René Dary (19 July 1905 – 6 October 1974) was a French film actor. Dary began his career as a child actor.
René Dary (19 July 1905 – 6 October 1974) was a French film actor. Dary began his career as a child actor.
Young Clément Mary, as was his original name, was born 18 July 1905 in Paris 6th arrondissement. He got his chance in the Spring of 1910 when he was only five. His father Abélard Mary had put in his head to go and promote himself and his two young kids as extras at the Gaumont studio. Mary, who had been an actor, had become a rundown clown in bars because of his gambling and kept things going with some furniture trade. He had set his hopes for his kids, and gambled well this time, as they were all hired for a peplum, Les Derniers Jours de Babylone. Young Clément's native playfulness, his histrionic acting making him older than he was, his borrowed street talk, and his ease on the set to charm everyone, from actors to technicians, soon began to attract the attention of producer-director Louis Feuillade. Feuillade tested him and designed a whole series around him, the Bébé series. All in all Mary would play in 74 Bébé comedies between 1910 and 1912, according to Braquet (76 between December 1910 and February 1913, according to Lacassin, while IMDb lists 73 titles), such as Bébé apache, Napoléon, Bébé et les cosaques, Bébé en Maroc etc. Feuillade permitted little Mary to do anything forbidden at home. Often his character would be a spoiled brat, have impossible tantrums and pester all adults around him, but he could also help children and old people in distress, showing his good heart after all. Often his mother would be played by Renée Carl, a leading Gaumont actress in her own. And often the child was placed in adult situations, as millionaire, marriage candidate or underworld 'apache'. For over two years Bébé was the best known child actor worldwide.
The extremely good box office made papa Mary wealthy too, but his money hunger caused also the downfall of his son. Abélard bought a small cinema in Ménilmontant and called it Bébé-Cinéma, counting on a franchise by Gaumont to show his son's films. This was the limit for Feuillade, who was already fed up with the pretense of the father's self-promotion as his son's manager and his continuous demands for raises for his son. Besides, Clément was reaching an age where his cuteness as child actor was passing. Already mid-1912 another young kid had been picked up in Belleville, near the studios, and had started as supporting actor to Clément in the film Bébé adopte un petit frère, but replaced him completely in March 1913 (February 1913, according to Francis Lacassin) under the character name of Bout-de-Zan (a name he already wore as Bébé's co-actor). Abélard went to court against Gaumont. The court ruled that the breach of contract was just, but also that Mary was allowed to continue acting as Bébé at Pathé's subsidiary Eclectic Films, and he did so until 1916. Yet, it was no competition for Gaumont's Bout-de-Zan. As Abel mentions, Bout-de-Zan was more plebeian while Bébé was 'au fond' bourgeois as type. Still, in the end Poyen did some 50 films for Gaumont, less than Mary.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0201833
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1112651
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Filmography (Movies)
Goto, Island of Love
Character:Gomor
Release Date:29/01/1969
Risky Business
Character:le maire
Release Date:21/12/1967
Fire of Love
Character:Marois
Release Date:28/04/1967
Horizon
Character:Father
Release Date:12/04/1967
A Trap for Cinderella
Character:Doctor Doulin
Release Date:22/10/1965
Operation Diplomatic Passport
Character:Head of the D.S.T.
