Legendary Comic Actor’s Animated Performance Style, Says Pierre Mondy!

As a star of the “La Septième compagnie” series alongside his friend Jean Lefebvre, the esteemed Pierre Mondy was never shy about praising a French comedic actor whom he believed to possess extraordinary talent: Louis de Funès.

“Like a Cartoon”

“[He’s a fantastic clown] because he’s one of the actors – if not the actor – who performs like a cartoon character,” he stated in 1981 during an interview with RTBF. “He possesses such vivacity, strength, and internal rhythm… it feels like it’s drawn by Tex Avery. It’s delivered with total violence and efficiency, it’s crazy to that extent. (…) And it’s utterly genuine, on top of that. Like a cartoon: it has that deep impact, something we seldom see, and it sometimes takes you aback.”

“I directed him in ‘Oscar,’ where he had to talk about a little girl who doesn’t exist, his daughter, so he tried to convince his wife in front of a third person that she did exist, then he would mimic ‘the younger one, the younger one’ [acting out] braids, having her play hopscotch, banging a drum… you have to understand that for the other actors it’s paralyzing, they can do nothing, the action stops!”

“I Went to See Him”

“It’s all the more striking because I directed him in Oscar, but I created Oscar, with Belmondo and Maria Pacôme, we originated the play. It was a great success (…) but when he went on tour [in 1961, ed], (…) he took Oscar with him. He performed it at the Porte Saint Martin and I was playing right next door in Spéciale dernière at the Théâtre de la Renaissance adjacent to the Porte Saint Martin. I didn’t go on until the second part and I would go see him. He did incredible things: having played the role myself, directing it was fascinating for me.”

By a twist of fate in casting, Pierre Mondy and De Funès often appeared in the same films, usually without crossing paths. Notable examples include “Sans laisser d’adresse,” “Le Crime ne paie pas,” “Capitaine Pantoufle,” “La Vie à deux,” and “Ni vu ni connu,” among others.

They share a common link: Alexandre Astier. The creator of “Kaamelott” dedicated his series to Louis de Funès and cast Pierre Mondy in season 6.