Jean Martin
- February 2, 2009
- 86 years
- cancer
About Jean Martin
Jean Martin, 86, French actor (The Battle of Algiers, The Day of the Jackal), cancer.
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Full Biography
|Jean Martin (6 March 1922 – 2 February 2009) was a French actor of stage and screen. Martin served in the French Resistance[citation needed] during World War II and later fought with the French paratroopers in Indochina. Theatrically, he is perhaps best known for originating two roles in Samuel Beckett's most famous plays: Lucky in Waiting for Godot, and Clov in Endgame. During the 1950s, he was a performer at the Théâtre National Populaire and also worked for radio plays.
Making over eighty film and television appearances, Martin is probably best remembered by international audiences for his role as the French paratroop commander Col. Mathieu in The Battle of Algiers (1965), as the gunslinger Sullivan in Sergio Leone's My Name is Nobody and as the laconic OAS adjutant Viktor Wolenski in The Day of the Jackal (both 1973). He had one of the lead roles in the 1968 French mini-series Les Compagnons de Baal.
Most of his other screen work was in French or European cinema, though his stage performances gained him much more recognition and acclaim. Martin was also an active political leftist, and was fired from the Théâtre National Populaire for signing the manifesto of the 121 against the Algerian War. He was also blacklisted from radio work and remained unemployed for a time as a result.
Martin was hired for The Battle of Algiers because director Gillo Pontecorvo was looking for a little-known professional actor to play the part of Col. Mathieu. Martin had by then worked extensively on stage, but had done just a few appearances on screen. Enjoying movie work and wishing to develop his film career, Martin tried for the part and was hired. Martin later explained that his working relationship with Pontecorvo on the set of The Battle of Algiers was often difficult, as the director otherwise hired non-professional actors for the film. Martin, as the film's only professional actor, was sometimes uncomfortable working with untrained performers, while Pontecorvo was worried that their acting styles might be too different from each other and work against the picture. Nevertheless, Martin was ultimately very happy with the film.
Jean Martin continued working on stage and on screen, playing a variety of supporting roles in French films and television productions. He also provided the voice of L'oiseau in the animation feature film Le Roi et l'oiseau.
Martin died from cancer in Paris on 2 February 2009, aged 86.
Selected filmography
- Cecile Is Dead (1944) - Le garçon d'étage (uncredited)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) - Un tire-laine (uncredited)
- Fortunat (1960) - Un croque-mort (uncredited)
- Paris Belongs to Us (1961)
- Les Culottes rouges (1962) - Un homme de la troupe (uncredited)
- Ballade pour un voyou (1963) - Le chef de la P.J.
- À toi de faire... mignonne (1963)
- The Nun (1966) - Monsieur Hébert
- The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Col. Mathieu
- Kiss Me General (1966) - Monnier
- Manon 70 (1968) - Hotelman
- Je t'aime, je t'aime (1968) - Un responsible d'édition
- Faut pas prendre les enfants du bon Dieu pour des canards sauvages (1968) - Un homme de main de Charles (uncredited)
- A Golden Widow (1969) - Un lieutenant
- Cran d'arrêt (1970) - Le majordome
- L'apocalypse (1970)
- Promise at Dawn (1970) - Igor Igorevitch
- Laisse aller... c'est une valse (1971) - Homme de Varèse
- Le Rempart des béguines (1972) - Rene
- The Inheritor (1973) - Mgr. Schneider
- The Day of the Jackal (1973) - Adjutant Viktor Wolenski
- My Name Is Nobody (1973) - Sullivan
- Successive Slidings of Pleasure (1974) - Le prêtre
- Le cri du coeur (1974) - M. Bunkermann
- I'm Losing My Temper (1974) - Proviseur / Headmaster
- Il tempo dell'inizio (1974)
- Rosebud (1975)
- Fear Over the City (1975) - Le commissaire divisionnaire, Sabin
- La Course à l'échalote (1975) - Le directeur de la banque
- The Messiah (1975) - Pontius Pilate
- A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975) - Colonel Pembroke
- L'hippopotamours (1976) - Le gorille
- The Wing or the Thigh (1976) - Le médecin
- A Woman at Her Window (1976) - Drieu La Rochelle (uncredited)
- Le Juge Fayard dit Le Shériff (1977) - Le docteur
- The Cat (1977) - Legrand
- Black-Out (1977) - Le psychiatre
- Dossier 51 (1978) - Vénus
- The Associate (1979) - Bastias
- Bête, mais discipliné (1979) - Le directeur de l'hôtel
- The Woman Cop (1980) - Le colonel
- The King and the Mockingbird (1980) - L'oiseau (voice)
- Eclipse sur un ancien chemin vers Compostelle (1980)
- Julien Fontanes, magistrat (1980) - The prefect
- Inspector Blunder (1980) - L'examinateur (uncredited)
- La Puce et le Privé (1981) - Gérard Le Tizou, le maître d'hôtel
- Justinien Trouvé, ou le bâtard de Dieu (1993)
- Lucie Aubrac (1997) - Paul Lardanchet
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Martin
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Jean Martin's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Jean Martin born?
