Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French-British actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is most famous for being cast as the villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, deputy police commissioner Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Abbot in The Name of the Rose (1986) and Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day (1993).

Early life and education Lonsdale was born in Paris, the natural son of British Army officer Edward Lonsdale Crouch and Simone Calderon (née Béraud).Qui est qui en France, Jacques Lafitte, 2008, p. 1433 He was brought up initially on the island of Jersey, then in London from 1935, and later, during the Second World War, in Casablanca, Morocco.

Career He returned to Paris to study painting in 1947, but was drawn into the world of acting instead, first appearing on stage at the age of 24. Lonsdale was bilingual, and appeared in both English-language and French-language productions. He appeared in a starring role with Roger Moore in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker. and with Sean Connery, in the 1986 film The Name of the Rose. He would later appear in Munich (2005), a film that also starred another Bond actor, Daniel Craig.

In February 2011, he won a César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Of Gods and Men.

Lonsdale was also the author of ten books.

Personal life and death As a practising Roman Catholic, he joined the Charismatic Renewal movement in the 1980s and was close to the Emmanuel Community.Michel Lonsdale, the Artist in love with God Emmanuel.info 2020Michael Lonsdale, Bond villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker, dies aged 89 Theguardian.com 2020

In his 2016 memoir Le Dictionnaire de Ma Vie, Lonsdale revealed he had fallen for Delphine Seyrig, having met her as a student in Tania Balachova's acting classes at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in 1947. He wrote that "it was her or nothing", which was why he never married.

