Louis de Funes is one of the most famous Frenchmen, this is a small man who became without exaggeration a big one. Many grew up on his films, such as Fantômas and the Gendarme of Saint-Tropez. He died more than 30 years ago, but this does not prevent him from being popular. The end of his career for all was a real surprise, because he turned into a gardener and died in his greenhouse.
So, let's begin. Louis de Funes is a symbol of France, but this does not prevent him from being a pureblooded Spaniard. His parents were Spanish immigrants, but he did not like to think about it, nor did he speak Spanish, because he wanted to forget about his difficult childhood.
The father of the famous comedian left the family and left for Spain, but he did not tell anyone about this, because he staged his murder and only a year later it became known that he lives in Spain, where he returned because he was ashamed that he did not in forces to support a family.
Eleanor, Louis's mother followed him and soon he returned, but was already sick with tuberculosis and soon died. The thought that his father fled to Spain because of poverty and left him, greatly influenced the boy's future life, he promised himself that his children would not need anything and he would never leave them. His own family in the future for him was above all, he gave her a lot of time.
After the death of his father, Louis was in a shelter, his mother gave it to him, because he had no money to support his family. The shelter, as is known, has its own rules and regulations, the little comedian was immediately told that he was different from everyone, because he was the youngest among his peers. He was always laughed at and joked about him, so he decided to turn his flaws into virtues. In school plays, he began to sharpen his talent of parody and this partly saved him from peer abuse, because he mixed them and was at the center of attention.
Over time, he realized that he would make money on what would make people laugh. After growing up (during the occupation of France he was a solfeggio teacher at a music school), he once found the love of his life - Jeanne Augustine de Barthelemy de Maupassant. A French aristocrat with refined manners and a son of poor Spanish immigrants - they have nothing in common, but feelings have flared up. Soon the couple wanted to marry, but Jeanne's relatives were against, because who is so poor Louis against the De Maupassant family.
Over time, the aristocrats gave the agreement for their wedding, but soon it became known that Louis was already married and had a child. As it became known, at the age of 22 the future comedian married Germaine Louise Elodi Carrooye, who soon gave birth to his son Daniel, but in 1942 they divorced. At that time he worked as a pianist in a cabaret and received a pittance (incidentally dreaming of becoming an actor and realizing his dream), and this woman did not like, because she believed that Louis's dreams were groundless and useless, and all the time he reproached him for being is not able to support the family, in the end Germain decided to look for the man who can well support the family and their ways parted.
When Jeanne found out that Louis had not yet divorced his first wife, it shocked her and the couple was on the verge of parting, but the wedding did take place (with one reservation that de Funes would not see either his first wife or with his son, and Louis agreed). Jeanne isolated de Funes from all that connected him with his first wife. Louis had to make a choice not in favor of the first child, but in favor of the woman who believed in him. Soon de Funes became the father of two sons - Patrick and Olivier.
It was Jeanne who became the woman who, by her belief in her husband's talent, made him a world-class superstar. Louis is already over 30, he has no chance to become an actor, but he still dreams about it. Everyone around said that he would not succeed, but she believed in him and encouraged him to go to the front. The second wife of the comedian had an iron character and she advised him to go to all events related to the film industry and there to establish ties and acquaintances. In this way, in 1946, Louis will fall into his first film (Barbizon temptation). The actor began with small roles and slowly knocked out the main ones.
At first, he liked very few of the director, and he was compared to a clown. Over the next 10 years, he was, as they say, stuck in the crowd and was forced to work part-time on several jobs to feed his family. Comedian did a lot of things: he was a decorator for showcases, he did sketching for car dealerships and so on. There was a lack of money and sharp savings on everything. In a small apartment for Jeanne and Louis, life became unbearable, but the wife never asked her husband to get rid of his dreams and find a highly paid job.
And finally, in 1958, when he was already far beyond 40, he received his main role in the film "Not caught, not a thief." Well, then it started, he was invited to the main roles, he saw the talent.
People really liked the heroes de Funes with an unbearable character, but kind in heart. Together with the first serious roles, great money came to him. After almost the entire life of distress, he became fabulously wealthy. From that moment on it was written about as the richest actor of France, while mentioning his stinginess. Almost all his life he always wanted and the habit of saving, as they say, became his second self.
At times he forced his children to return their purchases to the store and offered to buy something cheaper. Everyone considered him Scrooge, but very few people know that he was engaged in charity and bought Christmas toys for every Christmas. After he acquired the castle of Chateau de Clermont (once owned by his wife's family), he began to actively assist the money to all the service staff. After he acquired the castle of Chateau de Clermont, his wife's kin began to respect him and no longer criticized her choice.
The Château de Clermont now belongs to other people, but at that time it was the family nest de Funes. It is worth mentioning that de Funes spent his entire life communicating with his first son, although this was hiding in every possible way from his second family. He was always, when in the life of his son there were important moments, such as marriage, the birth of grandchildren, and so on. A comedian all his life was torn between two families, and after his death the relations between his relatives worsened even more. The second wife, wherever she was, hides in every way the fact that her husband had a family before her, and she did not even send an invitation to the funeral of the comedian to his first son.
The younger son of Louis had a handsome type of hero-lover and very often acted in film with his father in films, and de Funes dreamed that a whole dynasty of actors would be founded. Dream comedian about the acting dynasty collapsed when his youngest son confessed that he dreams to connect his life with the sky, but not with the stage. Grandson de Funes - Laurent, the son of his first child, nevertheless became an actor and continues his activities in this field.
The actor was almost 60 years old, at this age most retire, but he was just at the zenith of his popularity and tried to shoot even more to leave something behind him. He was constantly tense, because he took his profession very seriously, that's why he did not live long. All his roles, he rehearsed before his wife in the evening after work and she was always present at the shooting of the next film with his participation. Many did not understand their relationship, because Jeanne was everything to him - and his wife, and mother, and nanny, and agent. He was shot in 3-4 films a year, he was showered with offers, and more than once he was crippled during filming.
In 1975, he had a heart attack, and the doctors said that if he continues to play, he will just die. The actor could not imagine his life without a stage, despite the fact that he was hurt, he found the strength to do something new and was carried away by gardening, planted roses, and fished. Soon he was tired of these studies and he returned to the shooting, however, on the set there were many doctors, because he could at any moment die. In 1982, he starred in his latest film "The Gendarme and the Gendarmer."
After filming the film, he returned to his castle and again began courting his roses. It was cold and he was sick with the flu, which caused a new heart attack, after which the great comedian died. He was buried near the Château de Clermont.