Max Linder (Saint-Loubès, 16 december 1883 – Paris, 31 October 1925) was a French actor. His actual name was Gabriel-Maximilien Leuvielle.
During his career played Linder in a five hundred films of which there are approximately one hundred and twenty have been preserved. The character Max was an immense success and the great inspiration for Charlie Chaplin. The latter brought even a homage to Max Linder in the film The Rink .
Biography[Edit][]
Linder was born as a son of vineyard owners, and was destined to take over the company. At a very early age he was fascinated by the circus and touring shows. He began at the age of 16 without the knowledge of his parents to a theatre training at the Conservatory to Bordeaux. His theatre career, however, was not a great success.
In June 1905 he got the chance to play in the short film La Première Sortie d'un Collégien of Charles Pathé. So he came up with the film world in contact. In 1907 created the character Max in the film Les Débuts d'un Skater. [source? ]This turned out to be a huge success. Linder got large fees for his performances and was extremely popular.
During the first world war was Linder driver for the army. In 1916 , he came into contact with mustard gas. Although he survived the gas attack, he got heavy lung problems and depression. Of course, this had an impact on his work: his career was marked by a series of ' ups and downs '. When he was in the hospital were looking for one of the partners of Essanay Studios him to replace Charlie Chaplin Essanay just had left. This gave Linder the chance to make longer movies. Like so many Europeans was the Hollywood-dream no reality for Max. Not only could his fragile health not the bad weather of Chicago , but his three American productions from this period were not the intended success. Linder returned back to France in 1917 .
However, this meant not the end of his international ambitions. In 1919 he ventured again step into the United States. He started his own film production company and made three films: Seven Years of Bad Luck(1921), Be My Wife (1921) and the parody The Three Must-Get-Theres from 1922. He also discovered Jobyna Ralston that he encouraged in Hollywood career. Linder, however, again because of his health had to return to Europe, where he in Au Secours (1923) and Le Roi du Cirque (1924) played.
In 1923 with whom he had a daughter, Maud married Linder. On 1 november 1925 the couple committed a double suicide. Linder shot a bullet through the head; his wife took an overdose of sleeping pills and cut her wrists by. Why the couple committed suicide, is never completely cleared up, but probably were health problems, and in particular the depression of Linder, the root cause. [source?]
Maud Linder was placed in a foster home and twenty years later would discover who her famous father. She has published the book about Max Linder était mon père (2003).
Style elements of the ' Max ' movies[Edit][]
- the character Max is a clumsy dandy that deals exclusively with going out, sports and women decorate
- He comes then time and time again in degrading situations from which he manages to save himself with a chuckle
- the acting style is very subdued, with natural gestures and absolutely not theatrical
- the movies are delicate situation comedies in which the title gives away what will happen