Georges Poujouly

Georges Poujouly (20 January 1940 – 28 October 2000) was a French actor whose early start as a child star cemented his place in cinematic history. Born in Garches, France, Poujouly was discovered at the age of eleven by director René Clément, who cast him as Michel Dollé opposite Brigitte Fossey in the 1952 World War II drama Forbidden Games. The film, although modestly received in its home country, achieved international acclaim, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and introducing Poujouly to audiences worldwide; his understated, haunting performance remains a benchmark for child actors. Following this breakthrough, he appeared in a string of high‑profile films during the 1950s, including André Cayatte’s We Are All Murderers (1952), Henri‑Georges Clouzot’s suspense classic Les Diaboliques (1955), Roger Vadim’s provocative And God Created Woman (1956), and Louis Malle’s noir thriller Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1958), where he portrayed a car‑thief‑turned‑killer, showcasing his versatility beyond the innocent roles of his youth. In 1954 he lent his voice to the celebrated audio recording of Le Petit Prince alongside Gérard Philipe, hinting at the vocal talent that would define the second half of his career. From the 1960s onward Poujouly shifted his focus to television, taking supporting parts in productions such as Vice and Virtue (1963) and Paris brûle‑t‑il? (1966), while also establishing himself as a prolific voice‑over artist. Between 1959 and 1962 he became the French voice of Tintin in two animated series, later dubbing Michael Douglas’s Steve Keller in the French version of The Streets of San Francisco and providing the voice of Merry in the 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. His final credited work was the 1991 animated film Robinson et compagnie, a French rendition of Robinson Crusoe. Poujouly’s life was cut short by cancer at the age of sixty, and he passed away on 28 October 2000 in Villejuif, France, leaving behind a legacy that spans both on‑screen performance and iconic voice work.