guys (Sergio Gobbi, 1979) with Charles Aznavour. He soon appeared in more films but did not become a star until he played the leading role in Warner Brothers’ lush epic Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (Hugh Hudson, 1984). In this English-language film, he was credited as Christopher Lambert but in French-speaking countries, he would remain known as Christophe Lambert. His Greystoke co-stars included Andie MacDowell, Ian Holm, James Fox and Ralph Richardson in his final film performance. Tarzan buffs liked the film for remaining quite faithful to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story. Looking as good in period costumes as he did in a scanty loincloth, Lambert also became the newest sex symbol in France. That same year he also had his first lead role in a French film, opposite Catherine Deneuve in Paroles et musique/Love Songs (Élie Chouraqui, 1984). Then he played the male lead in the excellent thriller Subway (Luc Besson, 1985) opposite Isabelle Adjani, for which he was awarded a César Award for Best Actor. The intense gaze he showed in these and many later roles is the result of myopia at an early age. Myopia is a condition that causes the eyes to focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. He cannot see without his glasses, and because he cannot wear contact lenses, he is often forced to act while virtually blind. This has led to injuries while performing his own stunts without glasses.

In 1986, Christopher Lambert played his most famous role: the immortal Connor MacLeod, a sword-wielding Scotsman born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1518, who finds himself fighting evil in modern-day New York. Highlander (Russell Mulcahy, 1986), co-starring Sean Connery, was an international success. However, upon initial US release, it was not well-received, but it gained wide and persistent popularity in Europe and on other markets, as well as on home video. It has since obtained status as a cult classic film, leading to four sequels, a television series, and various other spin-offs. Lambert appeared in the three sequels that were released in cinemas, Highlander II: The Quickening (Russell Mulcahy, 1991), Highlander III: The Sorcerer (Andrew Morahan, 1994) and Highlander: Endgame (2000, Douglas Aarniokoski). He was not in the TV film Highlander: The Source (Brett Leonard, 2007) made for the Sci-Fi Channel – and had only a cameo appearance in the pilot of the 1992 television series. His films after Highlander, such as I Love You (Marco Ferreri, 1986) and The Sicilian (Michael Cimino. 1987), in which he starred as Salvatore Giuliano, were less successful than his previous pictures. In To Kill a Priest (Agnieszka Holland, 1988), he played a character based on Jerzy Popiełuszko, the young Polish priest who spoke out against the Communist regime. The film was well-received by critics but was a financial failure.

During the 1990s, Christopher Lambert starred in action and science fiction films such as the thriller Knight Moves (Carl Schenkel, 1992) with Diane Lane, Fortress (Stuart Gordon, 1992), Gunmen (Deran Sarafian, 1993) with Mario Van Peebles, and the Italian-produced Nirvana (Gabriele Salvatores, 1997). His filmography also included low-budget films such as Adrenalin: Fear the Rush (Albert Pyun, 1997), which were generally poorly received by critics and often enjoyed only direct-to-video releases. In the course of that decade, Lambert also occasionally appeared in French films such as the thriller Max et Jérémie/Max & Jeremie (Claire Devers, 1992) with Philippe Noiret. In 1995, he played the role of the thunder god Raiden in Mortal Kombat (Paul W.S. Anderson, 1995), a movie adaptation of the popular video game series. Lambert was interested in reprising his character in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (John R. Leonetti, 1997), but he was committed to his role in Beowulf (Graham Baker, 1999), and the role was given to James Remar. Primarily an action star, Lambert occasionally showed up in other genres, including the romantic comedy Arlette (Claude Zidi, 1997) with Josiane Balasko. He also became active as a film producer and has produced French films such as the drama N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir/Don't Forget You're Going to Die (Xavier Beauvois, 1995) and the gangster film J'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici/I will go to heaven for hell is here (Xavier Durringer, 1997).

