Hossein, Robert

(Abraham Hosseinhoff / De­cember 30, 1927, Paris, France - )

   The son of composer André Hossein (1905-1983), he dropped out of high school to study acting with René Simon, Tania Balachova, Raymond Rouleau, and Jean Marchat. He performed onstage several of Jean-Paul Sartre's plays (Huis-clos; La P . . . respectueuse) and directed his own works (Les Voyous; Vous qui nous jugez). From 1948 (Aux Yeux du Souvenir, Jean Delan-noy) to 2007 (La Disparue de Deauville), he played in more than 100 films, including most of those he directed. He was adept at portraying tormented murderers, cursed heroes, and gangsters overhelmed with fate. He became the most popular French stage director, notably thanks to his monumental shows on Marie-Antoinette, Jesus, Charles de Gaulle, Napoléon Bonaparte, and Jean-Paul II. Autobiographical books: 1978 La Sentinelle aveugle (Grasset); 1981 Nomade sans Tribu (Fayard); 1987 En Désespoir de Cause (Plon); 2001 La Nostalge (Michel Lafon).

 Filmography

1956 ◘ Les Salauds vont en Enfer / USA: The Wicked Go to Hell (supervised by Georges Lampin; also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, actor)

        ◘ Lardonnez nos Offenses (also co-screenwriter, actor)

1959 ◘ Toi, le Venin / Nella notte cade il velo / UK: Night Is Not for Sleep / USA: Blonde in a White Car / Nude in a White Car (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist, actor)

        ◘ La Nuit des Espions / La notte delle spie / UK: Night Encounter / USA: Double Agents (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, actor; France / Italy)

1960 ◘ Les Scélérats (also co-adapter, actor)

        ◘ Le Goût de la Violence / Febbre di rivolta / Haut fur Haut (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, actor; France / Italy / West Germany)

1961 ◘ Le Jeu de la Vérité (also co-adapter, actor)

1964 ◘ La Mort d'un Tueur / Concerto per un assassino (also screenwriter, co-adapter, actor; France / Italy)

        ◘ Les Yeux cernés / Nuda per un delitto (also screenwriter, actor; France / Italy)

1965 ◘ Le Vampire de Dusseldorf / La belva di Dusseldorf / El asesino de Dusseldorf / USA: The Secret Killer (also co-screenwriter, actor; France / Italy / Spain)

1967 ◘ J'ai tué Raspoutine / Addio Lara / UK: I Killed Raspoutine / USA: Rasputin (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, actor; France / Italy)

        ◘ Une Corde, un Colt / Cimitero senza croci / USA: Cemetery Crosses / The Rope and the Colt (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; France / Italy)

        ◘ Point de Chute (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, actor)

1982 ◘ Les Misérables (also co-screenwriter, co-adapter)

1985 ◘ Le Caviar rouge (also co-author of original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, actor; France / Switzerland)