André Valardy

André Valardy — Biography

André Valardy was a Belgian comedian, actor and director who could stretch his face almost like rubber. Because the elasticity of his skin let him transform his expression in an instant, the French press nicknamed him the "rubber man" and the "chameleon man". Born André Knoblauch in the Borgerhout district of Antwerp, he spent most of his career in French cinema.

He trained as an actor at the Cours Simon in Paris. One of his early roles was the anthropology professor in Bang-Bang (1967), followed by Papa, the Little Boats (1971) and L'emmerdeur (1973). In the late 1970s he appeared opposite Al Pacino in Bobby Deerfield (1977) and played the barman in Cause toujours... tu m'intéresses! (1979). In the comedy La Chèvre (1981) he shared the screen with Gérard Depardieu and Pierre Richard as Meyer. Later came Nathan in Lévy et Goliath (1987) and Meunier in En toute innocence (1988).

Late in his career he appeared in Que la lumière soit (1998). He also acted on television and, besides acting, worked as a director and writer. He died on 30 April 2007 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.