René Dary

Born: 1905-07-18

René Dary (19 July 1905 – 6 October 1974) was a French film actor. Dary began his career as a child actor. Young Clément Mary, as was his original name, was born 18 July 1905 in Paris 6th arrondissement. He got his chance in the Spring of 1910 when he was only five. His father Abélard Mary had put in his head to go and promote himself and his two young kids as extras at the Gaumont studio. Mary, who had been an actor, had become a rundown clown in bars because of his gambling and kept things going with some furniture trade. He had set his hopes for his kids, and gambled well this time, as they were all hired for a peplum, Les Derniers Jours de Babylone. Young Clément's native playfulness, his histrionic acting making him older than he was, his borrowed street talk, and his ease on the set to charm everyone, from actors to technicians, soon began to attract the attention of producer-director Louis Feuillade. Feuillade tested him and designed a whole series around him, the Bébé series. All in all Mary would play in 74 Bébé comedies between 1910 and 1912, according to Braquet (76 between December 1910 and February 1913, according to Lacassin, while IMDb lists 73 titles), such as Bébé apache, Napoléon, Bébé et les cosaques, Bébé en Maroc etc. Feuillade permitted little Mary to do anything forbidden at home. Often his character would be a spoiled brat, have impossible tantrums and pester all adults around him, but he could also help children and old people in distress, showing his good heart after all. Often his mother would be played by Renée Carl, a leading Gaumont actress in her own. And often the child was placed in adult situations, as millionaire, marriage candidate or underworld 'apache'. For over two years Bébé was the best known child actor worldwide. The extremely good box office made papa Mary wealthy too, but his money hunger caused also the downfall of his son. Abélard bought a small cinema in Ménilmontant and called it Bébé-Cinéma, counting on a franchise by Gaumont to show his son's films. This was the limit for Feuillade, who was already fed up with the pretense of the father's self-promotion as his son's manager and his continuous demands for raises for his son. Besides, Clément was reaching an age where his cuteness as child actor was passing. Already mid-1912 another young kid had been picked up in Belleville, near the studios, and had started as supporting actor to Clément in the film Bébé adopte un petit frère, but replaced him completely in March 1913 (February 1913, according to Francis Lacassin) under the character name of Bout-de-Zan (a name he already wore as Bébé's co-actor). Abélard went to court against Gaumont. The court ruled that the breach of contract was just, but also that Mary was allowed to continue acting as Bébé at Pathé's subsidiary Eclectic Films, and he did so until 1916. Yet, it was no competition for Gaumont's Bout-de-Zan. As Abel mentions, Bout-de-Zan was more plebeian while Bébé was 'au fond' bourgeois as type. Still, in the end Poyen did some 50 films for Gaumont, less than Mary.


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Touchez Pas au Grisbi

as Henri Ducros dit Riton
Released: 1954-03-17

Gentleman gangster Max and his partner, Riton, pull off their last, most successful heist and...

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The Loves of Hercules

as Il generale
Released: 1960-08-19

Hercules decides to avenge the death of his wife, murdered at the hands of Éurito, king of...

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Goto, Island of Love

as Gomor
Released: 1969-01-29

A petty thief works his way up the absurd hierarchy of Goto, an archipelago cut off from...

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Risky Business

as le maire
Released: 1967-12-21

A teenage girl accuses her primary schoolteacher, Jean Doucet (Jacques Brel), of trying to rape...

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A Trap for Cinderella

as Doctor Doulin
Released: 1965-10-22

Based on Sébastien Japrisot's novel, the story revolves around a young girl who suffers from...

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Daniella by Night

as Lanzac
Released: 1961-04-28

Daniella, a fashion model, goes to Rome to replace a model who's been murdered. Once there, she...

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Children of Chaos

as Jean Victor
Released: 1944-04-26

An officer, two of his comrades and a social worker want to create the "Carrefour", a place for...

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The Postmaster's Daughter

as Captain
Released: 1938-03-03

A small town postal official allows a military officer to sweep his lovely daughter away to St....

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Sins of Youth

as L'oncle Léon Bertier
Released: 1958-10-31

In a small provincial town, the boarding-house is run by Mathilde Belin, the overindulging and...

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120, rue de la Gare

as Nestor Burma
Released: 1946-06-06

On the verge of death, a man entrusts Inspector Burma with an address. Burma conducts a...

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Five Red Tulips

as Pierre Lusanne
Released: 1949-03-23

During the Tour de France, five riders are found murdered with a red tulip near their bodies. A...

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Tonight We Kill

as Franz
Released: 1959-09-15

In Antwerp, Belgium, in 1959, a succession of Interpol agents are gunned down without obtaining...

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Le diamant de cent sous

as Clive Morgan
Released: 1948-01-07

For fun and to dazzle his wife, the novelist Morgan steals a ring and gets rid of it in the...

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Napoléon II, the Eagle

as uncredited
Released: 1961-11-01

The story of Napoleon 1st's long-awaited son, born in 1911. He spent his childhood in the...

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Skin and Bones

as Director
Released: 1961-04-28

Convicted of murdering his wife, a crime of which he declares himself innocent, Jacques Mazur is...

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Fire of Love

as Marois
Released: 1967-04-28

Maroîs, the fairground bon vivant, spends most of his time around a bottle of wine, in the...

