Claude Laydu Photo

Claude Laydu

Acting

0.5 Popularity Mar 10, 1927 (84 years old) Etterbeek, Belgium

Claude Laydu ([klod lɛjdy]; 10 March 1927 – 29 July 2011) was a Belgian-born Swiss actor on stage and in films. He was renowned for his performance in his film debut in the role of the young priest in Robert Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest (1951), which has been described as one of the greate...

Biography

Claude Laydu ([klod lɛjdy]; 10 March 1927 – 29 July 2011) was a Belgian-born Swiss actor on stage and in films. He was renowned for his performance in his film debut in the role of the young priest in Robert Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest (1951), which has been described as one of the greatest in the history of film.

Laydu was born and grew up in Brussels. He moved to Paris to study at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts. He became a member of Madeleine Renaud and Jean-Louis Barrault's company at the Théâtre Marigny, when he was selected by director Robert Bresson for his first role in a film, as the titular young priest in Diary of a Country Priest, based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Georges Bernanos. They met to discuss the role, and Laydu prepared by spending time in a monastery and losing weight.

While Bresson sometimes suggested acting got in the way of his moviemaking, Laydu, a practicing Catholic, "brought his own spirituality, instinctive presence and intense ascetic looks to the role." Claude Laydu's performance in the title role has been described as one of the greatest in the history of film. Jean Tulard, in his Dictionary of Film, wrote of him in this work, "No other actor deserves to go to heaven as much as Laydu."

Laydu's next film, Le Voyage en Amérique (Trip to America, 1951), was a light comedy, but he was seen to have an austere style. His next film was Au Coeur de la Casbah (Heart of the Casbah, 1952), where he struggled in an affair; he played a lawyer of a man condemned to death in Nous Sommes Tous des Assassins (We Are All Murderers), the director André Cayatte's protest against the death penalty; and in Le Chemin de Damas (The Road to Damascus), Laydu played Saint Etienne (Saint Stephen). He played roles as a priest in La Guerra de Dios (I Was a Parish Priest, 1953) and as the title character, the Russian Orthodox Rasputin (1954).

Over the next decade, Laydu worked in film steadily until Mafia alla sbarra (1963). His only two film projects after that were Le Destin de Priscilla Davies (1979) and Nounours (1995), which he co-wrote with his wife, Christine. In 1962 he and his wife developed a puppet show for television, called Bonne nuit les petits (Good Night, Little Ones). Five minutes long, it was shown nightly and its characters Nounours, Pimprenelle and Nicolas became known by generations of French children, as it was produced for more than a decade. Laydu performed the voice of the Sandman, who spoke the title each night. Laydu and his wife revived it in 1995 as Nounours and it ran for several years. There was associated development and marketing of numerous related books, records, videos and dolls. He and co-star Linette Lemercier (who voiced Oscar) were the only ones who reprised their roles in the reboot series. The show became very popular in Canada as it airs on Ici Radio-Canada Télé right before Le Téléjournal Ce Soir.

Filmography 21

2018
Bonne nuit les tipeu Movie

as Ulysse (voice)

1963
Mafia alla sbarra Movie

as Giovanni

1962
Bonne nuit les petits TV

as Le Marchand de sable (voice)

1962
1961
Italienisches Capriccio Movie

as Carlo Goldoni

1960
The Dialogue of the Carmelites Movie

as Knight of Force

1957
The Wheel Movie

as Roland Pelletier

1956
Altair Movie

as Mario Rossi

1955
Price of Love Movie

as Pierre Ménard

1954
Attila Movie

as Valentiniano Caesar

1954
Symphony of Love Movie

as Franz Schubert

1954
Rasputin Movie

as Héliodore

1953
Napoleon Road Movie

as Pierre Marchand

1953
Good Lord Without Confession Movie

as Roland Dupont

1953
I Was a Parish Priest Movie

as Andrés

1952
The Road to Damascus Movie

as Etienne

1952
We Are All Murderers Movie

as Philippe Arnaud

1952
Heart of the Casbah Movie

as Michel

1951
Trip to America Movie

as François Soalhat

Photos 1

Claude Laydu Photo

Personal Details

Known For Acting
Gender Male
Birthday March 10, 1927 (84 years old)
Died July 29, 2011
Place of Birth Etterbeek, Belgium
Years Active 1951 - 2018
Popularity 0.5
Career Stats
21 Total Credits
18 Movie Roles
1 TV Roles
1 Photos