Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Zappy Max(1921-2019)

  • Actor
  • Voice Actor - Dubbing
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Zappy Max
Dynamic Zappy Max was one of the most popular radio hosts in France and Belgium from the 1950's until the 1970's. He worked for Radio Luxembourg (now RTL) and Radio Monte Carlo (RMC); his partner was Mr. Champagne. He also appeared in several French films, often as himself.

Zappy Max is the pseudonym of Maxime Doucet, who was born in Paris in 1921. His father gave him a passion for the music-hall. There he began his career as a singer with the orchestra of Jacques Hélian, with whom he remained for three years. He then advanced to radio, where he hosted game shows such as Quitte ou double (Double or Nothing) and Crochet radiophonique for Radio Circus, with whom he traveled all over France and Belgium. He did several radio serials: Vas-y Zappy (Go Zappy), Ça va bouillir (It Will Boil) and C'est parti mon Zappy (It's Gone My Zappy). His work at Radio Luxembourg ended in 1966 when it became RTL, but continued his radio career at Radio Monte Carlo (RMC) by hosting the game Quitte ou double (Double or Nothing) again from 1974 until 1982/1983.

Zappy Max performed in plays and in several films, making his film debut with a bit part in the anthology film Souvenirs perdus/Lost Souvenirs (1950, Christian Jacque) and appeared as himself in Quitte ou Double/Double or Nothing (1952, Robert Vernay). He had his first leading role in the comedy Faites-Moi Confiance/Trust Me (1954, Gilles Grangier). His other films include Les Chiffoniers d'Emmaüs/The Chiffoniers Emmaus (1955, Robert Darène) with Dany Carrel, Les lumières du soir/The Evening Lights (1956, Robert Vernay) with Gaby Morlay, and Printemps à Paris/Spring in Paris (1957, Jean-Claude Roy) starring Dominique Boschero. His last film appearance was in the drama Outremer/Overseas (1990, Brigitte Roüan) with Nicole Garcia.

Zappy Max published his memoirs in Ça va bouillir/It Will Boil! (2000) and in L'âge d'or de la radio/ The Golden Age of Radio (2004). He was awarded the Prix Jean Nohain in 2005. A comedy entitled Zappy Max: ça va bouillir/Zappy Max: It's Going to Boil was written by Maurice Tillieux for the journal Pilote in 1959, and was republished in 2010 by Editions de l'Élan. That year Max also published a new book about his passion for the music-hall: Mes GEANTS du music-hall/My GIANTS of the Music-Hall. Indefatigable, he announced a new book, Mes Z d'or... Mémoires d'un cinéphile My Golden Z ... Memoirs of a film buff, with portraits of his favorite actors.
BornJune 23, 1921
DiedJune 16, 2019(97)
BornJune 23, 1921
DiedJune 16, 2019(97)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Known for

Mel Blanc, Edward Brophy, Cliff Edwards, Verna Felton, Noreen Gammill, Dorothy Scott, Sarah Selby, and Margaret Wright in Dumbo (1941)
Dumbo
7.2
  • Voice Actor - Dubbing(French (France), segment "Singing Voice", 1947 Release)
  • 1941
Mel Blanc, Walter Catlett, Frankie Darro, Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Charles Judels, Christian Rub, and Evelyn Venable in Pinocchio (1940)
Pinocchio
7.4
  • Voice Actor - Dubbing(French (France), 1946 Original)
  • 1940
Jacques Balutin, Darry Cowl, Jean Lefebvre, Jacqueline Maillan, Maria Pacôme, Fernand Raynaud, and Michel Roux in Au théâtre ce soir (1966)
Au théâtre ce soir
7.7
TV Series
  • Loiseau
  • Sopranelli
Trust Me! (1954)
Trust Me!
4.5
  • Happy Max
  • 1954

Credits

IMDbPro

Actor



  • Overseas (1990)
    Overseas
    6.3
    • Le père
    • 1990
  • Feux de nuit
    Short
    • 1978
  • Jacques Balutin, Darry Cowl, Jean Lefebvre, Jacqueline Maillan, Maria Pacôme, Fernand Raynaud, and Michel Roux in Au théâtre ce soir (1966)
    Au théâtre ce soir
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Loiseau
    • Sopranelli
    • 1969–1973
  • Les saintes chéries (1965)
    Les saintes chéries
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Le beau-frère
    • 1968
  • Amour, autocar et boîtes de nuit (1960)
    Amour, autocar et boîtes de nuit
    • Hélios
    • 1960
  • Printemps à Paris (1957)
    Printemps à Paris
    3.4
    • Zappy Max
    • 1957
  • Les lumières du soir (1956)
    Les lumières du soir
    • Dario
    • 1956
  • Les chiffonniers d'Emmaüs (1955)
    Les chiffonniers d'Emmaüs
    6.0
    • En personne
    • Self
    • 1955
  • Diabolique (1955)
    Diabolique
    8.1
    • Lui-même - Voix radio (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Trust Me! (1954)
    Trust Me!
    4.5
    • Happy Max
    • 1954
  • Quitte ou double (1952)
    Quitte ou double
    5.1
    • Zappy Max
    • 1952
  • Lost Souvenirs (1950)
    Lost Souvenirs
    6.4
    • (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Coeur de coq (1946)
    Coeur de coq
    6.0
    • Un musicien de l'orchestre (uncredited)
    • 1946

Voice Actor - Dubbing



  • Mel Blanc, Edward Brophy, Cliff Edwards, Verna Felton, Noreen Gammill, Dorothy Scott, Sarah Selby, and Margaret Wright in Dumbo (1941)
    Dumbo
    7.2
    • Jim Corbeau (French (France), segment "Singing Voice", 1947 Release)
    • 1941
  • Mel Blanc, Walter Catlett, Frankie Darro, Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Charles Judels, Christian Rub, and Evelyn Venable in Pinocchio (1940)
    Pinocchio
    7.4
    • Aboyeur (French (France), 1946 Original)
    • 1940

Soundtrack



  • Trust Me! (1954)
    Trust Me!
    4.5
    • lyrics: "Mon Scooter et Moi", "Faites-moi Confiance"
    • performer: "Le Bar-Tabac", "Mon Scooter et Moi", "Faites-moi Confiance", "Sans vous... c'est pas Drôle"
    • 1954
  • Gai Paris: Music-hall
    Short
    • performer: "Ah ! Quelle Histoire"
    • 1946
  • Gai Paris: Variétés
    Short
    • performer: "Ça Fait Chanter les Français"
    • 1946
  • Gai Paris: Vedettes de Paris
    Short
    • performer: "Mon p'tit Air"
    • 1946

Personal details

  • Born
    • June 23, 1921
    • Paris, France
  • Died
    • June 16, 2019
    • Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Did you know

  • Trivia
    There's a reference to his radio show in the film Les Diaboliques: Simone Signoret's tenants are listening to Zappy Max while their landlady is helping to murder her boyfriend.

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

You have no recently viewed pages
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.