Jean Claudio – COMEDIENS
39 Rue François Gérard, 75016 Paris, France

Actor and poet Jean Claudio started as a child actor in the cinema. Aged 10, he first appeared in the 1938 film Nostalgie, followed swiftly by La Tragédie impériale, where he played the son of Tsar Nicholas II. In 1939, he was even hired at the Comédie-Française and performed all the great classics on French and foreign stages. Over the years, he built a substantial filmography, featuring in French and international co-productions such as John Huston’s Moulin Rouge (1952), and Triple Cross (1967), the true story of safecracker Eddie Chapman. He dubbed the voice of several famous actors in the cinema, including Rock Hudson, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Burt Lancaster, and voice of the Emperor (Clive Revill) in The Empire Strikes Back.

Barbara (CHANTEURS ET CHANTEUSES)
14 Rue de Rémusat, 75016 Paris, France

With her haunting voice and deeply emotional songs Barbara is considered one of the great voices of French chanson—an artist who turned her personal struggles into universal songs that continue to resonate across the generations. A cultural icon, her music explores themes of love, loss, and longing, shaped by her experiences during World War II and a complex personal life. Rising to fame in the 1950s and 60s, her classic songs include Dis, quand reviendras-tu?, and L’Aigle noir, which sold over 1 million copies in just twelve hours. The Paris Métro station Barbara, named in her honour and situated near her gravesite, was opened in 2022.

Alain Dhenaut (REALISATEURS DE TELEVISION)
14 Rue de Rémusat, 75016 Paris, France

Alain Dhénaut was a director, screenwriter, and producer rooted firmly in the world of television. He began his career in the 1960s before directing episodes for series such as Ton amour et ma jeunesse, and Commissaire Moulin in the 1970s. He was married to actresses Geneviève Cluny and Catherine Sola.

Nicolas Gessner (REALISATEURS DE CINEMA)
6 Rue d’Auteuil, 75016 Paris, France

Born in Hungary, Nicolas Gessner was a film and television director known for his strange and atmospheric films, often in a surreal storytelling style. His international career began in 1965 with the comedy film Un milliard dans un billard, and would lead to around twenty feature films for cinema and television as a director and screenwriter. Notable films included the psychological thriller Quelqu’un derrière la porte (with Charles Bronson and Anthony Perkins) in 1971, and the police drama La Petite Fille au bout du chemin (with Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen) in 1976.

Albert Plecy (PRODUCTEURS ET PRESENTATEURS DE L’O.R.T.F.)
8 Rue Corot, 75016 Paris, France

Albert Plécy was a journalist, painter, photographer, and filmmaker, specialising in the language of the image. He was, along with Jacques Henri Lartigue and Raymond Grosset, one of the three emblematic founders of the association of Gens d’images. With the writer Michel Tournier, he produced and hosted Chambre noire, the first documentary series on French television devoted to photography. Between 1961-1969, around fifty episodes were broadcast each week on the second channel of ORTF. For each episode a photographer was interviewed on their imagery; the series featured, amongst others, Maurice Baquet, Robert Doisneau, Bill Brandt, Brassaï, Denis Brihat, Édouard Boubat, and Izis.

Guy Favières (COMÉDIENS)
29 Rue Mirabeau, 75016 Paris, France

One of the oldest entries in the Guide du Showbusiness belongs to character actor Guy Favières, famous for his early roles on radio, stage and in the cinema. In 1905 he first caught the eye of the theatre critics, when he was noted for his verve and lyricism in Robert Charvay and Paul Gavault’s L’enfant du miracle. It was the springboard to a long association with the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt and a stage career that lasted more than 40 years. Favieres time on film lasted even longer, first in the silent era, and then embracing the Talkies. His final appearance on film was in Laslo Benedek’s Recours en grâce in 1960. He died in 1963, while living here.

Pierre Lattes (PRODUCTEURS ET PRESENTATEURS DE L’O.R.T.F.)
20 Rue Mirabeau, 75016 Paris, France

Presenter, music journalist, and producer ​Pierre Lattès began his broadcasting career in 1966 on José Artur’s Pop Club radio show. In the 1970s he produced the shows Mon fils avait raison and Boogie, on France Inter. On television, he co-created and hosted Bouton Rouge (1967–1968), one of France’s first rock music programs, and then Rock en Stock in the 70s. As a writer, he contributed to Jazz Hot, Rock & Folk, Hara Kiri Hebdo, and Charlie Hebdo (usually under different pseudonyms). Lattès produced a number of albums for artists, including Gong’s Magick Brother (1969) and Camembert Electrique (1971). It is Pierre Lattes’ voice that you first hear on the Flora Purim’s 500 Miles High album, recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974.