Xavier Depraz

Xavier Depraz, né Xavier Marcel Delaruelle (22 April 1926 – 18 October 1994) was a French opera singer and actor.

Life

Born in Albert (Somme), Depraz was a bass at the Paris Opéra until 1971. He took part to the premieres of operas by Marcel Landowski and Sergei Prokofiev. It was relatively late in his life that he began a prolific career as a dramatic artist, first on television, where he played the role of Ursus in The man who laughs by Jean Kerchbron, then to the big screen. Very tall, dry, with an emaciated face and a deep tone, he effectively alternated the roles of soldiers, churchmen and thugs, testifying in all cases to a sobriety of play that is close to minimalism.

Career

Depraz entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1947 where he attended the classes of Fernand Francell for singing, Louis Musy for the stage and René Simon for theatre. He participated to the premieres of several operas: Marcel Landowski's Le Rire de Nils Halerius and Le Fou, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites and, in concert version, Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel. He also sang the main roles of his register in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle , Verdi's Rigoletto, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Massenet's Don Quichotte and Thaïs among others. He was appointed a professor of opera at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1973.

In 1971, he began a career as an actor in film and television. For Jean Kerchbron, he embodied the role of Ursus in the adaptation for television of Hugo's novel The Man Who Laughs and Jacques de Molay in Les Rois maudits. He also briefly appeared in L'Emmerdeur by Édouard Molinaro.

Depraz died in Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs (Isère) on 18 October 1994.

Filmography

Cinema

• 1971: Le Droit d'aimer by Éric Le Hung
• 1973: L'Emmerdeur by Édouard Molinaro: Louis Randoni
• 1973: Black Thursday by Michel Mitrani
• 1973: I Don't Know Much, But I'll Say Everything by Pierre Richard: General Deglane
• 1974: Cher Victor by Robin Davis
• 1976: Dracula and Son by Édouard Molinaro: Le majordome
• 1976: Le Gang by Jacques Deray: Jo
• 1977: Death of a Corrupt Man by Georges Lautner: Marcel
• 1977: Butterfly on the Shoulder by Jacques Deray: Miguel Carrabo
• 1978: The Brontë Sisters by André Téchiné: Monsieur Hager
• 1981: For a Cop's Hide by Alain Delon: Kasper

Cartoons

• 1978: La Ballade des Dalton by René Goscinny and Morris: (voice) The cowboy who dodges the train

Theatre

• 1974: Les Aventures de Tom Jones by Jean Marsan and Jacques Debronckart after Henry Fielding, directed by René Clermont, Théâtre de Paris

External links

• Xavier Depraz at IMDb