---
name: "Raimu"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/raimu"
fi1m_id: "raimu"
imdb_id: "nm0706926"
tmdb_id: 239231
wikidata_id: "Q1394721"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "18 December 1883"
died: "20 September 1946"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T02:44:35.944728+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Raimu

## Identity

Raimu

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/raimu
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** raimu
- **IMDb ID:** nm0706926
- **TMDB ID:** 239231
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1394721
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raimu, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1394721, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0706926/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/239231

Actor. Born 18 December 1883 in Toulon, France. Died 20 September 1946.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 18 December 1883, Toulon, France
- **Died:** 20 September 1946
- **Also known as:** Jules Auguste Muraire, Jules Raimu
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raimu, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1394721, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0706926/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/239231

## Fi1m on Raimu

> Raimu makes foolish men worth caring about without making them respectable first. We value the way his comedy lets a character remain ridiculous even after we have begun to feel his distress.

In *The Baker’s Wife* (1938), Raimu lets Aimable Castanier look ridiculous without treating his unhappiness as a joke. The baker’s foolishness remains visible when he is hurt; nothing in the performance demands that we suddenly consider him a wiser man. We were moved by his distress because Raimu kept the comic awkwardness that had made us laugh. Marcel Pagnol gives him permission to be absurd and takes the pain seriously, a combination on which much of the film depends.

His work drew on music hall and boulevard theatre, with expressive gestures and a voice that could drop from a boom to a whisper. The important screen turn came with the part he played in Pagnol’s 1929 stage production of *Marius* and took into Alexander Korda’s film, *Marius* (1931). *Fanny* (1932) continued the Marseille trilogy, which concluded in 1936. Across the café owners, bakers and well-diggers that recur in his work, regional speech and bluster make the men distinct before their vulnerability becomes apparent.

Pagnol gives that talent plenty to do in *The Baker’s Wife*, though the film also shows the limitations of relying on it. Georges Benoît’s conservative cinematography seldom contributes much beyond making space for the actors, and some of the village humour wears thin. Raimu keeps us interested when the images do not. The care in his performance is more consistent than the filmmaking around him.

The partnership did not account for all his screen work. Julien Duvivier’s ensemble drama *Un carnet de bal* (1937) and Henri Decoin’s *Les Inconnus dans la maison* (1942) took him outside Pagnol’s films. Between them came a Provençal father, Pascal Amoretti, in *The Well-Digger’s Daughter* (1940). These parts suggest a useful way of following him: attend to how the voice and gestures change with the man, rather than counting departures from comedy.

The risk with so forceful a performer is that weaker material survives on his work alone. *The Baker’s Wife* sometimes needs that help, but Aimable is allowed enough embarrassment to stop the affection becoming cosy. Raimu does not require us to approve of the baker before we can be concerned for him. Start there, provided a performance can be reason enough for your evening.

## Biography

Raimu, born Jules Auguste Muraire, was a French actor. He was born on 18 December 1883 in Toulon and died on 20 September 1946 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He began his career in music hall and made his stage debut in Toulon in 1899 before moving to Paris.

He gained acclaim for creating the role of César in Marcel Pagnol's stage play *Marius* in 1929 and reprised it in the film trilogy *Marius* (1931), *Fanny* (1932) and *César* (1936). He also starred as Aimable Castanier in Pagnol's *The Baker's Wife* (1938) and appeared in *The Well-Digger's Daughter* (1940).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Baker's Wife* (1938), Fi1m 78, as Aimable Castanier — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bakers-wife.md)

