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Michael Lonsdale
Lonsdale in 2013
Born	Michael Edward Lonsdale-Crouch (1931-05-24)24 May 1931 Paris, France
Died	21 September 2020(2020-09-21) (aged 89) Paris, France
Other names	Michel Lonsdale
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1955–2016

Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French and British actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is best known in the English-speaking world for his roles as the villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, the detective Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal, The Abbot in The Name of the Rose and Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day.

Early life and education

Lonsdale was born in Paris, the natural son of British Army officer Edward Lonsdale Crouch and Simone Calderon (née Béraud). 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, a film that also starred another Bond, 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

A practising Roman Catholic, he was close to the Emmanuel Community.

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

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Film

Television

Video games

References

1. ^ Mes Étoiles: les rencontres qui ont éclairé mon chemin, Michael Lonsdale and Patrick Scheyder, Bayard, 2018
2. "Michael Lonsdale et Jeanne-Marie Conquer". Maison internationale des Poètes et des Écrivains de Saint-Malo. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
3. Rédaction, La; le 21/09/20 17:00, Mis à jour. "Mort de Michael Lonsdale : retour sur ses plus grands rôles". linternaute.com (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Michael Lonsdale, icône du cinéma et du théâtre, est mort". L'Obs (in French). 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
5. Canby, Vincent (29 June 1979). "Moonraker (1979) MOONRAKER". The New York Times.
6. Qui est qui en France, Jacques Lafitte, 2008, p. 1433
7. "Michael Lonsdale – Bond villain in Moonraker – dies, aged 89". Radio Times. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
8. ^ Goodman, Lanie (3 December 2010). "A gentle screen giant subtly shines". The Wall Street Journal.
9. "Les Inrocks - Michael Lonsdale" (in French). Retrieved 28 September 2013.
10. Allen Kim (21 September 2020). "Michael Lonsdale, actor who played Bond villain in 'Moonraker,' dies at 87". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
11. "Michael Lonsdale obituary". The Guardian. 22 September 2020.
12. "Michael Lonsdale, Bond Villain in 'Moonraker,' Dies at 89 | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 21 September 2020.
13. ^ "Michael Lonsdale – Actor". mubi.com. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
14. ^ "Michael Lonsdale obituary". the Guardian. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
15. ^ Pulver, Andrew (21 September 2020). "Michael Lonsdale, Bond villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker, dies aged 89". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
16. ^ "Michael Lonsdale movie reviews & film summaries | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
17. ^ "Bond villain actor Michael Lonsdale dies aged 89". BBC News. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
18. Allen Kim (21 September 2020). "Michael Lonsdale, actor who played Bond villain in 'Moonraker,' dies at 87". CNN. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
19. "Michael Lonsdale obituary: French actor dies at 89". Legacy.com. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.

External links

• Michael Lonsdale at IMDb

• 1931 births
• 2020 deaths
• French male stage actors
• French male film actors
• French male television actors
• French people of English descent
• French people of Irish descent
• French Roman Catholics
• Male actors from Paris
• Best Actor Lumières Award winners
• 20th-century French male actors
• 21st-century French male actors
• Best Supporting Actor César Award winners