René Dary

René Dary (19 July 1905 – 6 October 1974) was a French film actor. Dary began his career as a child actor. Young Clément Mary, as was his original name, was born 18 July 1905 in Paris 6th arrondissement. He got his chance in the Spring of 1910 when he was only five. His father Abélard Mary had put in his head to go and promote himself and his two young kids as extras at the Gaumont studio. Mary, who had been an actor, had become a rundown clown in bars because of his gambling and kept things going with some furniture trade. He had set his hopes for his kids, and gambled well this time, as they were all hired for a peplum, Les Derniers Jours de Babylone. Young Clément's native playfulness, his histrionic acting making him older than he was, his borrowed street talk, and his ease on the set to charm everyone, from actors to technicians, soon began to attract the attention of producer-director Louis Feuillade. Feuillade tested him and designed a whole series around him, the Bébé series. All in all Mary would play in 74 Bébé comedies between 1910 and 1912, according to Braquet (76 between December 1910 and February 1913, according to Lacassin, while IMDb lists 73 titles), such as Bébé apache, Napoléon, Bébé et les cosaques, Bébé en Maroc etc. Feuillade permitted little Mary to do anything forbidden at home. Often his character would be a spoiled brat, have impossible tantrums and pester all adults around him, but he could also help children and old people in distress, showing his good heart after all. Often his mother would be played by Renée Carl, a leading Gaumont actress in her own. And often the child was placed in adult situations, as millionaire, marriage candidate or underworld 'apache'. For over two years Bébé was the best known child actor worldwide. The extremely good box office made papa Mary wealthy too, but his money hunger caused also the downfall of his son. Abélard bought a small cinema in Ménilmontant and called it Bébé-Cinéma, counting on a franchise by Gaumont to show his son's films. This was the limit for Feuillade, who was already fed up with the pretense of the father's self-promotion as his son's manager and his continuous demands for raises for his son. Besides, Clément was reaching an age where his cuteness as child actor was passing. Already mid-1912 another young kid had been picked up in Belleville, near the studios, and had started as supporting actor to Clément in the film Bébé adopte un petit frère, but replaced him completely in March 1913 (February 1913, according to Francis Lacassin) under the character name of Bout-de-Zan (a name he already wore as Bébé's co-actor). Abélard went to court against Gaumont. The court ruled that the breach of contract was just, but also that Mary was allowed to continue acting as Bébé at Pathé's subsidiary Eclectic Films, and he did so until 1916. Yet, it was no competition for Gaumont's Bout-de-Zan. As Abel mentions, Bout-de-Zan was more plebeian while Bébé was 'au fond' bourgeois as type. Still, in the end Poyen did some 50 films for Gaumont, less than Mary.

Cast

Risky Business

(le maire)

Bifur 3

(Georges)

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

(Henri Ducros dit Riton)

Operation Diplomatic Passport

(Chef de la D.S.T.)

A Certain Mister

(Le Pouce, membre de la bande)

The Fugitive

(Fred)

Eight Men in a Castle

(M. Paladine)

Sidonie Panache

Hélène

(Marcel)

À nous deux, madame la vie

S.O.S. Sahara

Un fichu métier

(Jean-Paul)

Moulin Rouge

(Lequérec)

Forte tête

(René Rocher)

Nord-Atlantique

(Barnes, second in command)

Mélodie pour toi

L'Esprit de Sidi-Brahim

(Jean Varin)

After the Storm

(René Sabin)

Homeport

(René)

Le café du port

The Loves of Hercules

(Il generale)

À la Belle frégate

Cité de l'espérance

(Pierre Maufranc)

Le diamant de cent sous

(Clive Morgan)

Sins of Youth

(L'oncle Léon Bertier)

Suzanne and Her Brigands

The Unknown N° 13

120, rue de la Gare

(Nestor Burma)

Bébé apache

(Bébé)

Daniella by Night

(Lanzac)

The Delinquents

(Le Goff)

Bébé veut imiter Saint-Martin

Children of Chaos

(Jean Victor)

Five Red Tulips

(Pierre Lusanne)

A Trap for Cinderella

(Le docteur Doulin)

La trouvaille de Bébé

Napoléon, Bébé, and the Cossacks

(Bébé)

Bébé fait du spiritisme

(Bébé)

Bébé Runs After His Watch

Bébé Runs After His Watch

(Bébé)

Tonight We Kill

(Franz)

Goto, Island of Love

(Gomor)

Tom Thumb

(Le petit Poucet)

Bébé's Masterpieces

(Bébé)

Bébé soigné son père

(Bébé)

Jusqu'à plus soif

(Bardin)

Napoléon II, the Eagle

Skin and Bones

(The director)

Règlements de compte

L'Exécution

(Lavaur)

Horizon

(Father)

Jimmy Pulls The Trigger

(Bébé)

The Postmaster's Daughter

(Captain)

Fire of Love

(Marois)

Bébé a le béguin

(Bébé)

Bébé Corrects His Father

(Baby)

Bébé sur la Canebière

(Bébé)

Baby Fisherman

(Bébé)

Bébé nègre

(Bébé)

Bébé, victime d'une erreur judiciaire

(Bébé)

Bébé veut payer ses dettes

(Bébé)

The Rebel

(Pimaï)

Fugitive from Montreal

(Pierre Chambrac)

Bébé juge

(Bébé)

Belphegor, or the Phantom of the Louvre

(Commissaire Ménardier)

Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma

(Self (archive footage))

La Route

(Mathieu)

Discorama

(Self)