Michel Serrault

Date of birth (location) 24 January 1928 Brunoy, Essonne, France As accomplished and versatile beloved French actor Michel Serrault has been, American audiences remember this actor for only one role -- that of the neurotic, flamboyant drag performer Albin (aka Zaza) in the French gay farce La Cage Aux Folles, one of America's largest cross-over European hits ever. A supremely talented performer who has appeared in hundreds of character studies over a five-decade career, he started his film career off debuting in Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic thriller Diabolique (1955) starring Simone Signoret. Born in Brunoy, France on January 24, 1928, Serrault began as a singing apprentice and member of Robert Dhery's theater troupe before focusing on movies in the mid-50s. With a chameleon-like approach to his work, he has proven himself not only a gifted and witty farceur but a compelling dramatic actor capable of going to the extreme depths of darkness in order to play a character. A successful partnership on stage and film with the late writer/actor Jean Poiret, which included La Cage Aux Folles, only enhanced his respect over the years. Serrault has seldom ventured outside the realm of Gallic filming, which explains why he is not a solid name in America. Serrault has been the recipient of many awards for his work. In France he has the distinction of being a three-time "Best Actor" César winner for the afore-mentioned La Cage Aux Folles (1978), The Inquisitor (1981) and, more recently, his retired judge in Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud (1995). Like fine wine, Serrault has aged well while continuing to stay on top of his craft. His later work includes such marvelous performances as a grifter alongside Isabelle Huppert in Claude Chabrol's The Swindle (1980), the titular serial killer in Dr. Petoit (1990), a white-haired old timer opposite former film icon Jeanne Moreau in The Old Lady Who Wades in the Sea (1991), and a dirt farmer in The Girl from Paris (2003).