Famous for having played the detective Nestor Burma on television from 1991 to 2003, Guy Marchand died “ peacefully » this Friday, December 15, 2023, his children announced to Agence France Presse. The actor, also known for his singing qualities, was 86 years old.
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He is a familiar face of entertainment in France who is leaving with the death of Guy Marchand. The artist “ died peacefully this Friday at Cavaillon hospital », in Vaucluse, indicated his children Jules and Ludivine in a press release. Born in Paris in 1937, the actor spent the last years of his life in this commune of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
An accomplished musician, a fan of jazz and tango in particular, he was also known for his performances on the small and big screen. Guy Marchand played the character of Nestor BurmaParisian detective created by the novelist Léo Malet, in a series on France 2 in 42 episodes, from 1991 to 2003.
Actor and singer Guy Marchand has died at 86. He was famous for his role as detective Nestor Burma on television. He had notably played in the films “Garde à vue”, “Coup de ragon” and “L’été en slope bleue”. pic.twitter.com/MMWRdyMo3f
— INA.fr (@Inafr_officiel) December 15, 2023
“ Nestor Burma, it’s me »
“ With this character, I was like a fish in water! “, this child of the war told France Culture in 2016, ” nice thug » from the east of Paris to the physical « hopelessly retro “. “ At the same time, I reinvented everything. I couldn’t do without poetry and I made Burma someone who loves sex and poetry », he added.
In the guise of Nestor Burma, with his untied tie and his falsely phlegmatic air, he defended young women, flushed out the scoundrel with puns and played the sax in the woods, his raincoat open and the borsalino pulled over his head bald… ” Me, I have always been old-fashioned… I dream in black and white and I have done everything so that we perceive Burma in black and white! »
“ Nestor Burma is me, with added courage. I’m much more timid than him in life », he insisted in 2000.
Also listenGuy Marchand, voice on the banks
“ A popular star, not a star »
Before playing the detective on television, Guy Marchand distinguished himself in the cinema with great directors. We see it in François Truffaut (A beautiful girl like me in 1972), Maurice Pialat (Loulou in 1980), Bertrand Tavernier (Wipe in 1981) or even Christophe Honoré (In Paris in 2006).
In 1982, he won the César for best supporting role in Jail by Claude Miller. With Lino Ventura, he cast Michel Serrault in the role of an impulsive cop: “ It gave me a bit of authority in the profession because I wasn’t taken seriously as a pop singer! “.
His deep voice first led him towards singing, which he loved very much, having played the clarinet in the clubs of Saint-Germain-des-Prés during the post-war heyday. Son of a scrap dealer and a “ gypsy “, he grows up with ” the gypsies » and the musicians – Django ReinhardtStéphane Grappelli – who came to rehearse in the family garage.
His big hit is The Passionata, written in five minutes upon returning from the Algerian war. This ” joke » became one of the hits of the summer of 1965. He scored other successes like Tango, Tango in 1975 with the Argentinian bandoneonist Astor Piazzola. “ I’m a popular star, not a star », he liked to repeat.
With Destinythe original soundtrack of Underachievers on vacations, he harvested his “ biggest shame “. “ It was a joke, a stupid thing for the summer, and we sold 250,000 copies! I was upset! », he said about this title which was included in the cinema version of the film. Santa Clause is garbage.
“ I’m just a singer “, said Guy Marchand in 2015 on France 5. “ When I die, there won’t be much left, maybe a background sound, like elevator music. »
(With AFP)