Georges Wilson

Georges Wilson — Biography

Georges Wilson was a significant figure of French theatre in the second half of the twentieth century: he worked as a stage actor, director and head of theatres, and also had a long film career. He is best known for succeeding Jean Vilar at the Théâtre National Populaire (Chaillot) and later serving as artistic director of the Théâtre de l'Œuvre in Paris. He was the father of actor Lambert Wilson.

His career ran on two tracks. On stage he directed the TNP from 1963 to 1972 and led the Œuvre from 1978 to 1995. In cinema he began in the mid-1950s with films such as Les Hussards and was nominated for a BAFTA for Une aussi longue absence. He also worked in international productions, playing Captain Haddock in Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'or (1961) and appearing in The Longest Day (1962). In later decades he turned up in Mayrig, L'affaire Dreyfus and Marquise, and in the series Dolmen. Not Here to Be Loved (2005) brought him a César nomination, and his last film was Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One.

The Wilson surname came from his Irish grandmother. He was born in Champigny-sur-Marne, the illegitimate son of a French father and an Irish mother. One of his sons is the jazz musician Jean-Marie Wilson. He won a Molière Award for Best Supporting Actor and was a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. He died in Rambouillet on 3 February 2010, aged 88.