Bernard Freyd was a French actor and director of stage and screen who worked in the film industry for over forty years. Born in Strasbourg, Alsace, France in 1908, he studied theatre and acting at the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Dramatique in Paris. At the age of 19, he made his stage debut at the Théâtre Moderne, and soon after he was touring France with the Comédie Française.
Freyd went on to star in numerous films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, including the classic French drama Les Enfants du Paradis (1945), and his career continued to flourish into the 1950s. He also had the distinction of being the only French actor to appear in the original version of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film, To Catch a Thief (1955).
In addition to his film work, Freyd was an accomplished theatre director. He directed some of the most important plays in Paris during the 1950s, including Jean Anouilh's Antigone (1951). He was also known for his work in television, directing some of the earliest French television dramas in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Freyd was revered as an actor for his ability to bring out the best in his co-stars, and for his ability to create a vivid and believable character. His most famous role was in Les Enfants du Paradis (1945), in which he played the mysterious carnival barker Baptiste. His performance was praised by critics and audiences alike, and the film went on to become a classic of French cinema.
Freyd continued to work in film and television until his death in 1987. He was posthumously awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 1989 for his achievements in the French film industry. He is remembered as one of the greatest French actors of the 20th century, and his impact on French cinema is still felt today.
