A dashingly handsome French actor, Louis Jourdan trained for the stage under Rene Simon in Paris in the 1930s and made his film debut in 1939's "Le Corsaire". His budding career was cut short by World War II when his hotelier father was arrested and Jourdan and his brothers joined the French Resistance. After the war, David O Selznick hired the actor to appear in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Paradine Case" (1946).
Jourdan was hampered in his Hollywood career by his looks and by typecasting as the Continental lover (not unlike Charles Boyer). While he was memorable opposite Joan Fontaine in Max Ophuls' "Letter from an Unknown Woman" (1948), he went on to play similar roles opposite Jennifer Jones in "Madame Bovary" (1949) and Grace Kelly in "The Swan" (1956). Jourdan's best-known role was as Leslie Caron's suitor in Vincente Minnelli's "Gigi" (1958). He continued to make features, but few tapped his abilities until he turned to playing eccentric villains, as in "Swamp Thing" (1982) and its 1989 sequel.
Family
-
Father: Henry Gendre. arrested by the Gestapo
-
Mother: Yvonne Jourdan Gendre.
-
Son: Louis Henry Jourdan. born 1951; mother Berthe Frederique
Significant Others
-
Wife: Micheline Preale.
-
Wife: Quique Jourdan.
Education
-
Ecole Dramatique, Paris, France, drama, 1938
Milestones
-
1940 Became professional actor
-
1940 Film debut, Le Corsaire
-
1946 American film debut in The Paradine Case
-
1946 Moved to United States
-
1954 Broadway debut, The Immoralist
-
1955 US television debut as Inspector Beaumont in series Paris Precinct
-
1958 Starred in best-known film Gigi
-
1965 Originally cast opposite Barbara Harris in stage musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ; replaced by John Cullum
-
1978 Starred as Dracula in PBS miniseries Count Dracula
-
1982 First played villainous Dr. Arcane in Swamp Thing
-
1989 Reprised role of Arcane in The Return of Swamp Thing
-
1992 Last feature role to date, Year of the Comet
-
Acted in non-political French films
-
Discovered by talent scout
-
Joined Resistance in France and helped publish and distribute newspaper for the Underground