Paul Bonifas

Paul Bonifas

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

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. 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. 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. He came to the Comedy Theatre, London with Théâtre Molierè in 1943 and 1944, performing in L'Anglais Tel Qu'on Le Parle, Le Malade Imaginaire, Gringoire, Le Misanthrope et L'Auvergnat, Les Femmes Savantes, Le Paquebot Tenacity, La Testament Du Pere Leleu and L'Extra. His Company included Andre Frere, Georges Rex, Suzette Marquis, Elma Soiron and Paul Clarus. 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. 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. 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). Bonifas died on 9 November 1975 at Vernouillet, Yvelines, France. Source: Article "Paul Bonifas" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.  

Acting

1975

1974

Antigone
Movie

le choeur

1973

1973

1971

1970

Cold Sweat
Movie

The doctor

1970

The Horse
Movie

Witness to car accident

1969

1964

1964

Greed in the Sun
Movie

Doctor Magnart, former professor in Lyon

1964

Bayard
Tv

Aymon Terrail

1963

Charade
Movie

Mr. Felix

1963

The Depths
Movie

Mons. Lapeyre

1961

Blood on His Sword
Movie

Le chirurgien / Doctor of Louis XI

1961

Fanny
Movie

The Postman

1961

1960

The Truth
Movie

Un greffier

1960

Love and the Frenchwoman
Movie

Le père de Ginette (segment "La Virginité")

1958

Les Misérables
Movie

Hospital doctor

1957

Love in the Afternoon
Movie

Police Chief (uncredited)

1955

Frou-Frou
Movie

Le réceptionniste de l'hôtel (uncredited)

1954

Sherlock Holmes
Tv

Prof. von Gaulkins

1953

Their Last Night
Movie

le commissaire principal

1952

Holiday for Henrietta
Movie

The Newsagent (uncredited)

1952

The Truth About Bebe Donge
Movie

Traveler (uncredited)

1951

Duel à Dakar
Movie

The Commander

1951

Amazing Monsieur Fabre
Movie

Le ministre Victor Duruy

1951

Pardon My French
Movie

Monsieur Bleubois

1951

Juliette, or Key of Dreams
Movie

Captain of the cargo ship

1945

Dead of Night
Movie

French Nightclub Patron (Segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy") (Uncredited)

1944

1944

1942

Infos

Full Name
Paul Bonifas
Gender
Male
Date of Birth
6/3/1902
Date of Death
11/9/1975
Also Known As

The Molière Players

Henri Paul Bonifas

Paul Boniface

Victor Boniface

Bonifas

Bonifas de la Comédie Française