- A.6 March 1922correct
- B.2 February 1923
- C.6 March 1923
- D.2 February 1922
Jean Martin was born on 6 March 1922.
Source: biographical introduction
2.Which military organization did Jean Martin serve in during World War II?
- A.The British Expeditionary Force
- B.The German Wehrmacht
- C.The French Resistancecorrect
- D.The American Paratroopers
Jean Martin served in the French Resistance during World War II.
Source: early life section
3.Which Samuel Beckett character did Jean Martin originate in the play Waiting for Godot?
- A.Pozzo
- B.Luckycorrect
- C.Estragon
- D.Vladimir
Jean Martin is known for originating the role of Lucky in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
Source: theatrical career section
4.What was the cause of Jean Martin's death?
- A.Pneumonia
- B.Stroke
- C.Heart failure
- D.Cancercorrect
Jean Martin died from cancer in Paris on 2 February 2009.
Source: death section
5.In which French mini-series did Jean Martin hold one of the lead roles in 1968?
- A.My Name is Nobody
- B.Les Compagnons de Baalcorrect
- C.The Day of the Jackal
- D.The Battle of Algiers
Jean Martin played a lead role in the 1968 French mini-series Les Compagnons de Baal.
Source: filmography highlights
6.Why was Jean Martin fired from the Théâtre National Populaire?
- A.For refusing to perform in a radio play
- B.For his poor performance as a paratrooper
- C.For criticizing Samuel Beckett's playwriting
- D.For signing the manifesto of the 121 against the Algerian Warcorrect
Jean Martin was fired for signing the manifesto of the 121 against the Algerian War.
Source: political career section
7.What role did Jean Martin play in the 1965 film The Battle of Algiers?
- A.Col. Mathieucorrect
- B.L'oiseau
- C.Viktor Wolenski
- D.Sullivan
Jean Martin played the role of the French paratroop commander Col. Mathieu in The Battle of Algiers.
Source: filmography highlights
8.Which character did Jean Martin voice in the animated film Le Roi et l'oiseau?
- A.The Adjutant
- B.The Gunslinger
- C.Le Roi
- D.L'oiseaucorrect
Jean Martin provided the voice of L'oiseau in the animation feature film Le Roi et l'oiseau.
Source: later career section
9.In which city did Jean Martin die?
- A.Lyon
- B.Algiers
- C.London
- D.Pariscorrect
Jean Martin died in Paris on 2 February 2009.
Source: death section
10.Why was director Gillo Pontecorvo specifically looking for a little-known actor for The Battle of Algiers?
- A.To act as an assistant director
- B.To play the gunslinger Sullivan
- C.To narrate the entire production
- D.To play the part of Col. Mathieucorrect
Gillo Pontecorvo hired Jean Martin to play the part of Col. Mathieu because he wanted a professional actor who was not widely known.
Source: Battle of Algiers production history
11.Which Samuel Beckett play featured Jean Martin as the character Clov?
- A.Happy Days
- B.Waiting for Godot
- C.Endgamecorrect
- D.Krapp's Last Tape
Jean Martin is known for originating the role of Clov in Samuel Beckett's play Endgame.
Source: theatrical career section
12.What conflict was Jean Martin involved in after World War II?
- A.Indochinacorrect
- B.The Korean War
- C.The Spanish Civil War
- D.The Algerian War
Jean Martin fought with the French paratroopers in Indochina.
Source: early life section
13.What character did Jean Martin portray in the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal?
- A.Viktor Wolenskicorrect
- B.Col. Mathieu
- C.The Jackal
- D.Sullivan
Jean Martin played the laconic OAS adjutant Viktor Wolenski in The Day of the Jackal.
Source: filmography highlights
14.Approximately how many film and television appearances did Jean Martin make during his career?
- A.Under twenty
- B.Exactly fifty
- C.Over eightycorrect
- D.Over two hundred
Jean Martin made over eighty film and television appearances during his career.
Source: filmography highlights
15.In what decade did Jean Martin work at the Théâtre National Populaire?
- A.1950scorrect
- B.1960s
- C.1970s
- D.1940s
During the 1950s, Jean Martin was a performer at the Théâtre National Populaire.
Source: theatrical career section
16.Who directed the film The Battle of Algiers?
- A.Gillo Pontecorvocorrect
- B.Samuel Beckett
- C.Sergio Leone
- D.Jean Martin
Jean Martin worked under director Gillo Pontecorvo for the film The Battle of Algiers.
Source: Battle of Algiers production history
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