Michael Lonsdale
Known for Acting · 207 credits
- Born
- 1931-05-24
- Died
- 2020-09-21
- Place of birth
- Paris, France
- Also known as
- Michel Lonsdale · Майкл Лонсдейл · Мишель Лонсдаль · Майкл Лонсдаль
Biography
Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French-British actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is often known in the English-speaking world for his roles as the villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, deputy police commissioner Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Abbot in The Name of the Rose (1986) and Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day (1993).
Lonsdale was born in Paris, the natural son of British Army officer Edward Lonsdale Crouch and Simone Calderon (née Béraud). He was brought up initially on the island of Jersey, then in London from 1935, and later, during the Second World War, in Casablanca, Morocco.
He returned to Paris to study painting in 1947, but was drawn into the world of acting instead, first appearing on stage at the age of 24. Lonsdale was bilingual, and appeared in both English-language and French-language productions. He appeared in a starring role with Roger Moore in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker. and with Sean Connery, in the 1986 film The Name of the Rose. He would later appear in Munich (2005), a film that also starred another Bond, Daniel Craig.
In February 2011, he won a César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Of Gods and Men.
Lonsdale was also the author of ten books.
Known For
TV Shows (12)
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
as Self
Le Grand Échiquier
1972
as Self
Maigret
1991
as Guillaume Serre / Sir Lampson
Samedi soir
1971
as Self
Smiley's People
1982
as Anton Grigoriev
Les Cent Livres des Hommes
1970
as Socrates
Out 1
1971
as Thomas
Au siècle de Maupassant, contes et nouvelles du XIXe
2009
as Le Grand Loustalot
Le Tiroir secret
1986
as Philippe Jolivet
Le Silence de l'épervier
2008
as Antoine Carsac
La Confession d'un enfant du siècle
1974
as Smith
Le Génie du faux
1985
as Constantin Escher
Movies (195)
Ronin
1998
as Jean-Pierre
Munich
2005
as Papa
Moonraker
1979
as Hugo Drax
The Name of the Rose
1986
as The Abbot
The Day of the Jackal
1973
as Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel
The Remains of the Day
1993
as Dupont D'Ivry
Agora
2009
as Theon
To Each His Own Cinema
2007
as The old blind man (segment "Le Don")
The Trial
1962
as Priest
Murmur of the Heart
1971
as Father Henri
Goya's Ghosts
2006
as Inquisitor General
Hibernatus
1969
as Edouard Loriebat
Is Paris Burning?
1966
as Debu-Bridel (uncredited)
The Bride Wore Black
1968
as Morane
Stolen Kisses
1968
as Georges Tabard
Of Gods and Men
2010
as Luc
Mr. Klein
1976
as Pierre
Seul face au crime
1991
as Procuratore
Successive Slidings of Pleasure
1974
as The Judge
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud
1995
as Dollabella
Jefferson in Paris
1995
as Louis XVI
Souvenir
1989
as Xavier Lorion
The Passage
1979
as Renoudot
The Phantom of Liberty
1974
as The Hatter
Enigma
1982
as Bodley
The Games of Countess Dolingen
1981
as Bertrand Haines-Pearson
The Last Mistress
2007
as le vicomte Prony
Kaena: The Prophecy
2003
as Opaz (voice)
Caravan to Vaccarès
1974
as Duc de Croyter
The Bunker
1981
as Martin Bormann
Behold a Pale Horse
1964
as Reporter
The Holcroft Covenant
1985
as Ernst Manfredi
A Monkey's Tale
1999
as Maître Flavius (Voice)
The Romantic Englishwoman
1975
as Swan
Under a False Name
2004
as David
Stavisky...
