Charles Boyer

He met actress Pat Paterson at a party in 1934 and fell in love with her instantly. The couple got married within three months of meeting! They had one son, Michael, who unfortunately died by committing suicide when he was just 21.

Boyer was deeply in love with his wife and was distraught when she got diagnosed with cancer. She died in August 1978 and unable to bear the grief, he committed suicide a couple of days later.

He was born in Figeac, France as the son of Augustine Louise and Maurice Boyer. His father, a merchant, died when Charles was just ten years old. He was then raised by his mother who doted on her only son.

He was a small, shy and introverted boy who did not make many friends. Instead he loved to interact with adults as he was quite mature for his age. He developed an interest in acting and dramatics from a young age.

During the World War I he volunteered at a hospital as an intern and used to perform comedy sketches to cheer up the convalescing soldiers. He was a student at College Champollion and used to act in college stage productions.

A chance opportunity to appear in a small role in a film that was shot near his village convinced him that acting was the career for him. He enrolled at the Sorbonne in 1918 to study acting.

He got an opportunity to play the leading man in the play ‘Les Jardins de Murcie’ in 1920. This was entirely by chance as the original leading man fell sick and the director was looking for a replacement when someone suggested the name of Charles.

Blessed with a great memory, Boyer could memorize entire dialogues in a matter of minutes, and thus he performed very well as the replacement even at a short notice. Plus his good looks added to his charms and he became an overnight sensation.

Following this success, he was accepted at the Conservatoire National Superior de Musique et de Declamation, which was an advanced professional program for artists and actors.

He became a very successful stage actor and earned himself thousands of fans. In fact his name was so popular that the very presence of the actor in a play would guarantee its success. His on-stage success led to numerous film offers.

He made his Hollywood debut in a very small role in the film, ‘Red Headed Woman’ in 1932. Soon he began getting bigger roles as he was handsome and had a deep voice which made him an ideal choice for playing romantic leads.

His portrayal of Pepe Le Moko, a notorious Jewel thief in the film ‘Algiers’ (1938) was one of his most popular roles. He played a handsome and suave criminal in the movie which earned him an Academy Award nomination and lots of fans.