Young Louis de Funès was born on July 31, 1914, in Courbevoie, France, to Carlos Luis de Funes de Galarza, a former lawyer from Seville, Spain, and Leonor Soto Reguera, of Spanish and Portuguese extraction. His early life was marked by a passion for drawing and piano playing.
After dropping out of school, Louis worked various jobs, including as a jazz pianist at Pigalle, where he developed a talent for making his customers laugh with his facial expressions. He studied acting for one year at the Simon acting school, where he made connections with Daniel Gélin and others.
During World War II, Louis continued his piano studies at a music school, where he met and fell in love with a secretary named Jeanne de Maupassant, a grand-niece of writer Guy de Maupassant. They married in 1943 and had two sons, born in 1944 and 1949.
Despite his rejection as an actor due to his short stature, balding hair, and skinny physique, Louis's wife and friends encouraged him to persevere. He made his film debut in 1945 at the age of 31 and went on to play over 100 film roles in the next 20 years.
Louis de Funès gained international fame in the 1960s with his roles in slapstick comedies such as The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez and the Fantomas trilogy. He became known for his portrayal of a funny French policeman, characterized by his hyperactivity, uncontrolled anger, and sardonic laughter.
Throughout his career, Louis de Funès played bit parts in over 80 films before landing his first leading roles, eventually becoming the leading French comedian. He collaborated with major French actors, including Jean Marais, Mylène Demongeot, Jean Gabin, Fernandel, Bourvil, Coluche, Annie Girardot, and Yves Montand.
Louis de Funès also worked with directors Gérard Oury and Jean Girault, and wrote and starred in the famous 'Gendarmes' series. In a departure from his Gendarme image, he collaborated with Claude Zidi on The Wing or The Thigh? (1976),which is arguably his best role.
Throughout his life, Louis de Funès was married to Jeanne Barthelemy de Maupassant from 1943 to 1983. Their son, Olivier De Funès, had a brief acting career before becoming a pilot with Air France, while his other son, Patrick de Funès, became a medical doctor.
Louis de Funès was also a rose grower, and a variety of roses was named the "Louis de Funès rose" in his honor. He died of a heart attack and complications from a stroke on January 27, 1983, in Nantes, France, and was laid to rest in the Cimetière du Cellier, with a monument erected in the rose garden of his wife's castle.
