Guy Marchand (22 May 1937 – 15 December 2023) was a French actor, musician, and singer. He appeared in over 100 films in over 30 years, but was best known for his role as the fictional television private detective Nestor Burma.
Contents
Life and career
Guy Émile Marchand was born in Paris, 19th arrondissement, the son of a scrap merchant and a housewife and grew up in Belleville, during the Occupation and contracted tuberculosis at the age of ten. Spending time in Sarthe in the country he learned to ride and kept a love of horses throughout his life. In Paris, he regularly went to the Danube cinema. While at the Lycée Voltaire secondary school in Paris he played the clarinet in night clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
His military service was in an airborne troops division at the École des troupes aéroportées (BETAP) in Pau, becoming a sous-lieutenant – parachutist. He was assigned to the 3rd foreign infantry regiment as liaison officier during the Algerian war. As a parachute officer he was an advisor for the film Le Jour le plus long and entered the world of cinema. He made around 60 parachute jumps in his life.
His first success however was as a crooner, with a popular hit of 1965 La Passionata, followed by other albums and singles.
His film career mainly saw him in supporting roles; an inspector opposite Lino Ventura in Garde à vue, by Claude Miller won him a César in 1982 and the same year he was in Nestor Burma, détective de choc, by Jean-Luc Miesch, where Michel Serrault took the title role, but which Marchand later interpreted for over ten years in the television series Nestor Burma.
Other important roles included Coup de torchon by Bertrand Tavernier (1981), with Philippe Noiret, Cousin, Cousine, by Jean-Charles Tacchella (1975), and a cynical provincial garage man in L'été en pente douce, by Gérard Krawczyk (1987).
He published an autobiography entitled Le Guignol des Buttes-Chaumont in 2007 in which he wrote of his childhood, experiences in Algeria, his singing career and love for cars. Marchand died in Cavaillon on 15 December 2023, at the age of 86.
Selected filmography
1962: The Longest Day as an extra (Uncredited)
1972: Une belle fille comme moi by François Truffaut: Roger (Sam Golden)
1975: Cousin Cousine, directed by Jean-Charles Tacchella: Pascal
1978: Holiday Hotel (L'Hôtel de la plage), directed by Michel Lang: Hubert Delambre
1979: Le Maître-nageur, directed by Jean-Louis Trintignant: Marcel Potier
1980: Loulou, directed by Maurice Pialat: André
1981: Garde à Vue, directed by Claude Miller: Inspecteur Marcel Belmont (César for best supporting actor)
1981: Coup de Torchon, directed by Bertrand Tavernier: Marcel Chavasson
1982: Les Sous-doués en vacances, directed by Claude Zidi: Paul Memphis
1983: Deadly Circuit, directed by Claude Miller: The pale man
1983: Entre Nous, directed by Diane Kurys: Michel Korski
1983: Der Mann von Suez (TV miniseries), directed by Christian-Jaque: Ferdinand de Lesseps
1984: P'tit Con, directed by Gérard Lauzier: Bob Choupon
1985: Hold-Up, directed by Alexandre Arcady: Georges
1986: Conseil de famille, directed by Costa-Gavras: Maximilien Faucon