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Forte tête

as René Rocher
Released: 1942-06-10

René, a bank employee, is suspected of theft and fired from his job. It borders on the worst by...

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Un fichu métier

as Jean-Paul
Released: 1938-10-05

Because of the escapades of Alexis, the Crown Prince of Vodenia, the kingdom is likely to lose...

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L'Exécution

as Lavaur
Released: 1961-01-29

Paris, at the start of the German Occupation, five men plan to sabotage a factory.

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Règlements de compte

as uncredited
Released: 1963-03-05

Bryant, an American, arrives at the Gare de Lyon after serving a sentence of hard labor at the...

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The Fugitive

as Fred
Released: 1947-02-07

Fred Maubert, an innocent convicted of a crime he did not commit, escapes from prison and goes...

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The Rebel

as Pimaï
Released: 1938-10-28

Pimaï, the strong-headed anarchist, joined the navy out of bravado. But the sweet influence of a...

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Horizon

as Father
Released: 1967-04-12

Antonin is a young French soldier who returns home from World War I to recover from his wounds....

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Hélène

as Marcel
Released: 1936-10-17

Helene is based on Helene Wilfur, a novel by Vicki (Grand Hotel) Baum. Madeleine Renaud essays...

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Moulin Rouge

as Lequérec
Released: 1940-12-08

A poor wretch, who has just been hired as a music-hall artist, in spite of himself becomes the...

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Operation Diplomatic Passport

as Chef de la D.S.T.
Released: 1965-03-31

The daughter of a foreign diplomat in Paris is courted by two men. One of them entrusts her with...

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Le café du port

as uncredited
Released: 1940-05-08

Following a heartbreak, Aimée, a young girl is taken in by the owners of a café for whom she...

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Nord-Atlantique

as Barnes, second in command
Released: 1939-04-13

Barnes, the mate of the 'Portland', is the object of the hate of the whole ship's crew. His...

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Bifur 3

as Georges
Released: 1945-08-29

Two hitch-hikers are on the way to Marseilles pursued by her husband.

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Jusqu'à plus soif

as Bardin
Released: 1962-05-16

A young teacher arrives in Normandy, where she intends to put an end to illegal alcohol...

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Homeport

as René
Released: 1943-02-10

A discharged seaman winds up on an old man's farm: his children left the place for the broader...

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The Delinquents

as Le Goff
Released: 1960-06-22

Jean-Pierre, who has escaped from prison, tries to reintegrate into society with the help of...

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Fugitive from Montreal

as Pierre Chambrac
Released: 1950-11-17

Pierre Chambrac, a French industrialist, and Canadian Paul Laforêt, two former brothers in arms,...

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A Certain Mister

as Le Pouce, membre de la bande
Released: 1950-05-24

Documents relevant to National Defence have been concealed in a certain vase by a dangerous gang...

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À la Belle Frégate

as uncredited
Released: 1943-04-01

It's a sailors' story; they often sail away and when they return, the first thing they do is...

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Sidonie Panache

as uncredited
Released: 1934-10-19

In 1842, during the conquest of Algeria Sidonie Panache disguised as a Soave runs away with her...

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Mélodie pour toi

as uncredited
Released: 1942-11-11

Famous singer, René Sartène, falls in love with a young bourgeois, Marie. Irène, her stage...

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Cité de l'espérance

as Pierre Maufranc
Released: 1948-10-27

The City of Hope is the place where left-behind artists subsist by scraping by. When one of them...

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Jimmy Pulls The Trigger

as Bébé
Released: 1912-01-01

A short from Feuillade's Bébé series

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After the Storm

as René Sabin
Released: 1941-01-02

René Sabin, engineer, disappointed by failures, leaves his village in the South to go to Paris...

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Eight Men in a Castle

as Mr. Paladine
Released: 1942-12-09

The Paladines write crime novels together. In a cinema, they happen to see a report on the...

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The Unknown N° 13

as uncredited
Released: 1949-06-21

While investigating the world of Parisian tramps, journalist René Savary, himself disguised as a...

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Suzanne and Her Brigands

as uncredited
Released: 1949-06-15

Suzanne is a lawyer, she's just got her degree and she is married to a cop. We follow her...

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S.O.S. Sahara

as uncredited
Released: 1938-08-17

At a North Africa desert outpost threatened by Arabs, the French commander has added trouble...

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À nous deux, madame la vie

as uncredited
Released: 1937-03-26

Two bank employees like Lucie, their colleague. They steal money from the cash register to...

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L'Esprit de Sidi-Brahim

as Jean Varin
Released: 1939-07-28

In the thirties, a Chasseur Alpin commander is accused of spying and sentenced to death. At the...

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Bébé Corrects His Father

as Baby
Released: 1911-11-10

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Bébé's Masterpieces

as Bébé
Released: 1910-01-01

A child painter sells one of his paintings to an adult who appears to be surprised.

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Napoléon, Bébé, and the Cossacks

as Bébé
Released: 1912-08-30

At the front, Bébé meets two Russian soldiers.

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Discorama

as Self
First aired: 1959-02-04

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Belphegor, or the Phantom of the Louvre

as Commissaire Ménardier
First aired: 1965-03-06

Four episodes chronicle a mysterious phantom who appears in the Musée du Louvre in Paris at...

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La Route

as Mathieu
First aired: 1963-12-21

TV Show page