Jacques Bergerac (1927-2014)

biography

Born in Biarritz, France, on May 26, 1927, Jacques Bergerac earned a law degree from the University of Paris and briefly worked as a lawyer before becoming a stage actor. He was scouted by MGM in Paris, and the studio brought Bergerac to Hollywood for a screen test and was signed by the studio in 1952. Soon after his arrival, Bergerac met and married actress Ginger Rogers, who was 15 years his senior, in Palm Springs on February 3, 1953. His first film was the British production Twist of Fate (1954), in which he costarred with Rogers. With the end of the studio system in the 1950s, Bergerac was released from his contract with MGM and freelanced in a number of films, including Les Girls (1957; with Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, and Kay Kendall) and Gigi (1958; with Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, and Eva Gabor).

After Rogers and Bergerac ended their marriage in 1957, Bergerac began dating actress Dorothy Malone, whom he married in Hong Kong in June 1959. During this period of his career, Bergerac acted in many popular television programs, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. He is perhaps best known for his starring role in the low-budget horror film The Hypnotic Eye (1960; with Allison Hayes and Merry Anders). On a personal front, Bergerac's marriage to Dorothy Malone proved rocky despite the birth of their two daughters, and their acrimonious 1964 divorce and ensuing custody battles often played out in the press.

the films of jacques bergerac

Twist of Fate (1954)

Les Girls (1957)

Gigi (1958)

Thunder in the Sun (1959)

The Hypnotic Eye (1960)

Fear No More (1961)

Hard Time for Princes (1965)

Batman (1966-1968 ABC-TV series)

later years

Despite guest appearances on such popular programs as Batman and the offer of a recurring role on The Doris Day Show, Bergerac threw in the towel on his 15-year acting career in the late 1960s for a lucrative business career. He became president of Revlon's European division in 1971. After a brief third marriage in 1968, he married again in 1975. In the mid 1970s, Bergerac's brother, well-known executive Michel Bergerac, became president of Revlon International. Sadly, Jacques Bergerac passed away on June 15, 2014, at the age of 87. He is survived by his daughters Mimi and Diane.

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filmography

FILM
Operation Lady Chaplin (1966) with Ken Clark, Daniela Bianchi, and Helga Line
The Unkissed Bride (1966) with Tommy Kirk, Anne Helm, and Henny Youngman
Hard Time for Princes (1965) with Vittorio Gassman and Joan Collins
Taffy and the Jungle Hunter (1965) with Robert DoQui and Manuel Padilla Jr.
A Global Affair (1964) with Bob Hope, Michele Mercier, Yvonne De Carlo, and Robert Sterling
Fury of Achilles (1962) with Gordon Mitchell and Gloria Milland
Fear No More (1961) with Mala Powers, John Harding, John Baer, and Peter Brocco
The Hypnotic Eye (1960) with Allison Hayes, Marcia Henderson, Merry Anders, and Guy Prescott
Thunder in the Sun (1959) with Susan Hayward and Jeff Chandler
Gigi (1958) with Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, and Eva Gabor
Un homme se penche sur son passe (1958)
Les Girls (1957) with Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Taina Elg, and Patrick Macnee
Strange Intruder (1956) with Edmund Purdom, Ida Lupino, Ann Harding, Gloria Talbott, and Marjorie Bennett
Shadow of the Guillotine (1956) with Michele Morgan and Richard Todd
Twist of Fate (1954) with Ginger Rogers, Herbert Lom, Lisa Gastoni, and Stanley Baker

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
The Doris Day Show, episode Doris Strikes Out, originally aired November 24, 1969
Run for Your Life, episode Life Among the Meat Eaters, originally aired March 16, 1968
Batman, episode Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires, originally aired March 14, 1968
Get Smart, episode 99 Loses Control, originally aired February 17, 1968
Daniel Boone, episode The Desperate Raid, originally aired November 16, 1967
The Lucy Show, episode Lucy and the French Movie Star, originally aired September 25, 1967
The Beverly Hillbillies, episode His Royal Highness, originally aired March 8, 1967
Batman, episode Batman Displays His Knowledge, originally aired February 23, 1967
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode Mr. Governess, originally aired November 10, 1965
Run for Your Life, episode The Cold, Cold War of Paul Bryan, originally aired September 13, 1965
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Fifty-Millionth Frenchman, originally aired February 20, 1964
77 Sunset Strip, episode 5: Parts 1-5, originally aired September 20 - October 18, 1963
The Dick Van Dyke Show, episode The Square Triangle, originally aired March 20, 1963
General Electric Theater, episode The Free Wheelers, originally aired February 18, 1962
77 Sunset Strip, episode Secret Island, originally aired December 4, 1959
The David Niven Show, episode The Lady from Winnetka, originally aired May 26, 1959
The Gale Storm Show, episode Heaven Scent, originally aired October 25, 1958
Studio One, episode Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris, originally aired April 14, 1958
Matinee Theatre, episode The Vagabond, originally aired March 27, 1958
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode The Return of the Hero, originally aired March 2, 1958
General Electric Theater, episode I Will Not Die, originally aired April 28, 1957
Climax!, episode The Long Count, originally aired February 21, 1957
Playhouse 90, episode Made in Heaven, originally aired December 6, 1956
The Millionaire, episode The Virginia Lennart Story, originally aired October 24, 1956
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode The Legacy, originally aired May 27, 1956
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode Safe Conduct, originally aired February 19, 1956
Kraft Television Theatre, episode Camille, originally aired December 1, 1954

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Watch Jacques Bergerac in the 1962 peplum The Fury of Achilles