Photo: Georges Biard / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I love about Pierre Richard is how effortless he makes comedy look. The clumsy, daydreaming everyman he perfected, most famously the tall blond man with one black shoe, never feels like he's reaching for a laugh; the laughs simply gather around him. That his own peers, Louis de Funès and Gérard Depardieu, rank him among France's greatest comedians says everything. Beyond acting he directed, wrote and even sang, and still carries a quiet authority well past ninety. To me he embodies a gentler school of comedy, one that disarms you rather than overwhelms you, and I find that rarer and more enduring than slapstick.
Overview
Pierre Richard (born Pierre-Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays; 16 August 1934) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films. Richard is considered by some, such as Louis de Funès and Gérard Depardieu, to be one of the greatest French comedians of the last 50 years. He is also a film director and occasional singer.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Pierre Richard
- Name (Japanese)
- ピエール・リシャール
- Reading
- ぴえーる・りしゃーる
- Born
- August 16, 1934 (age 91)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dog
- Origin
- Valenciennes, Nord, France
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / comedian / film director / screenwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Officer of the Legion of Honour
- Officer of the National Order of Merit
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe | — | |
| Notable work | The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe | — | |
| Notable work | La Chèvre | — | |
| Notable work | Les Compères | — | |
| Notable work | The Fugitives | — |
6. Links
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from France →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.