Pierre Renoir

Son of the founder of Impressionism, legendary painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and brother of one of France's greatest ever directors, Jean Renoir, early 20th century actor Pierre Renoir is most often associated with his role as the bitter Jéricho in Marcel Carné's sweeping 1945 masterpiece "Children of Paradise," considered by critics as France's version of "Gone with the Wind." Telling the story of a prostitute (Arletty) and the attempts of four men to win her heart, the film has a reputation for winning over film scholars, who often dub it one of the best films of all time. Renoir's other notable achievements include working with his younger brother Jean on many well-received films, including 1932's "Night at the Crossroads," in which the actor brought iconic police commissioner Maigret to the screen for the first time. He also paired with Jean on the 1925 silent romance "Whirlpool of Fate," 1933's "Madame Bovary," in which he played the cuckolded Charles Bovary, and 1938's French Revolution flick "La Marseillaise." Renoir, who made his film debut in 1911 in Abel Gance's "Le digue," also was a regular collaborator of director Marcel L'Herbier, who cast Renoir in five films in the 1930s and '40s, including the 1937 Jean Anouilh adaptation "The Citadel of Silence."