Maurice Baquet

Biography

Maurice Baquet is a cellist, actor, sportsman and French entertainer, born May 26, 1911 in Villefranche-sur-Saône and died July 8, 2005 in Noisy-le-Grand. Maurice Baquet was married twice: with Jacqueline Figus (1920-2011) from October 31, 1944 to June 20, 1959, with whom they had a daughter, Sophie, and with Maria Yakimova from February 20, 1964 until her death. The couple had four children: Anne, Gregori. All of them, as well as Sophie, born from her first marriage, are actors and singers — Stéphane, light designer and Dimitri, show producer. ... A native of Beaujolais, he took cello lessons at the Lyon conservatory and then those in Paris where he was in the same class as Henri Betti, Paul Bonneau, Léo Chauliac, Henri Dutilleux, Louiguy, Pierre Spiers and Raymond Trouard and where he won first prize. This did not prevent him from failing the entrance examination for the orchestra of the Paris Opera, which motivated him to give up a classical career. However, he does not leave his cello behind. On the contrary, the instrument accompanies him throughout his life and we remember the wink that Joseph Losey allowed him during a short but moving sequence in Monsieur Klein. In the early 1930s, he rubbed shoulders with Pierre and Jacques Prévert, Roger Blin and joined the famous October Group, an agitprop group, closely linked to the French Communist Party. He set up his career as an actor there and devoted himself to beautiful texts, in particular the poems of Aragon and Paul Éluard. In 1935, he made his first feature film under the direction of Marc Allégret, Les Beaux Jours. A filmography of more than 80 titles follows. His head as a resourceful and facetious kid also earned him the role of Bibi Fricotin, then that of Ribouldingue in two films by Marcel Aboulker. At the theater, he plays in the operettas Andalousie and Gipsy by Francis Lopez. He also performed at the cabaret, sometimes accompanied on tap dance by Jacqueline Figus, his wife since 1944. He also participated in ski mountaineering competitions, as well as more humorous performances, such as his ski descent from the stairs of the Butte Montmartre in 1946. In the same vein, he also skied down the stairs from the Maison de la Radio, following a bet. In 1947, he presented with the whimsical Saint-Granier a bicycle-ski allowing to go down the slopes. Friend of Roger Frison-Roche, we find him in the credits of Premier de cordée (1944). In 1955, he co-directed Stars and Tempests with Gaston Rébuffat and Georges Tairraz, which won the Grand Prix at the Trente Festival. On July 13, 1956, he made the first ascent of the south-east face of the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix with Gaston Rébuffat, sequences of which can be seen in Entre terre et ciel. He was also a friend of Robert Doisneau, who photographed him extensively6 and with whom he produced a work entitled Ballade pour violoncelle et chambre noire, which testifies to their friendship. He died at the age of 94 and is buried in the cemetery of Beauregard (Ain).

Known For

Un flic

Attention les yeux!

Le concierge

Strictement personnel

Aliocha, le fou accordéoniste

Les Bas-fonds

Firmin

La Fausse Maîtresse

Ribouldingue

Les Aventures des Pieds-Nickelés

Gaspard Duval dit Pas Béni

Le Chant de l'exilé

Veille d'armes

Durant Tout Court

Hélène

Jeunes filles de Paris

Machinist

La Mort du Cygne

L'Alibi

Arthur

Altitude 3.200

Accord final

Papillon

Place de la Concorde

Départ à zéro

Boulot

Le Grand Élan

le joueur d'harmonica

Mollenard

Lantern seller

Adieu Léonard

The conductor (uncredited)

Coup de tête

Jean

Leçon de conduite

The reporter

Pas un mot à la reine mère

Mickey

Dernier atout

Rondo

Les souvenirs ne sont pas à vendre

Bibi Fricotin

Bibi Fricotin

Pepe

Andalousie

Self

Entre Terre et Ciel

Jojo, le fils aîné de Robert et Mathilde

L'Impossible Monsieur Pipelet

Kenzi - Mon Trésor

Self

Étoiles Et Tempêtes

Monsieur Crémieux

Dieu seul me voit

Self

Autour d'un Film de Montagne

Self - Guide's Client

Perilous Assignment

The grandfather

La braconne

acteur

Le Débutant

Neighbor

Tête à claques

Robert

Les Rois du gag

Teddy

Voyage surprise

Boule

Premier de cordée

'Court-Toujours'

Mandrin

Mechanic

Le voyage en ballon

Self

Pierre Verger: Mensageiro Entre Dois Mundos

Self

Le Come-Back de Baquet

Self (archive footage)

Le Monde de Gaston Rébuffat

Luthier

Le divorcement

Le soldat malade

Gueule d'amour

Salut, j'arrive

Vive les femmes !

Self

Jean Renoir: Part One - From La Belle Époque to World War II

Self (archive footage)

Chamonix - Mont Blanc, Une histoire de conquêtes

Jules, le cantonnier

L'Adolescente

Father Guillaume

Alice au pays des merveilles

Heroic Bricklayer

Z

Le professeur de Violoncelle

Madame Claude 2

Un ami de Gilbert

Frédérica

Turlot

Tire au flanc

Henri Remonge

Dernier métro

Le premier bibliothécaire

L'Ange

Charles, concierges' son

Le Crime de Monsieur Lange

Une nuit au Moulin-Rouge

Toto

Les Beaux Jours

Le petit Claus

Le petit Claus et le grand Claus

Un Musicien (uncredited)

Mr. Klein

Pepe

El sueño de Andalucía

Ribouldingue

Le Trésor des Pieds-Nickelés

Bassinet

Tailleur pour dames

Le patron de l'hôtel

Le Roi des cons

François

Roulez jeunesse !

Babilée '91