In 2001, Christophe Lambert played the lead role of Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in the France-Canada production Vercingétorix/Druids (Jacques Dorfmann, 2001), which was a critical and financial failure. In 2009, he was the lead in White Material (Claire Denis, 2009) opposite Isabelle Huppert. Both the film and Lambert's performance received critical acclaim. Lambert was married twice. He met his first wife, American film actress Diane Lane in 1985 when they were both in Rome on separate publicity junkets. They married three years later and had one daughter, Eleanor Lambert (1993). They divorced in 1994. In 1996 he married Jaimyse Haft. They divorced in 2006. He later had a relationship with actress Sophie Marceau with whom he appeared in the crime drama La disparue de Deauville/Trivial (Sophie Marceau, 2007). In a 2010 interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, he stated that he lives mostly on an aeroplane and he can't stay anywhere longer than a few months. Along with owning a mineral water business and food processing plant, Lambert produces Côtes-du-Rhône wines with partner Eric Beaumard at a vineyard located in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, France. When not on location, he divides his time between his winery, his ‘main residence’ in Switzerland, and his daughter in Los Angeles. More recently, he could be seen in the Bulgarian romantic comedy The Foreigner (Niki Iliev, 2012) and in the Marvel Comics film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor, 2012) featuring Nicholas Cage. He co-starred in the French romantic comedy Un plus une (Claude Lelouch, 2015), the comedy Hail, Caesar! (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2016) and in the star-studded comedy Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction (Claude Lelouch, 2017). He remained active in the action genre with the thriller The Broken Key (Louis Nero, 2017) with Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen and the martial arts film Kickboxer: Retaliation (Dimitri Logothetis, 2018). Lambert received high praise for his role as SS officer Karl Frenzel in the Russian film Sobibor (Konstantin Khabensky, 2018) about the only successful uprising in a Nazi death camp. Lambert was part of the ensemble cast of Bel Canto (Paul Weitz, 2018). He played the French ambassador who was part of the Japanese embassy hostage crisis (also called the Lima Crisis) of 1996–1997 in Lima, Peru. His latest film is the horror thriller It's not over (Alessandro Riccardi, 2022).

Sources: Ed Stephan (IMDb), Lizzy Davies (The Guardian), Sandra Brennan (AllMovie), Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Christophe Lambert Christophe Lambert Highlander French Actor European Film Star Movie Movies Screen Cine Cinema Kino Star Film Vintage Postcard Postkarte Cartolina Carte Postale Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart Collection Cinéma Studio magazine Studio Photomania Luc Roux Luc Roux

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French postcard by Photomania, no GRA333. Photo: Collection Reporters Associès - Gamma. Caption: Jean Cocteau, 1956..

French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) was one of the most multi-talented artists of the 20th century. He was one of the creatives of the surrealist, avant-garde, and Dadaist movements. He is best known for his novels 'Le Grand Écart' (1923), 'Le Livre blanc' (1928), and 'Les Enfants Terribles' (1929); the stage plays 'La Voix Humaine' (1930), 'La Machine Infernale' (1934), 'Les Parents terribles' (1938), and 'L'Aigle à deux têtes' (1946); and the films Le sang d'un poète/The Blood of a Poet (1930), La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946), Les Parents Terribles (1948), Orphée/Orpheus (1950), and Le testament d'Orphée/Testament of Orpheus (1960). He collaborated with the "Russian Ballet" company of Sergei Diaghilev and was active in many art movements, but he always remained a poet at heart.

Jean Maurice Eugène Cocteau was born in 1889 in Maisons-Laffitte, Seine-et-Oise (now Yvelines), France. Cocteau was born into a middle-class family. He began writing at 10 and was a published poet by age 16. From 1908, he was a frequent guest in artistic circles. In 1911, he wrote the libretto for 'Le dieu bleu, a ballet by the Ballets Russes. In 1917 came 'Parade', an avant-garde ballet by Cocteau, for which Pablo Picasso, among others, designed the sets and costumes and Erik Satie composed the music. In Guillaume Apollinaire's programme booklet, to describe the ballet, the word surréaliste was used for the first time. the ballet was not a great success, but it did establish Cocteau's name in the avant-garde of Paris. In 1920, Cocteau began a relationship with the aspiring writer Raymond Radiguet, then aged 17. Cocteau was openly bisexual. After Radiguet released 'Le Diable au corps', a period of productivity followed for Cocteau. This stopped in 1923, when Radiguet died of typhoid fever. Cocteau became addicted to opium in the period that followed. In 1926, he published 'Le rappel à l'ordre', a book of essays describing the renewed interest in traditions in the post-World War I period. In 1929, Cocteau wrote his best-known work, Les Enfants terribles'.


