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Philippe Leroy

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For the politician with the same name, see Philippe Leroy (politician).
Philippe Leroy
Leroy in La nuora giovane (1975)
Born
Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu

(1930-10-15)15 October 1930
Paris, France
Died1 June 2024(2024-06-01) (aged 93)
Rome, Italy
OccupationActor
Years active1960–2019
Spouses
Françoise Laurent
​
(divorced)​
​
​
(m. 1990; died 2022)​
Children3; including Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu
Military career
Allegiance France
Service / branchFrench Foreign Legion
Years of service1953–1960
Rank Captain
Commands2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
Battles / warsFrench Indochina War
Algerian War
Awards Chevalier Légion d'Honneur
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
Croix de Guerre des Theatres d'Operations Exterieurs
Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Indochine

Philippe Marie Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (15 October 1930 – 1 June 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1960 and 2019, and worked extensively in Italian cinema, as well as in his native country.[1]

After an early career as a paratrooper in the French Foreign Legion,[2][3] Leroy made his film debut at the age of 30 in Jacques Becker’s The Hole (1960), earning a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Actor. During the following two decades, he appeared in many films as both a leading man and a supporting player. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for playing the title role in the Italian miniseries The Life of Leonardo da Vinci (1971).

Leroy also became well-known to television audiences for playing Yanez De Gomera in Sandokan (1976), based on the Emilio Salgari novels of the same name. Later in life, he played a recurring role on the long-running series Don Matteo. His last film role was at the age of 88.

He was also the father of actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu.

Early life

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Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu was born in Paris on 15 October 1930 to an aristocratic family;[2][4] his ancestors included economist Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu, historian Henri Jean Baptiste Anatole Leroy-Beaulieu, and architect Jean-François Leroy.[5] At the age of 17, he started working on an ocean liner,[2][4] and spent a year abroad in New York City.[citation needed] He worked several oddjobs, including as a sailor and a circus performer.[2]

Military service

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In 1953, Leroy served as a paratrooper in the "18e régiment de chasseurs parachutistes" in the French Indochina War. He later became a reservist, and served in the Algerian War as a 2nd Lieutenant.[2][3] He was awarded two decorations of the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, a Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures, and the Cross for Military Valour for his service.[6] He retired as a captain.[4][6]

Acting career

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Leroy in Gang War in Milan (1973)

Leroy made his acting debut in 1960, starring as Manu Borelli in Jacques Becker’s last movie, the crime film The Hole,[7] an adaptation of José Giovanni's 1957 book The Break.[7][8] His performance won international recognition,[4] and he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor at the 15th British Academy Film Awards in 1962.[9]

In 1961, Leroy moved to Italy;[3] he subsequently met and became friends with film director Vittorio Caprioli and actress Franca Valeri,[4][6] the former of whom offered him a role in his film Leoni al sole.[3][4] In the same year, he also starred in Riccardo Freda's crime film Caccia all'uomo.[2] After settling permanently in Italy, he went on to starr in various films, such as Gianfranco De Bosio's The Terrorist (1963),[10] Marco Vicario's Seven Golden Men (1965),[3][6] Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter (1974) and Luigi Comencini's The Cat.[10] However, he also kept working in French productions, including Jean-Luc Godard's A Married Woman (1964) and Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita (1990).[3][10]

He also rose to prominence for his involvement in several TV fictions, most notably including Renato Castellani's The Life of Leonardo da Vinci (1971), where he starred as the Italian polymath, and Sergio Sollima's Sandokan (1976), where he played the role of Yanez de Gomera.[3][4]

In 2007, he starred in Dario Argento's Mother of Tears, the concluding installment of horror movie trilogy The Three Mothers;[3][10] in 2019, he made his last film appearance in Gianfrancesco Lazotti's La notte è piccola per noi.[3]

Personal life

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Leroy married Italian journalist Silvia Tortora in 1990; the couple stayed together until her death on 10 January 2022.[11] They had two children; Philippe and Michelle. He also had another child, actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, from a previous marriage.[citation needed]

In his later life, Leroy took up parachuting as a hobby.[6][12] He was a member of the parachuting division of the SS Lazio sports club, as well as a supporter of their football team. In 2010, during the Rome Parashow, he celebrated his 80th birthday by jumping out of a plane.[citation needed] In April 2011, at the age of 81, he spent 12 days in Afghanistan with Italian paratroopers as a special correspondent.[6][13]

Death

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Leroy died in Rome on 1 June 2024, at the age of 93.[2][3]

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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References

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  1. ^ "Philippe Leroy". Allocine. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Addio all'attore francese Philippe Leroy, i funerali mercoledì a Roma". Rai News (in Italian). 1 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "È morto l'attore francese Philippe Leroy, noto per i suoi ruoli in "Sandokan", "La vita di Leonardo da Vinci" e "Don Matteo"". Il Post (in Italian). 2 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Spettacoli. È morto Philippe Leroy, gentiluomo prestato al cinema". Avvenire (in Italian). 1 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Family tree of Philippe LEROY-BEAULIEU". Geneanet. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Sollazzo, Boris (1 June 2024). "È morto Philippe Leroy, la cui vita (e carriera) è stata eroica e avventurosa come quella del suo Yanez". The Hollywood Reporter Roma (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b Turan, Kenneth (31 August 2017). "Review: A prison-break classic is beautifully restored in Jacques Becker's 'Le Trou'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  8. ^ Brady, Richard (22 June 2017). "The Hole Le Trou". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Film in 1962". BAFTA Awards. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Dose, Nicoletta. "Philippe Leroy". MYmovies.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  11. ^ "È morta a 59 anni la giornalista Silvia Tortora, figlia di Enzo Tortora". Il Post. 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Tanti Auguri Philippe" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Philippe Leroy in Afghanistan con i para'". ANSA (in Italian). Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  14. ^ Curti 2015, p. 115.

Bibliography

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  • Curti, Roberto (2015). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957–1969. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476619897.
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