Biography
Claude Laydu was a Belgian-born actor who worked on stage and in film. Born in Brussels on 10 March 1927, he studied acting at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris and became a member of the company at the Théâtre Marigny.
Laydu made his screen debut as the young priest Curé d'Ambricourt in Robert Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest (1951). He prepared for the role by spending time in a monastery and losing weight. He later appeared in films including Le Voyage en Amérique (1951), I Was a Parish Priest (1953) and Rasputin (1954), and played a priest again in several of them.
With his wife Christine Balli he wrote and produced the children's television series Bonne nuit les petits (1962–1966). Laydu died on 29 July 2011 in France.
