Louis Jourdan

. As a former commando, expert skier, expert martial artist with multiple black belts, accomplished horseman, motorcycle racer, and having the ability to act many still consider him the quintessential James Bond. Partial filmography:. Today Lazenby enjoys motorcycle racing and playing golf. He is retired and living in the south of France. The couple had their first baby on 12 July 2004. Louis Jourdan has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6153 and 6445 Hollywood Blvd. In 2002 he married his second wife, the former tennis player Pam Shriver.

Louis Henry Jourdan was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. In the 1970s he worked in Hong Kong with Bruce Lee, and had a lunch appointment with Lee and Raymond Chow to discuss a major movie project when Lee suddenly died. Tragedy struck when his son died of a drug overdose in 1981. After the movie, Lazenby's agent talked him into refusing a seven movie contract on the grounds that the Bond character was passé; unsurprisingly, he describes this as the biggest mistake of his life. In later years, Jourdan appeared in a number of films, playing the part of the villain, including 1977's Count Dracula and in the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy, he was cast as "Kamal Khan," a Bond villain. Although it performed relatively poorly on release, in part thanks to a poor publicity campaign, the movie is now considered among the best of the series by many, but not all, fans of the Bond movie series; it is one of the best regarded by fans of Ian Fleming's novels. The film earned nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Hunt refusing to talk directly to him—and this in turn was caused by Lazenby (unaware of studio politics or Hunt's sensibilities) simply being too brusque in passing on a request for Hunt's friends to clear a set before filming.

However, he is best remembered as the romantic lead opposite Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier in the 1958 film version of the Colette novel, Gigi. According to Lazenby however, the difficulties were caused by director Peter R. During the 1950s, Louis Jourdan made several international films including playing the male lead in La Mariée est trop belle opposite Brigitte Bardot. It was later rumoured that he had been "difficult to work with" in this project. television debut as Inspector Beaumont in the series "Paris Precinct". His first serious acting role was as James Bond in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). He returned to Broadway for a short run in 1955 and that year made his U.S. By 1968, he was the highest paid model in the world (it is said that in 1967, he made £40,000 directly from modelling, and £60,000 from commercials and product endorsements—equivalent to over a million pounds in 2004).

After a number of American films, his most notable work was in the 1954 light-hearted comedy-romance, Three Coins in the Fountain following which he made his Broadway debut in the lead role in the Billy Rose drama, The Immoralist. He moved to London in 1964, working as a car salesman and as a model, then as an actor in advertising. There, he became friends with several stars who shared his love of the game of croquet. He was born in Queanbeyan City (or Goulburn), New South Wales, and served in the Australian Army Special forces and as a military unarmed combat instructor. In 1947, Jourdan accepted an offer from a Hollywood studio to appear in The Paradine Case, an Alfred Hitchcock drama starring Gregory Peck. George Lazenby (born September 5, 1939) is an Australian actor. After the 1944 liberation of France by the Allies, Louis Jourdan married Berthe Frederique with whom he had a son. Espionage in Tangiers (1965).

Following the German occupation of France during World War II, he continued to make films but after refusing to participate in Nazi propaganda films, he joined the French Resistance. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). He made his film debut in 1939. Universal Soldier (1971). Born Louis Gendre in Marseille, France, he was educated in France, Turkey and England and trained as an actor at the Ecole Dramatique. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). Louis Jourdan (born June 19, 1919) is a French actor, known chiefly for his suave manner and good looks. The Newman Shame (1977).

Le Corsaire (1939). Death Dimension (1978). La Comédie du bonheur (1940). Saint Jack (1979). Premier rendez-vous (Her First Affair) (1941). Last Harem (1981). Parade en sept nuits (1941). General Hospital (1982) (TV Series).

La Belle aventure (Twilight) (1942). The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983) (TV series) (in which Lazenby plays a very Bond-like character called "JB".). Les Petites du quai aux fleurs (1944). Rituals (1984) (TV Series). La Vie de bohème (1945). Master Ninja VII (1984). The Paradine Case (1947). Master Ninja VI (1984).

Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948). Master Ninja V (1984). Madame Bovary (1949). Master Ninja II (1984). Bird of Paradise (1951). Never Too Young to Die (1986). Decameron Nights (1953). Hell Hunters (1986).

Paris Precinct (1953) TV Series. Superboy (1988) (TV Series). Three Coins in the Fountain (1954). Eyes of the Beholder (1992). The Swan (1956). Emmanuelle's Secret (1992). Julie (1956). Emmanuelle's Revenge (1992).

La Mariée est trop belle (Her Bridal Night) (1956). Emmanuelle's Perfume (1992). Escapade (1957). Emmanuelle's Magic (1992). Dangerous Exile (1957). Gettysburg (1993). Gigi (1958). Emmanuelle's Love (1993).

The Best of Everything (1959). Emmanuelle in Venice (1993). Can-Can (1960). Emmanuelle Forever (1993). Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) (1961). Twin Sitters (1994). Le Vergini di Roma (1961) (Amazons of Rome) (1963). Fox Hunt (1996).

Leviathan (1962). Star of Jaipur (1998). The V.I.P.s (1963). Gut Feeling (1999). Made in Paris (1966). The Pretender (1999-2000) (TV Series). Les Sultans (1966). Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000).

Cervantes (1967). Spider's Web (2001). To Die in Paris (1968) (TV). Sheer Bliss (2002). Fear No Evil (1969) (TV). Ritual of Evil (1970) (TV).

The Great American Beauty Contest (1973) (TV). The Man in the Iron Mask (1977) (TV). Count Dracula (1977) (TV). Silver Bears (1978).

The French Atlantic Affair (1979) TV Mini-series. Double Deal (1981). Swamp Thing (1982). Escape to Love (1982).

Octopussy (1983). Cover Up (1984) (TV). Beverly Hills Madam (1986) (TV). Grand Larceny (1987).

Escuadrón (1987) (Counterforce) (1987). The Return of Swamp Thing (1989). Year of the Comet (1992).