Trivia

His work on stage was recognized twice, notably with a Molière Award for Best Actor in 1988 for his role in "Je ne suis pas Rappaport ", directed by his friend Georges Wilson .

His passion for the theater caught up with him in the late 1930s when, as a student of Charles Dullin in Paris, he began performing on stage and in cabarets, gradually establishing himself with his offbeat texts and comic characters, the most famous of which remains Victorine, the maid who gives the tour of the castle.

Discovered by directors André Barsacq and Georges Vitaly, Dufilho performed almost continuously in classic plays and contemporary works for six decades, first as an extra and then as a leading actor.

In 1978 he received a César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Le Crabe-tambour" and in 1980 another one for his role in "Un mauvais fils".

His political convictions did not influence his artistic choices: he even went so far as to play the revolutionary Marat in the film "Marie-Antoinette reine de France", directed by Jean Delannoy in 1955. On the other hand, Jacques Dufilho refused a role in "Le Miraculé "by Jean-Pierre Mocky, not wanting to participate in a film that ridiculed the Christian faith and the miracles of Lourdes.

The actor was also known as a collector of Bugatti vintage cars.

On June 20, 1940 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant major effective the same day. Having become an assistant non-commissioned officer, he was forced a few weeks later to surrender to the overwhelming Wehrmacht, which had surrounded his unit. He spent about twenty days in a prisoner-of-war camp at Pont-Saint-Vincent , near Nancy. He would later receive the Croix de Guerre and then the Legion of Honour several years later.

Dufilho achieved great success in Harold Pinter 's "The Caretaker" in 1969, as well as in Charles Dyer 's "The Staircase", directed by Georges Wilson, with whom he would also stage "The Switchmen" and "Leopold the Beloved" .

Jacques Dufilho was a French actor. In cinema, he initially played minor comedic characters, alternating between forgotten commercial films and more ambitious productions where his roles made a lasting impression on audiences, notably in Yves Robert 's "War of the Button"s and Louis Malle 's "Zazie in the Metro".

Born into a wealthy family of pharmacists from southwestern France, Jacques Dufilho initially considered becoming a farmer.