Boyer

He was born in Figeac, France as the son of Augustine Louise and Maurice Boyer. His father, a merchant, died when Charles was just ten years old. He was then raised by his mother who doted on her only son. He was a small, shy and introverted boy who did not make many friends. Instead he loved to interact with adults as he was quite mature for his age. He developed an interest in acting and dramatics from a young age. During the World War I, he volunteered at a hospital as an intern and used to perform comedy sketches to cheer up the convalescing soldiers. He was a student at College Champollion and used to act in college stage productions.

A chance opportunity to appear in a small role in a film that was shot near his village convinced him that acting was the career for him. He enrolled at the Sorbonne in 1918 to study acting, and he got an opportunity to play the leading man in the play ‘Les Jardins de Murcie’ in 1920. He realized his love for acting as a youngster and began his career as a stage actor in France. After finding some success in French cinema he moved to Hollywood to try his luck there. Blessed with a deep voice and clean-cut looks, he fit the image of a romantic hero perfectly. After playing the romantic lead in numerous films he took to portraying character roles during his later years. This was entirely by chance as the original leading man fell sick and the director was looking for a replacement when someone suggested the name of Charles.

Charles Boyer was a French actor who made it big in American cinema as a romantic hero. Best known for portraying a glamorous gentleman who made ladies swoon, the actor was a bookish introvert in real life who tried his best to keep away from the limelight that Hollywood stars are hogged with. He was a handsome, suave and sometimes aloof man who swept many beautiful women off her feet. Also in contrast to the womanizing roles he played, Boyer was a family oriented man very much devoted to his wife, Pat. Growing up, Boyer was a shy and introverted boy who did not have many friends. How he got attracted to the profession of acting is a quirk of fate! Blessed with a great memory, Boyer could memorize entire dialogues in a matter of minutes, and thus he performed very well as the replacement even at a short notice. Plus his good looks added to his charms and he became an overnight sensation. Following this success, he was accepted at the Conservatoire National Superior de Musique et de Declamation, which was an advanced professional program for artists and actors. He also worked in French films and appeared in the historical drama ‘Mayerling’ in 1936 which also had Danielle Darrieux and Jean Davy. This movie was a super hit and made him an international star.

Boyer was deeply in love with his wife and was distraught when she got diagnosed with cancer. She died in August 1978 and unable to bear the grief, he committed suicide a couple of days later.