Historical Figures Codexery

Charles Boyer

The suave star of Algiers and Gaslight, Boyer brought romantic depth to Hollywood's golden age.

Boyer died by suicide on 26 August 1978, two days after his wife's death from cancer.[1][2] The actor Charles Boyer, who lived from 28 August 1899 to 26 August 1978, performed in over 80 motion pictures spanning the years 1920 to 1976.[3]

Quick Facts

Born
28 August 1899
Birthplace
Figeac, France
Died
26 August 1978
Place of death
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Children
1
Education
Sorbonne
Years active
1920–1976
Known for
  • The Garden of Allah
  • Algiers
  • Love Affair
  • Liliom
  • Gaslight

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

During World War I, he performed comic sketches for soldiers while working as a hospital orderly.[4] He became a theatre star overnight after appearing in the play La Bataille.[5] He was first brought to Hollywood by MGM in 1931 to make a French version of The Big House.[6] In 1938, he landed his famous role as Pepe le Moko in Algiers.[7]

Boyer's birthplace was Figeac, Lot, France, and his father, Maurice Boyer, worked as a merchant.[8] At eleven years old, Boyer first encountered movies and theatre.[8] L'homme du large* (1920), directed by Marcel L'Herbier, marked Boyer's initial film appearance.[6] For his performance in Don Juan in Hell, Boyer received Broadway's Special Tony Award for 1951 in 1952.[9]

Michael Charles Boyer, the sole child of Charles Boyer, took his own life in 1965 when he was 21 years old.[10]

What the cited sources add

Boyer came to Hollywood in 1934 with his friend, actor Maurice Chevalier.[2] He met English actress Pat Paterson, who had arrived in Hollywood only three months earlier.[2] Within a month of their meeting, the 34-year-old Boyer and the 22-year-old Paterson eloped and married in Yuma.[2] Pat died from cancer in Phoenix in 1978.[2]

Their only child, Michael Boyer, also committed suicide.[2] Following his wife's death by two days, Boyer fatally overdosed on Seconal at a friend's residence located at 6806 North Desert Fairways Drive in Scottsdale.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Celebrity Sightings – B", Bankruptcy & Debt Information from Doney & Associates (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Celebrity Sightings – B", Bankruptcy & Debt Information from Doney & Associates. facts only, no text reused. doney.net
  3. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Obituary Variety, 30 August 1978. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swindell, "Charles Boyer: The Reluctant Lover", Doubleday, 1983 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "From obscurity to instant fame Charles Boyer memorized a play in a few hours and became a star" Swindell, Larry. The Globe and Mail; Toronto 8 Mar 1983: E.3.; "Q&A: Charles Boyer" Diehl, Digby. Los Angeles Times 24 Sep 1972: n18. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Charles Boyer, Epitome of Suave Leading Man, Dies: Charles Boyer, Star for Decades, Dies, Los Angeles Times August 27, 1978, p.I-1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boller, "They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions", Oxford University Press, 1989 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: John Arthur Garraty, Mark Christopher Carnes and American Council of Learned Societies, "American national biography", Oxford University Press, 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Don Juan in Hell by George Bernard Shaw", Amazon.com, 28 April 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Charles Boyer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Entry for Michael C. Boyer", California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Charles Boyer (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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