Release Date:31/03/1965
Règlements de compte
Character:Brazier
Release Date:05/03/1963
Jusqu'à plus soif
Character:Bardin
Release Date:16/05/1962
Napoléon II, the Eagle
Character:Educator of the Duke
Release Date:01/11/1961
Daniella by Night
Character:Lanzac
Release Date:28/04/1961
Skin and Bones
Character:Director
Release Date:28/04/1961
L'Exécution
Character:Lavaur
Release Date:29/01/1961
The Loves of Hercules
Character:Il generale
Release Date:19/08/1960
The Delinquents
Character:Le Goff
Release Date:22/06/1960
Tonight We Kill
Character:Franz
Release Date:15/09/1959
Sins of Youth
Character:L'oncle Léon Bertier
Release Date:31/10/1958
Touchez Pas au Grisbi
Character:Henri Ducros dit Riton
Release Date:17/03/1954
Fugitive from Montreal
Character:Pierre Chambrac
Release Date:17/11/1950
A Certain Mister
Character:Le Pouce, membre de la bande
Release Date:24/05/1950
The Unknown N° 13
Character:Journalist René Savary
Release Date:21/06/1949
Suzanne and Her Brigands
Character:René Seguin
Release Date:15/06/1949
Five Red Tulips
Character:Pierre Lusanne
Release Date:23/03/1949
Cité de l'espérance
Character:Pierre Maufranc
Release Date:27/10/1948
Le diamant de cent sous
Character:Clive Morgan
Release Date:07/01/1948
The Fugitive
Character:Fred
Release Date:07/02/1947
120, rue de la Gare
Character:Nestor Burma
Release Date:06/02/1946
Bifur 3
Character:Georges
Release Date:29/08/1945
Children of Chaos
Character:Jean Victor
Release Date:26/04/1944
À la Belle Frégate
Character:René
Release Date:01/04/1943
Homeport
Character:René
Release Date:10/02/1943
Eight Men in a Castle
Character:Mr. Paladine
Release Date:09/12/1942
Mélodie pour toi
Character:
Release Date:11/11/1942
Forte tête
Character:René Rocher
Release Date:10/06/1942
After the Storm
Character:René Sabin
Release Date:02/01/1941
Moulin Rouge
Character:Lequérec
Release Date:08/12/1940
Le café du port
Character:René Mahy
Release Date:08/05/1940
L'Esprit de Sidi-Brahim
Character:Lieutenant Jean Varin
Release Date:08/12/1939
Nord-Atlantique
Character:Barnes, second in command
Release Date:13/04/1939
The Rebel
Character:Pimaï
Release Date:28/10/1938
Un fichu métier
Character:Jean-Paul
Release Date:05/10/1938
S.O.S. Sahara
Character:
Release Date:17/08/1938
The Postmaster's Daughter
Character:Captain
Release Date:03/03/1938
À nous deux, madame la vie
Character:Paul's lawyer (uncredited)
Release Date:26/03/1937
Hélène
Character:Marcel
Release Date:17/10/1936
Sidonie Panache
Character:
Release Date:19/10/1934
Bébé et Jeanne d'Arc
Character:Bébé
Release Date:10/01/1913
Tom Thumb
Character:Le petit Poucet
Release Date:31/10/1912
Bébé fait du spiritisme
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/10/1912
Napoléon, Bébé, and the Cossacks
Character:Bébé
Release Date:30/08/1912
Le Suicide de Bébé
Character:Bébé
Release Date:10/01/1912
Bébé soigné son père
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1912
Jimmy Pulls The Trigger
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1912
Bébé, victime d'une erreur judiciaire
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1912
Bébé veut payer ses dettes
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1912
Bébé juge
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1912
Bébé n’aime pas sa concierge
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1912
Bébé Corrects His Father
Character:Baby
Release Date:10/11/1911
Bébé roi de Rome
Character:Bébé
Release Date:05/11/1911
Bébé veut imiter Saint-Martin
Character:
Release Date:19/10/1911
Bébé Runs After His Watch
Character:Bébé
Release Date:26/05/1911
Bébé Runs After His Watch
Character:
Release Date:26/05/1911
Bébé a le béguin
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/05/1911
Bébé sur la Canebière
Character:Bébé
Release Date:10/02/1911
Bébé nègre
Character:Bébé
Release Date:20/01/1911
Baby Fisherman
Character:Bébé
Release Date:30/12/1910
Bébé apache
Character:Bébé
Release Date:24/12/1910
La Trouvaille de Bébé
Character:
Release Date:16/12/1910
Bébé's Masterpieces
Character:Bébé
Release Date:01/01/1910
Television Appearances
Images