Jean Cocteau's film debut Le sang d'un poète/The Blood of a Poet (1930) starring Enrique Rive, was a grand experiment in an effort to capture the poet's obsession with the struggle between the forces of life and death. Because of the October 1930 scandal around Luis Buñuel's L'âge d'or (1930) - another film financed by Le Vicomte de Noailles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, the Paris premiere of this film was delayed until January 1932. The film is the first part of Jean Cocteau's Orpheus Trilogy (1932-1960); a loosely connected telling and re-telling of the well-known Greek legend. His favourite actor was his protégé and lover Jean Marais, who starred in La belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946), L'aigle à deux têtes (1948) and Les parents terribles (1948). In Cocteau's most important film, Orphee/Orpheus (1950), Marais is a poet who becomes obsessed with a Princess, Death (Maria Casares). They fall in love. Orphee's wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa), is killed by the Princess' henchmen and Orphee goes after her into the Underworld. Although they have become dangerously entangled, the Princess sends Orphee back out of the Underworld, to carry on his life with Eurydice. Cocteau made about twelve films in his career, all rich with symbolism and surreal imagery. In Le testament d'Orphée/Testament of Orpheus. Cocteau himself played the poet Orpheus who looks back over his life and work, recalling his inspirations and obsessions. In 1955, he became a member of the Académie française and he was also awarded the French Legion of Honour. Jean Cocteau died at the age of 74. Cocteau's house in Milly-la-Forêt was bought by the government on the initiative of a committee that wants to keep his memory alive. It was inaugurated as a Cocteau museum in 2010.

Sources: Alan Katz (IMDb), Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tags:   Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau French Author Director European Cine Cinema Kino Film Picture Screen Movie Movies Star Vintage Postcard Postkarte Carte Postale Cartolina Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart Photomania Gamma 1956

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French postcard by Photomania, Paris, no. P474. Photo: Jonathan Lennard. Caption: Julia and the angels.

American actress Julia Roberts (1967) won more than 30 other acting awards including an Academy Award for her leading role in Erin Brockovich (2000) plus Oscar nominations for Steel Magnolias (1989), Pretty Woman (1990) and August: Osage County (2013). Her films have grossed more than $3.9 billion globally, making her one of the most bankable film stars of all time.

Julia Fiona Roberts was born in Smyrna, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, in 1967. Julia is the youngest of three children of Walter Grady Roberts and Betty Lou Bredemus, one-time actors and playwrights. Her parents were close friends with Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. Walter and Betty Lou Roberts ran the Actors and Writers Workshop, then the only integrated drama school in Atlanta, which the Kings' eldest daughter Yolanda King attended. The Kings paid the hospital bill for Julia's birth. When Roberts was four years old., her parents divorced. Her brother Eric stayed with his father and Julia and her sister Lisa continued to live with their mother in Atlanta. When Roberts was nine, her father died of cancer. As a child, due to her love of animals, Julia originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but later studied journalism. Her parents were in the drama club, so acting was soon in the cards. Her brother Eric was originally seen as the great acting promise of the family but ended up producing more quantity than quality in the eyes of critics. Sister Lisa is not actually a professional actress but has since appeared in twenty-four films in small supporting roles, mostly in titles by her younger sister. While at school, Roberts worked as a waitress in a pizzeria and spent some time behind the cash register in a supermarket. When Eric achieved some success in Hollywood, Julia decided to try acting. She started taking acting classes and went to live with her sister in New York where she signed with the Click Modeling Agency. She took speech lessons to get rid of her southern accent. She made her film debut with a bit role in Blood Red (Peter Masterson, 1989), starring her brother Eric Roberts, which was completed in 1986 but wouldn't be released until 1989. She appeared in several television features and series, including Miami Vice (1988). Her first break came in 1988 when she appeared in two youth-oriented films Mystic Pizza (Donald Petrie, 1988) and Satisfaction (Joan Freeman, 1988). It helped her earn the credentials she needed to land the part of Shelby, an ill-fated would-be mother in the comedy-drama Steel Magnolias (Herbert Ross, 1989). The tearjerker found her acting alongside Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine which culminated in an Oscar nomination for Roberts. Then followed the supernatural thriller Flatliners (Joel Schumacher, 1990) with her flame Kiefer Sutherland.

