Cowl, Darry

(André Darricau / August 27, 1925, Vittel, Vosges, France - February 14, 2006, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France)

   After studying music at the Paris Conservatory, he became a barroom piano player before making his acting debut in Parisian cabarets. He wasted his real talent starring or co-starring in cheap comedies of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (more than 120 movies from 1955 Bonjour Sourire, Claude Sautet, to 2005 La Vie privée, Zina Modiano) with some notable exceptions (1957 Les Trois font la Paire, Sacha Guitry, Clément Duhour; Assassins et Voleurs / UK: Murderers and Thieves / USA: Lovers and Thieves, Sacha Guitry; 1965 Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine / L'uomo di Hong Kong / UK and USA: Up to His Ears / USA: Chinese Adventures in China, Philippe de Broca, France / Italy; 1974 Touche pas à la Femme blanche / Non toc-care la donna bianca / US video: Don't Touch the White Woman, Marco Ferreri, France / Italy; 1999 Augustin, Roi du Kung-Fu / USA: Augustin, King of Kung-Fu, Anne Fontaine; 2003 Pas sur la Bouche / USA: Not on the Lips, Alain Resnais, France / Italy). He wrote the dialogue of a Jean Delannoy segment ("La Répétition") of Le Lit à Deux Places / Racconti a due piazze / USA: The Double Bed (France / Italy). Other credits (as composer): 1967 Ces Messieurs de la Famille (Raoul André); 1969 Le Bourgeois Gentil Mec (Raoul André); 1970 Ces Mes­sieurs de la Gâchette (Raoul André); 1973 Le Concierge (Jean Girault); 1976 Le Jour de Gloire / Ein Priester, ein Panzer und ein Haufen muder landser (Jacques Besnard, France / West Germany); 1977 Arrête ton Char . . . Bi-dasse! / Oh, la-la—Die kleinen Blonden sind da (Michel Gérard, France / West Germany); 1978 Général . . . nous voilà! (Jacques Besnard). He authored two auto­biographies: 1996 Débit de Paroles (L'Archipel); 2005 Mémoires d'un Canaillou (Editions Numéro I).

 Filmography

1964 ◘ Jaloux comme un Tigre (co-director with Mau­rice Delbez; also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, co-composer, actor)