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Louis Jourdan (born June 19, 1919) is a French
actor, known chiefly for his suave manner and good
looks.


Born Louis Gendre in Marseille|Marseille, France,
he was educated in France, Turkey and  England and
trained as an actor at the Ecole Dramatique. He
made his film debut in 1939. Following the
Germany|German occupation of France during  World
War II, he continued to make films but after
refusing to participate in Nazi propaganda films,
he joined the French Resistance.  After the 1944
liberation of France by the Allies, Louis Jourdan
married Berthe Frederique with whom he had a son.

In 1947, Jourdan accepted an offer from a
Hollywood studio to appear in The Paradine Case,
an Alfred Hitchcock drama starring Gregory Peck.
There, he became friends with several stars who
shared his love of the game of croquet. After a
number of American films, his most notable work
was in the 1954 light-hearted comedy-romance,
Three Coins in the Fountain (movie)|Three Coins in
the Fountain following which he made his Broadway
debut in the lead role in the Billy Rose drama,
The Immoralist. He returned to Broadway for a
short run in 1955 and that year made his U.S.
television debut as Inspector Beaumont in the
series "Paris Precinct".

During the 1950s, Louis Jourdan made several
international films including playing the male
lead in La Mariée est trop belle  opposite
Brigitte Bardot. However, he is best remembered as
the romantic lead opposite Leslie Caron and
Maurice Chevalier in the 1958 film version of the
Colette novel, Gigi (1958 movie)|Gigi. The film
earned nine Academy Awards, including Academy
Award for Best Picture|Best Picture. In later
years, Jourdan appeared in a number of films,
playing the part of the villain, including 1977's
Count Dracula and in the 1983 James Bond film,
Octopussy, he was cast as "Kamal Khan," a List of
James Bond villains|Bond villain.

Tragedy struck when his son died of a drug
overdose in 1981. Louis Henry Jourdan was interred
in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in
Los Angeles.

Louis Jourdan has two stars on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame at 6153 and 6445 Hollywood Blvd. He is
retired and living in the south of France.

Partial filmography:
*Year of the Comet (1992)
*The Return of Swamp Thing  (1989)
*Escuadrón  (1987) (Counterforce) (1987) 
*Grand Larceny  (1987)
*Beverly Hills Madam  (1986) (TV)
*Cover Up  (1984) (TV)
*Octopussy  (1983)
*Escape to Love  (1982)
*Swamp Thing  (1982)
*Double Deal  (1981)
*The French Atlantic Affair  (1979)  TV Mini
series 
*Silver Bears  (1978)
*Count Dracula  (1977) (TV)
*The Man in the Iron Mask (movie)|The Man in the
Iron Mask (1977) (TV)  
*The Great American Beauty Contest  (1973) (TV) 
*Ritual of Evil  (1970) (TV)
*Fear No Evil  (1969) (TV)
*To Die in Paris  (1968) (TV)
*Cervantes  (1967)
*Les Sultans  (1966)
*Made in Paris  (1966)
*The V.I.P.s  (1963)
*Leviathan  (1962)
*Le Vergini di Roma  (1961) (Amazons of Rome)
(1963) 
*The Count of Monte Cristo|Le Comte de Monte
Cristo  (The Count of Monte Cristo) (1961) 
*Can-Can (film)|Can-Can  (1960)
*The Best of Everything  (1959)
*Gigi (1958 movie)|Gigi  (1958)
*Dangerous Exile  (1957)
*Escapade  (1957)
*La Mariée est trop belle  (Her Bridal Night)
(1956)
*Julie (film)|Julie  (1956)
*The Swan (film)|The Swan  (1956)
*Three Coins in the Fountain (movie)|Three Coins
in the Fountain  (1954)
*Paris Precinct  (1953) TV Series 
*Decameron Nights  (1953)
*Bird of Paradise  (1951)
*Madame Bovary  (1949)
*Letter From An Unknown Woman  (1948)
*The Paradine Case  (1947)
*La Vie de bohème  (1945)
*Les Petites du quai aux fleurs  (1944) 
*La Belle aventure  (Twilight) (1942) 
*Parade en sept nuits  (1941)
*Premier rendez-vous  (Her First Affair)  (1941) 
*La Comédie du bonheur (1940)
*Le Corsaire  (1939)


==External link==
* imdb name|id=0431139|name=PAGENAME
* http://www.thegoldenyears.org/jourdan.html
Classic Movies (1939 - 1969): Louis Jourdan