Michel Galabru

Michel Louis Edmond Galabru was born on October 27, 1922, in the city of Safi in French-occupied Morocco. After studying at the French National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris, France, Galabru began what would become a prolific acting career with minor roles in French films like "La bataille du feu" (1949), "Letters from My Windmill" (1954), and "Riff Raff Girls" (1959). In the 1960s, Galabru began his tenure in a long line of military police officer-themed comedy films by director Jean Girault, the earliest of these entries being "La Gendarme of St. Tropez" (1964), "Gendarme in New York" (1965), "The Gendarme Gets Married" (1968), and "The Gendarme Takes Off" (1970). Showcasing his flair for the dramatic, Galabru starred in the historical crime film "The Judge and the Assassin" (1976), for which he won a Cesar Award for Best Actor. His next film series would begin with director Édouard Molinaro's acclaimed comedy "La Cage aux Folles" (1978), playing the highly conservative father of a young woman who is newly engaged to the son of two gay men. Galabru earned further acclaim for his roles in the Luc Besson comedic thriller "Subway" (1983) and the post-World War II dramatic comedy "Uranus" (1990). He continued to perform, albeit with less regularity, into the 1990s and 2000s. Among his final films were Katell Quillévéré's "Love Like Poison" (2010) and the Gérard Depardieu-starring comedy "Les invincibles" (2013). Galabru died of natural causes on Jan. 4, 2016.