Gérard Marcel Louis Baraillé, better known as Gérard Barray (November 2, 1931 - February 15, 2024) was a French actor and writer.
He studied acting at the Cours Simon and took the role of Stanislas in the Jean Cocteau play L'Aigle à deux têtes, succeeding Jean Marais. He's had most success as a leading man in the 1960s, when he played dashing swashbuckler characters in films such as Le Capitaine Fracasse (opposite the aforementioned Jean Marais), The Three Musketeers, Pardaillan, Scaramouche or Surcouf: Tiger of the Seven Seas.
One of his close friends was Frédéric Dard, the author of San-Antonio, and Barray played Commissioner San-Antonio in two films. He also worked in the Spanish film and TV industry, notably appearing in Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 film Open Your Eyes.
He passed away at age 92 on February 15, 2024.
Selected filmography:
- Le Capitaine Fracasse (1961) as the Duke of Vallombreuse
- The Three Musketeers (1961) as D'Artagnan
- The Corsican Brothers (1961) as Giovanni Dagona
- The Adventures of Scaramouche (1963) as Robert Lafleur aka "Scaramouche"
- Nestor Burma (1993) as Dorville
- Open Your Eyes (1997) as Duvernois
Tropes in his works:
- Cast the Expert: He once practiced fencing, which came in handy for his swashbuckler roles.
- Fake Nationality: He played quite a few Spaniards, due to often working in Spain in the last 30 years of his life.
- Mr. Fanservice: He had his shirt open in quite a few scenes in The Three Musketeers, Scaramouche and Pardaillan.
