Patrick Dewaere Movies
Short-lived
Patrick Dewaere was one of the most promising and popular French actors of the '70s. In 1968, he joined Café de la Gare, the troupe of performers which also included such future stars as
Gérard Depardieu and Miou-Miou. After initially appearing under the pseudonym
Patrick Morin, he finally opted for Dewaere, which was his grandmother's maiden name. Onscreen from 1971 in various bit parts, Dewaere made the breakthrough with his first major role in
Bertrand Blier's anarchic comedy
Les Valseuses (1974) where he and
Gerard Depardieu starred as two young delinquents. The actor would team up again with Depardieu in Blier's Oscar-winning comedy
Preparez Vos Mouchoirs (1978). Despite Dewaere's obvious talent for comedy, he was often successfully cast as a fragile, neurotic individual. Shortly after the release of
Paradis Pour Tous (1982), the black comedy where his character committed suicide, the actor shot himself in a hotel room. The Patrick Dewaere Award was established in France in 1983. The actor was the subject of the French documentary Patrick Dewaere, which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide