Robert Hossein
Known for Acting · 132 credits
- Born
- 1927-12-30
- Died
- 2020-12-31
- Place of birth
- Paris, France
- Also known as
- Abraham Hosseinoff · Робер Оссейн
Biography
Robert Hossein was a French film actor of Parsi origin, director and writer. He directed the 1982 adaption of Les Misérables, and appeared in Vice and Virtue, Le Casse, Les Uns et les Autres and Venus Beauty Institute. His most recent roles include starring as Michèle Mercier's husband in the Angélique series and as a Catholic priest who falls in love with Claude Jade and becomes a communist in Prêtres interdits (Forbidden Priests) in 1973.
Hossein started directing films in 1956 with Les salauds vont en enfer from a story by Frédéric Dard whose novels and plays went on to furnish Hossein with much of his later film material. Right from the start Hossein established his characteristic trademarks: using a seemingly straightforward suspense plot and subverting its conventions (sometimes to the extent of a complete disregard of the traditional demand for a final twist or revelation) in order to concentrate on ritualistic relationships. This is the director's running preoccupation which is always stressed in his films by an extraordinary command of film space and often striking frame compositions where the geometry of human figures and set design is used to accentuate the psychological set-up of the scene. The mechanisms of guilt and the way it destroys relationships is another recurring theme, presumably influenced by Hossein's lifelong interest in the works of Dostoyevski.
Although Hossein had some modest international successes with films like Toi, le venin and Le vampire de Dusseldorf, he was much singled out for scorching criticism by the critics and followers of the New Wave for the unashamedly melodramatic frameworks of his films. The fact that he was essentially an auteur director with a consistent set of themes and an extraordinary mastery of original and unusual approaches to staging his stories, was never appreciated. He was not averse to trying his hand at widely different genres and was never defeated, making the strikingly different spaghetti western Une corde, un Colt and the low-budgeted but daringly subversive period drama J'ai tué Raspoutine. However, because of the lack of wider success and continuing adverse criticism, Hossein virtually ended his film directing career in 1970, having concentrated on theatre where his achievements were never questioned, and subsequently returning to film directing only twice. With two or three exceptions, his films remain commercially unavailable and very difficult to see.
He is the son of André Hossein a Zoroastrian French composer of Azerbaijani-Tajik descent, and a Jewish comedy actress from Kiev. He was married three times: first to Marina Vlady (he has two sons with her, Pierre and Igor), later to Caroline Eliacheff (with whom he has a son, Nicholas). He is currently married to actress Candice Patou, with whom he has one son, Julien.
According to an article written by Emannuel Peze, Hossein experienced a conversion to Catholicism in 1971 during a visit to the Marian apparition at San Damiano in Lombardo Italy.
Known For
TV Shows (18)
Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self
Apostrophes
1975
as Self
Vivement dimanche
1998
as Self
Champs-Elysées
1982
as Self
Sacrée soirée
1987
as Self
Nulle part ailleurs
1987
as Self
Le Grand Échiquier
1972
as Self / Self - Main Guest
Cinépanorama
1956
as Self
Samedi soir
1971
as Self
The Little Murders of Agatha Christie
2009
as Simon
Midi trente
1972
as Self
Stars 90
1990
as Self
Reflets de Cannes
1954
as Self
Téléthon
1987
as Self
Petits Meurtres en famille
2006
as Simon
Le Juge
2005
as Roger Marino
Henry James Stories
1976
as Peter Quint
Le Gorille
1990
as Joseph Beaucis
Movies (114)
L'Affaire
1994
as Paul Haslans
Prêtres interdits
1973
as Jean Rastaud
The Professional
1981
as Commissaire Rosen
Belmondo by Belmondo
2016
as Self
Belmondo, itinéraire...
2011
as Self
Children of Chaos
1989
as Robert
Trivial
2007
as Antoine Bérangère
I Killed Rasputin
1967
as Serge Sukhotin
Belmondo: The Incorrigible
2022
Angelique
1964
as Jeoffrey de Peyrac
The Scarlet Lady
1969
as Julien
The Man Who Betrayed the Mafia
1967
as Maître Bianchini
Les fleurs maladives de Georges Franju
2009
as Self
Rififi
1955
as Rémi Grutter
Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman
1973
as Louis Prévost
Lamiel
1967
as Roger Valber
Angelique and the Sultan
1968
as Joffrey de Peyrac "Le Rescator"
Madame
1961
as Le sergent François-Joseph Lefebvre
Time of the Wolves
1970
as Dillinger
Bolero
1981
as Simon Meyer / Robert Prat
Picking Strawberries
2025
The Phoney
1975
as Kaminsky
Untamable Angelique
1967
as Joffrey de Peyrac, 'Le Rescator'
Quai des blondes
1954
as Chemise Rose
The Dirty Game
1965
as Dupont
Venus Beauty Institute
1999
as L'aviateur
Tender Moment
1968
as Enrico Fontana
Cemetery Without Crosses
1969
as Manuel
A Man and His Dog
