Charles Buyer, an American actor with French roots, was born on August 28, 1899. He is a four-time Academy Award nominee. Find out more about him from this article.
The beginning of the creative path
After school, Buyer entered the Faculty of Philosophy at the Sorbonne, then studied music for several years at the Paris Conservatory. But soon he decided to become a theater actor, to play the main roles and after the performance to accept congratulations from fans. It was not vanity that spoke, Charles sincerely loved the art of Melpomene and decided to devote his whole life to the scene.
Nevertheless, Charles Buyer did not stop at the theater, he, among other things, was attracted by cinema. His debut on a large screen took place with him in 1920 in a low-budget film. The role of a novice actor was determined immediately, he began to play romantic characters.
Los Angeles
In 1929, actor Charles Buyer moved to Hollywood, where his career was developed. The creative activity of the actor was divided in two, he could not refuse the French directors who invited him to their film projects, and on the other hand, Hollywood and American films firmly entered the life of a young romantic.
In 1932, Charles Buyer, films with whose participation they watched with interest on both sides of the ocean, starred in the movie "The Red-haired Woman" with Jean Harlow, after which he left for France. While in Paris, Charles took part in the filming of the film "Lillion".
After finishing work, the actor returned to Hollywood, where he was waiting for three scenarios: "The Garden of Allah", "Caravan" and "Broken Heart". In the first film, Charles’s partner became actress Loretta Young, in “Caravan” the actor was brought together by Hollywood star Catherine Hepburn, and in the movie “Broken Heart” he starred with the world famous Marlene Dietrich.
Then Charles Buyer again ended up in France, where he played one of his best roles - Crown Prince Rudolph in the historical drama Mayerling from director Litvak Anatole.
After Myerling, the actor returns to the United States for many years. He starred with Gene Arthur in the film "History Made at Night" and with Greta Garbo in the film "Maria Valevskaya". Hollywood star Bette Davis made up a couple of the actor in the film "This is Paradise, too." With Irene Dunn, Charles starred in the movie Love Affair, with Joan Fontaine in the film Faithful Beauty, with Ingrid Bergman in the film Gas Light.
Conqueror's Role
In the fall of 1936, the film project "Conquest" was opened. The role of Napoleon was proposed by Bouillay, who considered this character to be arch-complicated and even compared his image with Jesus Christ not in favor of the latter. Charles Buyer even refused the role, so the Directorate Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had to raise the actor’s fee. Filming began and became a real shock for Greta Garbo, who for the first time felt that her partner was playing better than herself. Much to her chagrin, the critics were also merciless and placed Charles Buyer above the superstar Greta Garbo.
In 1938, the actor began to notice that his appearance was no longer so flawless, he began to quickly lose his hair, and a tummy appeared. The range of romantic roles narrowed significantly, but instead of an enviable appearance, Charles acquired that particular charm, a mysterious aura with a slight cynicism, which ensured him success in the forties.
Failures
When the Second World War ended, Buyer tried to give his career an international character, starred in different countries, however, the actor did not always succeed. The film "Arc de Triomphe" based on the eponymous novel by Erich Maria Remarque with Ingrid Bergman in the main female role failed at the box office.
After a series of unsuccessful film projects, Charles decided to turn to television.
In 1948, a significant event occurred in the life and career of Buyer, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.
The working schedule of the famous movie actor was very busy, and yet Buyer found the time to create the Four Stars on TV television company. And in 1966, the actor entered the star cast, participating in the filming of the military drama "Is Paris Burning?"
New York
In 1950 Buyer appeared on Broadway. He decided to try himself in the classics. The character chosen by Buyer turned out to be superclassical, it was Don Juan directed by George Bernard Shaw. The play was called Don Giovanni in Hell. Two years later, Charles Buyer became the winner of the Tony Award for this role.
And again, France
In 1964, the famous actor was elected vice president of the jury at the Cannes festival.
In 1966, Charles woke up his long-standing love of music. The actor decided to record a solo album entitled "Where is the love? Let's go!". The selection includes popular songs about high feelings that Charles sang. His performance was more like a whisper, but of great importance was the inimitable French accent, which gave a certain charm to the notes. It is known that Elvis Presley himself paid close attention to the album.
Personal life
Charles Buyer was married once, his chosen one was the British actress Pat Paterson, with whom the actor lived in love for exactly forty-four years. And when Pat passed away from cancer, the husband survived his wife for only two days. Unable to bear the grief, Charles committed suicide. It happened on August 26, 1978.
The last work of the actor was the film "Matter of Time" with Lisa Minnelli and Ingrid Bergman. Buyer played a major male role. The painting "Matter of Time" was shot two years before his tragic death.