1974
as Docteur Mézy
Actors
2000
as Man walking down the street
Don Juan
1998
as Don Luis
The Suspects
1974
as Judge Souftries
Crime Does Not Pay
1962
as Acteur
Good King Dagobert
1984
as Saint Eloi
The Abbey of Crime: Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose'
1986
as Self
India Song
1975
as Le Vice-Consul de Lahore
Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure
2007
as Bartleby (voice)
Special Section
1975
as Pierre Pucheu - le ministre de l'intérieur
Titeuf
2011
as Le psy (voice)
Speaking of Buñuel
2000
as Self
There Once Was a Cop
1972
as Commissioner Lucas
Law Breakers
1971
as Inspector Bertrand
J.R.R. Tolkien: Designer of Worlds
2014
as (voice)
The Accuser
1977
as Abéraud
Gebo and the Shadow
2012
as Gebo
Your Money or Your Life
1966
as Speaker at the Shy People's Club
Les grands sentiments font les bons gueuletons
1973
as Stéphane
Five Times Two
2004
as Bernard
Galileo
1975
as Cardinal Barberini (later Pope Urban VIII)
The Old Maid
1972
as Monod
Aloïse
1975
as le médecin
The Pink Telephone
1975
as M. Morrison, président de la Fielding
Out 1
1990
as Thomas
Serious as Pleasure
1975
as Inspecteur Fournier
No Pockets in a Shroud
1974
as Raymond
The Track
1975
as David Sutter
The Left-Handed Woman
1978
as The Waiter
Erendira
1983
as Senator Onésimo Sanchez
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
2003
as Stangerson
Le Fantôme de Laurent Terzieff
2020
as Self
Let There Be Light!
1998
as Monseigneur Loublié
The Cardboard Village
2011
as Old Priest
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
2005
as Professor Stangerson
Mauvais Genre
1997
as Honoré de Balzac
Chut !
1972
as Sergel
My Life Is Hell
1991
as Gabriel
Hitler in Hollywood
2011
as Michael Lonsdale
Papa, the Lil' Boats
1971
as Hippolyte the brother of Marylène
A Bullet in the Gun Barrel
1958
Chronopolis
1983
as Narrator (voice)
Maestro
2014
as Cedric Rovère
The Judge
1984
as Le docteur
The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober
1988
as Cammerschulze
Son nom de Venise dans Calcutta désert
1976
as The Vice Consul of Lahore
L'air d'aimer
1986
as Raymond
Mad Enough to Kill
1975
as Stephane Mostri
The Outsider
2023
as Narrator (Voice)
Free Men
2011
as Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit
You'll Miss Me
2009
as Max
La Fenêtre
1970
as Bracquemont
Spring
1971
as L'homme qui fuit
Sculpt
2016
The Man in the Buick
1968
as L'inspecteur Farjon de la P.J.
Destroy, She Said
1969
as Stein
Le Furet
2003
as Don Salvadore
The First, the Last
2016
as Jean-Berchmans
Gentille
2005
as Jean
The Big Wash
1968
as Delaroche
The Door Slams
1960
as Georges
It Happened in Aden
1956
as Sinclair
Adorable Liar
1962
as Albert
Mersonne ne m'aime
1982
as Commissioner Bancau
Order of the Daisy
1967
as Lastac / Lataque, expert en écritures / Le juge (voice)
Delphine Seyrig, portrait d'une comète
2000
as Self
An Oral History of: The Name of the Rose
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Heartbeat Detector
2007
as Mathias Jüst
Out 1: Spectre
1973
as Thomas
Jean-Marie Serreau, découvreur de théâtres
2016
as Self
The Mysteries of Paris: Jacques Rivette's Out 1 Revisited
2016
as Self
The Authentic Trial of Carl Emmanuel Jung
1967
as L'Avocat de la Défense
The Stud
1970
as Commissioner Donald Both
The Life of Mirrors
2025
Comédie
1966
as L'homme (M)
Alone
1981
as Ludovic
Degas and I
2019
as Edgar Degas
Scrambled Eggs
1976
as The President of the Republic
Noise of Love and War
1997
as The director
Inside 'Moonraker'
2000
as Self
Bye Bye Blackbird
2005
as Robert
A Dirty Story
1977
as The voyeur
The Girl with the Cello
1973
as Philippe Lariel
Hail! Mafia
1965
as Hyman
Bartleby
1976
as L'Huissier
About Michael Lonsdale
Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French-British actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is often known in the English-speaking world for his roles as the villain Hugo Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, deputy police commissioner Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Abbot in The Name of the Rose (1986) and Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day (1993). Lonsdale was born in Paris, the… With 207 credits spanning from 1956 to 2025, Michael Lonsdale has appeared in 195 films and 12 TV shows.
Fans searching for Michael Lonsdale movies, Michael Lonsdale filmography, or the latest projects starring Michael Lonsdale can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Michael Lonsdale Movies
- Ronin (1998) — as Jean-Pierre
- Munich (2005) — as Papa
- Moonraker (1979) — as Hugo Drax
- The Name of the Rose (1986) — as The Abbot
- The Day of the Jackal (1973) — as Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel
Where to Watch Michael Lonsdale Films
Most Michael Lonsdale 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 Michael Lonsdale, check our movies catalogue and browse page.