Biography
Michel Simon (9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss actor of German origin, active primarily in France. He began his career in the theatre in the early 1920s with the Pitoëff company in Paris and made his film debut in 1925. He appeared as Jean Lemaître in Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).
Simon became known for roles in several notable French films of the 1930s, including La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) as Priape Boudu, L'Atalante (1934) as Père Jules, and Port of Shadows (1938) as Zabel. He later appeared in Panic (1947), Poison (1951), It Happened in Broad Daylight (1958), The Train (1964) as Papa Boul, and The Two of Us (1967) as Pépé.
In 1967 he received the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival for his performance in The Two of Us. His son, François Simon, also became an actor.
