Louis Jourdan Died Of Natural Causes In His Beverly Hills Home As The Frenchman Who Starred In 'Gigi' Was 93-Year-Old

French film star, Louis Jourdan who was best known for his role in Oscar winning 1958 musical, "Gigi" died in California.

Louis Jourdan who was best known for starring in films like "Octopussy" and "Gigi" died on Saturday, Feb. 14 in his Beverly Hills home at the age of 93.

The actor's biographer, Oliver Minne said, "He was the last French actor from the Hollywood golden era," Minne, who is working on a book and documentary about Jourdan added, "Louis was very proud of his career in America."

In a career that spanned more than 50 years, the veteran actor played key roles in many movie and television shows, as LATimes statedt he was too often stereotyped as the European lover. In a 1965 interview with the Associated Press, the actor complained, "that ooh-la-la, conventional, embarrassing character," he said, "I'm proud to be a Frenchman, but I resent the image people have of the stupid, continental charmer.

"Against that type of role I fight pitilessly."

"Any actor who comes here with an accent is automatically put in roles as a lover," he complained. "I didn't want to be perpetually cooing in a lady's ear."

Film historian and host of the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, Robert Osborne said Jourdan was indeed capable of serious work in roles such as the careless concert pianist he portrayed in "Letter from an Unknown Woman," a 1948 movie which became a film-buff favorite. However, the film didn't do Jourdan's career much good at the time it came out, "Audiences didn't want to see him in that kind of role," Osborne said in an interview with The Times. "I think he's right that he was stereotyped.

"He was hired for his profile."

The versatile actor showed that he could play a villain in "Julie" (1956), in which he played Doris Day's husband, a psychopathic killer. Jourdan succeeded Charles Boyer as Hollywood's favorite French lover and romanced Joan Fontaine, Jennifer Jones, Grace Kelly and Shirley MacLaine in films during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, according to UTSandiego.com.

Jourdan, born Louis Gendre appeared in more than 100 movies and TV shows. He always said he preferred being a character actor as opposed to being the leading man. Jourdan was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Gigi" playing Gaston Lachaiie, a bored playboy who falls for Leslie Caron.

His other credits include the films "The Paradine Case" (1947), "The Best of Everything" (1959), "The V.I.P.s" (1963), "Swamp Thing," "Year of the Comet" besides two highly-regarded 1977 TV movies, "Dracula" in which he played the titular role and "The Man in the Iron Mask" where he played D'Artagnan.

Jordan married Berthe Frédérique (nicknamed "Quique") on March 11, 1946. They had only one child, Louis Henry Jourdan together. Louis Henry Jourdan died of a drug overdose at the age of 29 on May 12, 1981. According to Olivier Minne, the actor passed away likely of natural causes.

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Louis Jourdan
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