# Victor Lanoux

Victor Robert Nataf (18 June 1936 – 4 May 2017), known professionally as Victor Lanoux, was a French actor known to English-speaking audiences for his role as Ludovic in Cousin Cousine (1975).

## Biography

Victor Robert Nataf was born to a Tunisian Jew from Sfax and a Catholic mother from Normandy. He was evacuated from Paris during the Second World War. Lanoux refers to the name used during his stay in La Chapelle-Taillefert during the French occupation where he lived until the age of 11, when he returned to Paris.
He left school at age 14 to become an apprentice varnisher. He worked a variety of jobs, including the Simca automotive assembly line, until he served in the French Army during the Algerian War and was wounded, being awarded the Medal for War Wounded (Médaille des blessés de guerre).
His father got him a job at the Studio de Billancourt. He learned acting by correspondence course, then a real course.

## Career

In 1961 he met Pierre Richard who was looking for someone to partner his cabaret act. They worked together for a number of years, including a season at the Bobino and a tour of Le Gorille.
The act was seen by René Allio who cast Lanoux in La Vielle Dame Indigne (1965). This led to a starring role in La Vie Normale (1967).
Georges Wilson of the TNP cast Lanoux as Laertes in 'Hamlet'; he followed this with 'La Folle de Chaillot' at the TNP, then a three-year run as star of Illusion Comique.
He made one of his earliest film appearances in The Shameless Old Lady. He received two nominations at the 1st César Awards in 1976, for his roles in Cousin Cousine and Adieu poulet. His best known role outside of Europe is perhaps that of The Thief in the 1985 comedy classic National Lampoon's European Vacation.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1961 | Les mystères de Paris | Martial | Marcel Cravenne | TV movie |
| 1962 | Le théâtre de la jeunesse | Various | Alain Boudet | TV series (2 episodes) |
| 1963 | La chasse ou L'amour ravi | Oration | Alain Boudet (2) | TV movie |
| 1963 | Le théâtre de la jeunesse | Enjolras | Alain Boudet (3) | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1964 | Bayard | Bellabre | Claude Pierson | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1964 | Le théâtre de la jeunesse | Brigadier | Yves-André Hubert | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1964 | La vie normale | Jean-Pierre | André Charpak | |
| 1965 | The Shameless Old Lady | Pierre | René Allio | |
| 1966 | L'affaire du camion | The man | François Villiers | Short |
| 1967 | Par quatre chemins | | | TV movie |
| 1968 | Tu seras terriblement gentille | René | Dirk Sanders | |
| 1968 | Le crime de Lord Arthur Saville | Lord Arthur | André Michel | TV movie |
| 1968 | The Aeronauts | Lantier | François Villiers (2) | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1968 | Affaire Vilain contre ministère public | Georges | Robert Guez | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1969 | Le soleil des eaux | Francis Abondance | Jean-Paul Roux | TV movie |
| 1970 | À corps perdu | Christian Gauetti | Abder Isker | TV movie |
| 1970 | A contre soleil | Michel | Dirk Sanders (2) | TV movie |
| 1970 | Mont-Cinère | Frank Stevens | Jean-Paul Roux (2) | TV movie |
| 1971 | L'objet perdu | Jacques Joubes | André Michel (2) | TV movie |
| 1972 | Sette cervelli per un colpo perfetto | Gino | Roger Pigaut | |
| 1972 | Portrait : Pouchkine | Sobolevsky [ru] | Jean-Paul Roux (3) | TV movie |
| 1973 | Elle court, elle court la banlieue | Georges | Gérard Pirès | |
| 1973 | The Dominici Affair | Gustave Dominici | Claude Bernard-Aubert | |
| 1973 | Histoire d'une fille de ferme | Jacques | Claude Santelli | TV movie |
| 1973 | Two Men in Town | Marcel | José Giovanni | |
| 1973 | I Don't Know Much, But I'll Say Everything | The worker | Pierre Richard | |
| 1973 | La ligne de démarcation | Ernest | Jacques Ertaud | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1974 | Vani la merveille | Vani | Jean-Pierre Marchand | TV movie |
| 1974 | Jean Pinot, médecin d'aujourd'hui | | Michel Fermaud | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1975 | La mort d'un guide | Maurice Merinchal | Jacques Ertaud (2) | TV movie |
| 1975 | The Common Man | Strong man | Yves Boisset | |
| 1975 | Le bel indifférent | Emile | Jacques Duhen | TV movie |
| 1975 | Folle à tuer | Georges | Yves Boisset (2) | |
| 1975 | Cousin Cousine | Ludovic | Jean-Charles Tacchella | Nominated - César Award for Best Actor |
| 1975 | The French Detective | Pierre Lardatte | Pierre Granier-Deferre | Nominated - César Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1976 | Pardon Mon Affaire | Bouly | Yves Robert | |
| 1976 | A Woman at Her Window | Michel Boutros | Pierre Granier-Deferre (2) | |
| 1976 | Ingeblikt | Writer | Anton Stevens | TV movie |
| 1977 | Servante et maîtresse | Jérôme | Bruno Gantillon | |