2009
as Un homme a la soupe populaire
Angelique and the King
1966
as Jeoffrey de Peyrac
Love on a Pillow
1962
as Renaud Sarti
OSS 117 Murder for Sale
1968
as Dr. Saadi
Marco the Magnificent
1965
as Prince Nayam
Of Flesh and Blood
1963
as Samuel
OSS 117: Panic in Bangkok
1964
as Dr. Sinn
The Big Pardon
1982
as Manuel Carreras
Les Miserables
1995
as Le maître de cérémonie
A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later
1986
as Robert Hossein
Paradjanov, le dernier collage
1995
as Self
Crime and Punishment
1956
as René Brunel
Aznavour by Charles
2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
The Vampire of Dusseldorf
1965
as Peter Kuerten
The Wicked Go to Hell
1955
as Fred
The Burglars
1971
as Ralph
Vice and Virtue
1963
as SS Oberst Erik Schörndorf
The Game of Truth
1961
as L'inspecteur de police
Noni : Le Fruit de l'espoir
2020
as Le grand-père d'Angeli
Highway Pick-Up
1963
as Daniel Boisset
Mademoiselle de Maupin
1966
as Captain Alcibiade
The Wax Mask
1997
as Boris Volkoff
Une femme nommée Marie
2011
as Narrator (voice)
Blonde in a White Car
1959
as Pierre Menda
The Conspirators
1969
as Leonida Montanari
Crime Thief
1969
as Tian
God's Thunder
1965
as Marcel
Enough Rope
1963
as Inspektor Corby
Paris Pick-Up
1962
as Robert Herbin
A Murder Is a Murder
1972
as Jean Carouse
Falling Point
1970
as Le Caïd
Misdeal
1969
as Martin von Klaus
Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde
2011
as Self
La croisade des enfants
1988
as Philippe-Auguste
Death of a Killer
1964
as Pierre Massa
The Taste of Violence
1961
as Perez
Surprise Party
1983
as André Auerbach
Levy & Goliath
1987
as Goliath customer (uncredited)
Life Love Death
1969
as Man in the movie
In the Eyes of Memory
1948
as A student from the Simon course
Provisional Liberty
1958
as Jean-Paul Viberty / Jean Rungis
Scandalous Crimes
1999
as Judge Bocchi
The Battle of El Alamein
1969
as Erwin Rommel
Stranger in the House
1992
as Narrator (voice)
Hellé
1972
as Kleber
San Antonio
2004
as Le ministre de l'intérieur / The Minister
Long March
1966
as Carnot
Marked Eyes
1964
as Franz
Riff Raff Girls
1959
as Marcel Point-Bleu
Young Girls Beware
1957
as Raven
The Devil Who Limped
1948
as Guest in white (uncredited)
Brigade Anti Gangs
1966
as Chief Commissioner Le Goff
The Road to Shame
1959
as Pierre Rossi
Love Is Better Than Life
2022
as Robert Prat
Forgive Our Trespasses
1956
as (uncredited)
The Other Truth
1966
as Pierre Montaud, the Advocate
The Menace
1961
as Savary
Take Me As I Am
1960
as Ed Dawson
Le Tour d'Écrou
1974
as Peter Quint
A Little Virtuous
1968
as Louis Brady
Raymond Devos dans tous ses sens
2022
as Self
Annie Girardot, ainsi va la vie
2008
as Self
Démons de midi
1979
as Metteur en scène de théâtre
Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern
2006
as Self
No Sun in Venice
1957
as Sforzi
La Musica
1967
as Him
The Protector
1974
as Arnaud
Hitch-Hike
1962
as Edouard, le fou
Le commissaire mène l’enquête
1965
as The lover (segment "Pour qui sonne le ...")
Maya
1949
as Un témoin du meurtre qui n'a rien vu (uncredited)
Double Agents
1959
as Lui
Série noire
1955
as Jo
A Police Officer Without Importance
1973
as Pierre Fresse
Marie-France Pisier, une femme sous influence
2014
as Self
The Wretches
1960
as Jess Rooland
The Lion's Share
1971
as Maurice Ménard
Why Paris?
1964
Versatile Lovers
1970
as Serge Belaïeff
The Verdict
1959
as Georges Lagrange
Le Caviar rouge
1986
as Alex
Hossein, Ronet, Trintignant : Confidences de trois acteurs inoubliables
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Stars Meet in Moscow
1959
as Self
Judge Roy Bean
1971
as Black Bird
Sextette
1948
Desert Assault
1969
as Capitaine Curd Heinz (Rudi en Français)
Antigone
2003
as Créon
About Robert Hossein
Robert Hossein was a French film actor of Parsi origin, director and writer. He directed the 1982 adaption of Les Misérables, and appeared in Vice and Virtue, Le Casse, Les Uns et les Autres and Venus Beauty Institute. His most recent roles include starring as Michèle Mercier's husband in the Angélique series and as a Catholic priest who falls in love with Claude Jade and becomes a communist in Prêtres interdits (Forbidden Priests) in 1973. Hossein started directing films in 1956 with Les salauds vont en enfer from a story by Frédéric Dard who… With 132 credits spanning from 1948 to 2025, Robert Hossein has appeared in 114 films and 18 TV shows.
Fans searching for Robert Hossein movies, Robert Hossein filmography, or the latest projects starring Robert Hossein can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Robert Hossein Movies
- L'Affaire (1994) — as Paul Haslans
- Prêtres interdits (1973) — as Jean Rastaud
- The Professional (1981) — as Commissaire Rosen
- Belmondo by Belmondo (2016) — as Self
- Belmondo, itinéraire... (2011) — as Self
Where to Watch Robert Hossein Films
Most Robert Hossein movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Robert Hossein, check our movies catalogue and browse page.