Julia Robert's biggest success was in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (Garry Marshall, 1990) with Richard Gere. Originally intended to be a dark cautionary tale about class and prostitution in Los Angeles, the film was re-conceived as a romantic comedy with a large budget. Critic Roger Ebert: "Roberts does an interesting thing; she gives her character an irrepressibly bouncy sense of humor and then lets her spend the movie trying to repress it. Actresses who can do that and look great can have whatever they want in Hollywood." Julia got an Oscar nomination and also won the People's Choice award for Favorite Actress. It was widely successful at the box office and was the third-highest-grossing film of 1990. Julia's part as a good-hearted Hollywood prostitute who falls in love with a millionaire client was her definitive breakthrough role. Her role opposite Denzel Washington in the John Grisham adaptation The Pelican Brief (Alan J. Pakula, 1993), reaffirmed her status as a dramatic actress. Even though Julia would spend the next few years either starring in serious films or playing fantasy roles like Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991), filmgoers would always love Julia best in romantic comedies such as Notting Hill (Richard Curtis, 1999) with Hugh Grant, and Runaway Bride (Garry Marshall, 1999) with Richard Gere. In My Best Friend's Wedding (P.J. Hogan, 1997), she starred opposite Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett, as a food critic who realizes she's in love with her best friend and tries to win him back after he decides to marry someone else. The cult comedy gave the genre some fresh life that had been lacking in Hollywood for some time. Roger Ebert: "One of the pleasures of Ronald Bass' screenplay is the way it subverts the usual comic formulas that would fuel a plot like this. It makes the Julia Roberts character sympathetic at first, but eventually her behavior shades into cruel meddling. Stories like this are tricky for the actors. They have to be light enough for the comedy, and then subtle in revealing the deeper tones. Roberts, Diaz and Mulroney are in good synch, and Roberts does a skillful job of negotiating the plot's twists: We have to care for her even after we stop sharing her goals. "

Julia Roberts' had her biggest success when she delivered an Oscar-winning performance playing the title role in Erin Brockovich (Steven Soderbergh, 2000). The film, based on the true story of Erin Brockovich, a single mother who, against all odds, won a heated battle against corporate environmental offenders, earned Roberts a staggering 20-million-dollar salary. The next year, Roberts starred in the crime caper Ocean's Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001), in which she acted with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and George Clooney. A success with critics and at the box office alike, Ocean's Eleven became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year with a total of $450 million worldwide. In 2004, Roberts signed on for the sequel, the aptly titled Ocean's Twelve (Steven Soderbergh, 2004). In 2006, she made her Broadway debut alongside Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper in the revival of Richard Greenberg's play 'Three Days of Rain', but the production was not a success. Roberts teamed with Tom Hanks for Charlie Wilson's War (Mike Nichols, 2007), and then again for Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks, 2011). In between, she gave a critically acclaimed performance in Eat, Pray, Love (Ryan Murphy, 2010), in which she portrayed a divorcee on a journey of self-discovery. In 2012, she played Snow White's evil stepmother in Mirror, Mirror (Tarsem Singh, 2012). Roberts starred alongside Meryl Streep and Ewan McGregor in the black comedy drama August: Osage County (John Wells, 2013) about a dysfunctional family that reunites in the familial house when their patriarch suddenly disappears. Her performance earned her her fourth Academy Award nomination. Julia Roberts was in a relationship with actor Kiefer Sutherland for a while. In 1991, their relationship ended five days before they got married. She married country singer Lyle Lovett in 1993 but divorced him in 1995. She met her second husband, cameraman Danny Moder while shooting the film the road gangster comedy The Mexican (Gore Verbinski, 2000) with Brad Pitt. Roberts and Moder married in 2002 in Taos, New Mexico. Together they had twins in 2004, a daughter, Hazel Patricia, and a son, Phinnaeus 'Finn' Walter. In 2007, Roberts gave birth to their third child, Henry Daniel. All the children were given their father's surname. Julia Roberts also became involved with UNICEF charities and has made visits to many different countries, including Haiti and India, in order to promote goodwill. On-screen, she appeared in Jodie Foster's thriller Money Monster (2016), the coming-of-age drama Wonder (Steven Chbosky, 2017), and the romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise (Ol Parker, 2022) with George Clooney. She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the television adaptation of Larry Kramer's AIDS-era play The Normal Heart (Larry Murphy, 2014), had her first regular television role in the first season of the psychological thriller series Homecoming (2018), and portrayed Martha Mitchell opposite Sean in the political thriller series Gaslit (2022) about the Watergate Scandal.

Sources: Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Tracie Cooper (AllMovie), KD Haisch (IMDb), Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

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