A leading French actor with a rich and varied career, Lambert Wilson has been on set for over 40 years. Heartbreaking as Abbé Pierre in Hiver 54, unleashed as the villain of the Matrix saga, surprising in Marsupilami, painful in Men and Gods, the man who recently played Commander Cousteau and General de Gaulle was also nominated for a César 7 times.
Although everyone knows him today, he still had everything to prove 44 years ago, when he first played a small role in a French production in the late 70s.
The son of famous actor George Wilson, who dreams of becoming an American actor, young Lambert already had a minor (but quite important) role in Fred Zinemann’s historical drama, Julia. A film where we could see her opposite Jane Fonda (and in which a certain Meryl Streep also took her first steps as an actress).
Lambert Wilson in “Julia”
Two years later, when he was only twenty years old, Lambert Wilson took part in the new opus of the very popular French franchise: Gendarmes and Aliens.
At the beginning of the film, when Louis de Funes and his teammates observe strange manifestations, because of which they suspect that the invaders have arrived from somewhere else, one of the aliens visits the gendarme right in the evening, so the latter (Maurice Risch’s role) is on duty. Sporting a youthful appearance in jeans and sneakers, this “Martian” is played by Lambert Wilson.
(Do you know which other famous actor is in this 1965 movie?)
“We bear no ill will towards your planet. Make it easy for us and we will be friends. We have sent a small scouting party to study Earth customs and behavior in our country. To mingle with the population.”– he exclaims in a metallic voice, uttering the first words of his career in a French feature film, before disappearing in a bright flash and changing form.
A few years later, Lambert Wilson would reunite with American director Fred Zinnemann in a far more significant role opposite Sean Connery in Five Days That Spring.
(re)discover this movie trailer…
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