Lonsdale died in Paris on 21 September 2020, aged 89.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1956 It Happened in Aden Sinclair 1960 La main chaude Nobert Les portes claquent Georges Hortegrenave 1962 Adorable Liar Albert Le Crime ne paie pas L'employé de la morgue (segment "L'homme de l'avenue"), Uncredited La dénonciation Mercier Snobs! Charles Dufaut The Trial Priest 1964 Behold a Pale Horse Reporter Jealous as a Tiger L'automobiliste qui grimace 1965 Les copains Lamenbin Je vous salue, mafia! Hyman 1966 Your Money or Your Life Le conférencier au club des timides Is Paris Burning? Debu-Bridel Uncredited Judoka-Secret Agent Thomas Perkins Le fer à repasser 1967 Les compagnons de la marguerite Lastac / Lataque, expert en écritures / La voix du juge d'instruction L'authentique procès de Carl-Emmanuel Jung Un avocat 1968 L'homme à la Buick L'inspecteur / The inspector The Bride Wore Black René Morane Stolen Kisses Georges Tabard La grande lessive! Delaroche 1969 Hibernatus Professor Edouard Lauriebat Détruire, dit-elle Stein L'hiver Julien & Marc 1970 L'étalon Both Le revolver et la rose Philippe de la Tour / Dimitri Korkesky 1971 Le printemps L'homme qui fuit Murmur of the Heart Father Henri Les Assassins de l'ordre Commissioner Bertrand Out 1 Thomas Papa les petits bateaux... Hippolyte Jaune le soleil Un juif 1972 The Old Maid Monod Il était une fois un flic... Le commissaire Lucas Chut! Sergel L'automne Julien, le réalisateur Out 1: Spectre Thomas 1973 The Day of the Jackal Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel La fille au violoncelle Philippe Lariel Les grands sentiments font les bons gueuletons Stéphane 1974 Successive Slidings of Pleasure The Judge La grande Paulette Paul Stavisky Docteur Mézy By Alain Resnais La vérité sur l'imaginaire passion d'un inconnu Le reporter TV / Ponce Pilate Une baleine qui avait mal aux dents Le peintre Caravan to Vaccarès Duc de Croyter The Phantom of Liberty Le chapelier / Hatter Un linceul n'a pas de poches Raymond The Suspects Le juge Souftries 1975 Serious as Pleasure L'inspecteur Fournier / Inspector Fournier Galileo Cardinal Barberini, later Pope Urban VIII Aloïse The second doctor Special Section Le ministre de l'intérieur Pierre Pucheu La traque David Sutter The Romantic Englishwoman Swan India Song Le vice-consul de Lahore Folle à tuer Stéphane Mostri The Pink Telephone Morrison Ne 1976 Scrambled Eggs Le Président de la République Mr. Klein Pierre Her Venetian Name in Deserted Calcutta Récitant Voice Bartleby L'huissier L'Eden Palace Raoul 1977 Le diable dans la boîte Georges Aubert L'adieu nu Boris / The visitor The Accuser Abéraud The Left-Handed Woman Kellner Aurais dû faire gaffe... le choc est terrible Une sale histoire Documentary Jacques Prévert Himself 1979 The Passage Alain Renoudot Moonraker Hugo Drax Ève avait l'éclat métallique de l'été 1980 Seuls Le peintre Ella, une vraie famille Le comédien studio d'enregistrement 1981 The Bunker Martin Bormann TV movie Chariots of Fire Garth Jones The Games of Countess Dolingen Bertrand Haines-Pearson Seuls Ludovic 1982 Le rose et le blanc Léon Sweet Inquest on Violence Ash, le financier Chronopolis Narrator Voice Mora As writer Enigma Bodley 1983 Eréndira Senator Onésimo Sanchez Une jeunesse Bejardy 1984 The Judge Le Docteur Good King Dagobert Saint Eloi Les Boulugres Le Roi Voice 1985 The Holcroft Covenant Ernst Manfredi The Insomniac on the Bridge Antoine Billy Ze Kick Commissaire Bellanger 1986 Canevas la ville Voice The Name of the Rose The Abbot 1987 Tanzmann L'enfant et le président Le président 1988 The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober Le maître 1989 Souvenir Xavier Lorion L'homme de terre Narrator Voice Cela s'appelle l'amour Himself 1991 My Life Is Hell Gabriel By Josiane Balasko 1993 Woyzeck Le capitaine L'ordre du jour Stark The Remains of the Day Dupont D'Ivry 1995 Jefferson in Paris Louis XVI Nelly and Mr. Arnaud Dolabella 1996 The Human Plant Michel 1997 Mauvais genre Honoré de Balzac 1998 Don Juan Don Luis Let There Be Light Monseigneur Loublié By Arthur Joffé Ronin Jean-Pierre 1999 A Monkey's Tale Master Martin Voice 2000 Actors Man in the street By Bertrand Blier Ceux d'en face Mikaël 2003 The Mystery of the Yellow Room Stangerson Kaena: The Prophecy Opaz Voice, French version Adieu Serge Le Furet Don Salvadore 2004 L'empreinte Romain Dessouches Strange Crime David 5x2 Bernard By François Ozon 2005 Les invisibles Le gardien Bye Bye Blackbird Robert The Perfume of the Lady in Black Le professeur Stangerson Good Girl Jean Selon Rachel Munich Papa 2006 Il sera une fois... Le vieux monsieur Goya's Ghosts Father Gregorio 2007 Heartbeat Detector Mathias Jüst To Each His Own Cinema The old blind man (segment "Le Don") The Last Mistress Le vicomte de Prony Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure Bartleby Voice 2009 Agora Theon Je vais te manquer Max Park Benches The Client doormat 2010 Of Gods and Men Luc César Award for Best Supporting ActorGlobes de Cristal Award for Best Actor Hitler à Hollywood Himself 2011 Titeuf Le psy Voice Free Men Le recteur Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit The Cardboard Village Il vecchio prete 2012 Gebo and the Shadow Gebo By Manoel de Oliveira 2013 Le renard jaune Jean Virno 2014 Rosenn Voice Maestro Cédric Rovère 2015 Les filles au Moyen Âge Daniel 2016 The First, the Last Jean-Berchmans Sculpt (final film role)

Television Year Title Role Notes 1982 Smiley's People Anton Grigoriev TV miniseries 1986 Le Tiroir secret TV miniseries 1991 Maigret ("Maigret et la Grande Perche") Monsieur Serre TV series 2001 Maigret ("Maigret et la Croqueuse de Diamants") Sir Lampson TV series 2013Marguerite Yourcenar, alchimie du paysageThe NarratorTV documentary Le tourbillon de Jeanne L'homme TV series

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2008 Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon Henri Crousteau Voice-over 2012 007 Legends Hugo Drax Voice-over

References

External links