## Complete filmography (49)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *La Vie de Raimu* (1948), as Lui-même
- *The Eternal Husband* (1946), as Nicolas Pavlovitch
- *Hoboes in Paradise* (1945), as Boule
- *Colonel Chabert* (1943), as Colonel Hyacinthe Chabert
- *The Heart of a Nation* (1943), as Uncle Jules Froment
- *The Benefactor* (1942), as Monsieur Moulinet
- *Midnight in Paris* (1942), as Antonin Ramatuel / Monsieur La Souris
- *L'Arlésienne* (1942), as Marc
- *Strangers in the House* (1942), as Maître Hector Loursat
- *Parade in 7 Nights* (1941), as Vicar Maffre
- *Little Nothings* (1941), as Charpillon
- *The Duel* (1941), as Father Bolène
- *The Well-Digger's Daughter* (1940), as Pascal Amoretti
- *The Man Who Seeks the Truth* (1940), as Jean Vernet
- *Last Desire* (1939), as Cesare
- *Second Childhood* (1939), as Georges
- *Monsieur Brotonneau* (1939), Actor
- *Cocoanut* (1939), as Loulou Barbentane
- *Heroes of the Marne* (1938), as Bernard Lefrançois
- *The Baker's Wife* (1938), as Aimable Castanier — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bakers-wife.md)
- *The New Rich* (1938), as Legendre
- *The Strange Monsieur Victor* (1938), as Victor Agardanne
- *The Kings of Sport* (1937), as Acteur
- *Heart of Paris* (1937), as Camille Morestan
- *Life Dances On* (1937), as Francois Patusset
- *La Chaste Suzanne* (1937), as Monsieur des Aubrays
- *The Pearls of the Crown* (1937), as L'industriel du midi
- *Confessions of a Newlywed* (1937), as Jules Papillot
- *Armchair 47* (1937), as Juste Auguste Theillard
- *Let's Make a Dream* (1936), as Le Mari
- *César* (1936), as César Ollivier
- *The Twins of Brighton* (1936), as Beaugérard père et les deux fils Achille
- *The King* (1936), as M. Bourdier
- *The Secret of Polichinelle* (1936), as Mr. Jouvenel
- *Dawn Over France* (1935), as Samplan
- *School for Coquettes* (1935), as Labaume
- *I Have an Idea* (1934), as Aubrey Harrington
- *Tartarin of Tarascon* (1934), as Tartarin de Tarascon
- *Midnight, Place Pigalle* (1934), as Monsieur Prosper
- *Ces messieurs de la Santé* (1934), as Gédéon - Jules Tafard
- *Charlemagne* (1933), as Charlemagne
- *Theodore and Company* (1933), as Clodomir
- *Fanny* (1932), as César Olivier
- *Fun in the Barracks* (1932), as Captain Hurluret
- *The Chocolate Girl* (1932), as Félicien Bédarride
- *Marius* (1931), as César Ollivier
- *Mam'zelle Nitouche* (1931), as Célestin / Floridor
- *Black and White* (1931), as Marcel Desnoyers
- *Godasse Fumiste* (1912), Actor

## Gallery

- ![Portrait photographique de Raimu (vers 1920) par Henri Manuel. Tirage argentique d'époque, 14,7 x 10,6 cm.](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-6ed5790c9a8c.jpg) Portrait photographique de Raimu (vers 1920) par Henri Manuel. Tirage argentique d'époque, 14,7 x 10,6 cm. — Henri Manuel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Raimu_-_photo_Henri_Manuel_%282%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Raimu pose en tournant les yeux vers sa gauche, d'un air pensif et sérieux. Il porte les cheveux courts bruns et brillants, coiffés en arrière. Il est vêtu d'un (1939)](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-e1f6e4ddabe7.png) Raimu pose en tournant les yeux vers sa gauche, d'un air pensif et sérieux. Il porte les cheveux courts bruns et brillants, coiffés en arrière. Il est vêtu d'un (1939) — Studio Harcourt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Raimu-1939-Harcourt.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Les Rois du Sport. Scène avec Fernandel et Raimu (tournage 1937).](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-f0fac90f5bbd.png) Les Rois du Sport. Scène avec Fernandel et Raimu (tournage 1937). — Pierre Colombier, Victor Arménise, Robert Juillard, Gray Films (France)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/RoisDuSport-1937-GrayFilms.png/1280px-RoisDuSport-1937-GrayFilms.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sujet : Raimu (1883-1946) -- Portraits Paris (France) -- Parc des princes Portraits -- 1914-1945 Référence bibliographique : Rol, 101647 Appartient à l’ensemble (1925)](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-04b42644039f.jpg) Sujet : Raimu (1883-1946) -- Portraits Paris (France) -- Parc des princes Portraits -- 1914-1945 Référence bibliographique : Rol, 101647 Appartient à l’ensemble (1925) — Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/10-6-25_%28Parc_des_Princes%2C_championnat_des_artistes%29_Raimu_%28acteur%29_-_btv1b53149209m.jpg/1280px-10-6-25_%28Parc_des_Princes%2C_championnat_des_artistes%29_Raimu_%28acteur%29_-_btv1b53149209m.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Raimu](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-4959ef684c30.jpg) Raimu — Image via TMDB
- ![Raimu](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-d5d3d41366e3.jpg) Raimu — Image via TMDB
- ![Sur le quai de Vieux-Port de Marseille devant un bâteau à voile dont la coque de bois est peint dans une teinte claire, Raimu marche en se dirigeant vers leur g (1931)](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-c027a35e6f5d.png) Sur le quai de Vieux-Port de Marseille devant un bâteau à voile dont la coque de bois est peint dans une teinte claire, Raimu marche en se dirigeant vers leur g (1931) — Collectif. Paramount France., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Raimu-Korda-1931-Paramount.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Pièce de théâtre de Molière, comédie mettant en scène trois comédiens habillés de costumes orientaux et ridicules sur une scène de théâtre dont le décor à l'arr (1944)](https://film.one/media/person/3857535/gallery-d61f26408de9.jpg) Pièce de théâtre de Molière, comédie mettant en scène trois comédiens habillés de costumes orientaux et ridicules sur une scène de théâtre dont le décor à l'arr (1944) — Studio Harcourt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Raimu-1944-Harcourt.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Honorary César 1983: Honorary César (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/raimu