Jean Martin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Jean Martin (born March 6, 1922) is a French actor of stage and screen. Martin served in the French Resistance during World War II and later fought with the French paratroopers in Indochina. He is perhaps best-known for originating two roles in Samuel Beckett's most famous plays: Lucky in Waiting for Godot, and Clov in Endgame. Making over eighty film and television appearances, Martin is best remembered for his role as the French paratroop commander in The Battle of Algiers (1965), as well as villainous roles in My Name is Nobody and Day of the Jackal (both 1973). Most of his other screen work has been in French or European cinema, and his stage performances have gained him much more recognition and acclaim than his film work. Martin was also an active political leftist, and was briefly blacklisted for criticism of the Algerian War in the late '50s.
Gillo Pontecorvo, director of Algiers, thought that Martin was a difficult actor to work with, saying that he was uncooperative on the set of the film and remarked, "Just because he appeared in Godot, does not mean he's a good actor."