| 1977 | Le passé simple | François | Michel Drach | |
| 1977 | Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! | Bouly | Yves Robert (2) | |
| 1977 | Un moment d'égarement [fr] | Jacques | Claude Berri | |
| 1978 | La Carapate | Martial Gaulard | Gérard Oury | |
| 1979 | Un si joli village | Stéphane Bertin | Étienne Périer | |
| 1979 | The Dogs | Doctor Henri Ferret | Alain Jessua | |
| 1979 | Au bout du bout du banc | Ben Oppenheim | Peter Kassovitz | Also producer |
| 1980 | Retour en force | Adrien Blaussac | Jean-Marie Poiré | |
| 1981 | Une sale affaire | Novak | Alain Bonnot | |
| 1981 | La revanche | Alfred Jouvert | Pierre Lary | |
| 1982 | Boulevard des assassins | Charles Vallorba | Boramy Tioulong | |
| 1982 | Y a-t-il un Français dans la salle ? | Horace Tumelat | Jean-Pierre Mocky | |
| 1983 | Un dimanche de flic [fr] | Franck | Michel Vianey | |
| 1983 | Stella | The Swiss | Laurent Heynemann | |
| 1984 | Dog Day | Horace | Yves Boisset (3) | |
| 1984 | Louisiana | Charles de Vigors | Philippe de Broca | TV movie |
| 1984 | Thieves After Dark | Inspector Farbet | Samuel Fuller | |
| 1984 | Les fils des alligators | Michel Corleone | André Farwagi | TV movie |
| 1984 | La triche | Commissioner Michel Verta | Yannick Bellon | |
| 1984 | La smala | Robert | Jean-Loup Hubert | |
| 1985 | European Vacation | The Thief | Amy Heckerling | |
| 1986 | Série noire | Kant | Pierre Grimblat | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1986 | Scene of the Crime | Maurice | André Téchiné | |
| 1987 | Sale destin | François Marboni | Sylvain Madigan | |
| 1988 | Le clan | César Manotte | Claude Barma | TV mini-series |
| 1989 | L'invité surprise | Charles | Georges Lautner | |
| 1989 | Rouge Venise | The Witchfinder | Étienne Périer (2) | |
| 1989-1995 | Renseignements généraux | Roger Goupil | Philippe Lefebvre, Alain-Michel Blanc, ... | TV series (14 episodes) |
| 1992 | Le bal des casse-pieds | Frank | Yves Robert (3) | |
| 1993 | Maria des Eaux-Vives | Alexandre | Robert Mazoyer | TV mini-series |
| 1994 | Le cascadeur | Richard Delaistre | Josée Dayan | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1996 | Lifeline | Lucien Basso | Fred Gerber | TV movie |
| 1996 | Je m'appelle Régine | Joseph | Pierre Aknine | TV movie |
| 1996 | L'histoire du samedi | Thève Maravilliers | Alain Nahum | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1997 | Les démons de Jésus | Jo | Bernie Bonvoisin | |
| 1998-2013 | Louis la brocante | Louis Roman | Michel Favart, Pierre Sisser, ... | TV series (44 episodes) |
| 1998 | L'alambic | Amédée | Jean Marboeuf | TV movie |
| 1998 | Belle grand-mère | Pacha | Marion Sarraut | TV movie |
| 1998 | Le cascadeur | Richard Delaistre | Alain-Michel Blanc (2) | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1999 | Le frère Irlandais | Jean Langlois | Robin Davis | TV movie |
| 1999 | Les grandes bouches | Armand | Bernie Bonvoisin (2) | |
| 1999 | La position de l'escargot | Dédé | Mishka Saal | |
| 2001 | A Hell of a Day | Maurice Degombert | Marion Vernoux | |
| 2002 | Belle grand-mère 2 | Pacha | Marion Sarraut (2) | TV movie |
| 2003 | Pierre et Farid | Pierre Marcellin | Michel Favart (2) | TV movie |
| 2006-2016 | Commissaire Laviolette | Commissioner Laviolette | Bruno Gantillon (2), Philomène Esposito, ... | TV series (8 episodes), (final appearance) |
| 2012 | La femme cachée | Marc Delvaux | Michel Favart (3) | TV movie |
| 2014 | Dommages collatéraux | Régis Morel | Michel Favart (4) | TV movie |
| 2015 | Le port de l'oubli | Vincent Lagarde | Bruno Gantillon (3) | TV movie |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Author | Director | Notes |
| 1962 | Le Bourgeois gentilhomme | Molière | Jean-Pierre Darras | |
| 1962 | Tartuffe | Molière | Roger Planchon | |
| 1964 | The Revenger's Tragedy | Cyril Tourneur | Francis Morane & Jean Serge | |
| 1965 | Hamlet | William Shakespeare | Georges Wilson | |
| 1965 | L'Illusion Comique | Pierre Corneille | Georges Wilson (2) | |
| 1965 | The Madwoman of Chaillot | Jean Giraudoux | Georges Wilson (3) | |
| 1966-1968 | Le Cheval évanoui | Françoise Sagan | Jacques Charon | |
| 1969 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Bertolt Brecht | Georges Wilson (4) | |
| 1973 | Le Tourniquet | Victor Lanoux | Yves Bureau | |
| 1974 | Le Péril bleu ou méfiez-vous des autobus | Victor Lanoux | Victor Lanoux | |
| 1976 | Qui est qui ? | Keith Waterhouse & Willis Hall | Victor Lanoux (2) | |
| 1981 | Au Bonheur des Dames | Émile Zola | Jacques Échantillon | |
| 1985 | Voisin Voisine | Jerome Chodorov | Pierre Mondy | |
| 1987 | Le Tourniquet | Victor Lanoux | Victor Lanoux (3) | |
| 1989 | La Ritournelle | Victor Lanoux | Victor Lanoux (4) | Nominated - Molière Award for Best Playwright |
| 1991 | Same Time, Next Year | Bernard Slade | Roger Vadim | |
| 1994 | Drame au concert | Victor Lanoux | Victor Lanoux (5) | |
| 2000 | Master Class | David Pownall | Régis Santon | |