Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' (Marius, Fanny and César).
Life and career Born in Toulon in the Var department, Muraire made his stage debut there in 1899. After coming to the attention of the great music hall star Félix Mayol who was also from Toulon, in 1908 he was given a chance to work as a secondary act in the Paris theatre scene. He worked primarily in comedy. In 1916, writer/director Sacha Guitry gave him significant parts in productions at the Folies Bergère and other major venues. In addition to his appearances on stage, Raimu also developed a successful career in films, sometimes under the name Jules Raimu.
He starred in the premiere of André Messager's operetta Coups de roulis in 1928. The following year, already a leading actor, he gained wide acclaim for his starring role in the stage production of the Marcel Pagnol play Marius. Reluctantly, owing to his disappointment with his first film role many years earlier, he agreed to act in Guitry's film Le Blanc et le Noir and then reprised his Marius role on film a year later. By his late forties Raimu had become one of his country's most respected actors, and was considered the ultimate actor by Alec Guinness, Marlene Dietrich, Rod Steiger and Orson Welles.
Family He married Esther Metayer (1905-1977) in 1936. He had a daughter, Paulette Brun (1925-1992).
Death Raimu died of a heart attack on 20 September 1946, brought on by complications with anesthesia after a relatively minor leg operation, in the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, while he was asleep.
Legacy He was interred in the cemetery of Toulon, where the Cinéma Raimu Toulon has been named in his honor.
In 1961, the government of France honored him with his image on a postage stamp. A small museum created by his granddaughter Isabelle Nohain exists in the town of Cogolin in the Var department in France.
Partial filmography
Black and White (1931) - Marcel Desnoyers Marius (1931) - César Olivier Mam'zelle Nitouche (1931) - Célestin / Floridor The Chocolate Girl (1932) - Félicien Bédarride Fun in the Barracks (1932) - Le capitaine Hurluret Fanny (1932) - César Theodore and Company (1933) - Clodomir Charlemagne (1933) - Charlemagne Ces messieurs de la Santé (1934) - Gédéon Tafard (1934) - Monsieur Prosper Tartarin of Tarascon (1934) - Tartarin I Have an Idea (1934) - Aubrey School for Coquettes (1935) - Labaume Gaspard de Besse (1935) - Samplan The Secret of Polichinelle (1936) - M. Jouvenel The Brighton Twins (1936) - Alfred Beaugérard et les deux fils Achille The King (1936) - M. Bourdier - un riche industriel et sénateur qui reçoit le Roi César (1936) - César Ollivier Let's Make a Dream (1936) - Le mari Vous n'avez rien à déclarer? (1937) - Jules Papillot The Pearls of the Crown (1937) - L'industriel du midi Chaste Susanne (1937) - Monsieur des Aubrays Life Dances On (1937) - Francois Patusset Gribouille (1937) - Camille Morestan The Kings of Sport (1937) - Jules de l'Estaque Le fauteuil 47 (1937) - Juste Auguste Theillard The Strange Monsieur Victor (1938) - Victor Agardanne The New Rich (1938) - Legendre The Baker's Wife (1938) - Aimable Castanier Heroes of the Marne (1938) - Bernard Lefrançois Cocoanut (1939) - Loulou Barbentane Monsieur Brotonneau (1939) - M. Brotonneau Ultima giovinezza (1939) - Cesare Second Childhood (1939) - Georges The Man Who Seeks the Truth (1940) - Jean Vernet La Fille du puisatier (1940) - Pascal Amoretti Le duel (1941) - le Père Bolène Parade en sept nuits (1941) - Le curé Maffre - curé des Baux Les Inconnus dans la maison (1942) - Maître Hector Loursat L'Arlésienne (1942) - Marc Monsieur La Souris (1942) - Monsieur La Souris The Benefactor (1942) - Monsieur Moulinet Les petits riens (1942) - Charpillon Untel père et fils (1943) - L'oncle Jules Froment Le Colonel Chabert (1943) - Le colonel Hyacinthe Chabert Les gueux au paradis (1946) - Boule The Eternal Husband (1946) - Nicolas Trousotsky (final film role) Chantons sous l'Occupation (1976) - (archive footage)
References
External links
Raimu Museum