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Alain Cuny

Alain Cuny

Actor · Died May 16, 1994, aged 85 · Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Alain Cuny (12 July 1908 – 16 May 1994) was a French actor. He was born René Xavier Marie in Saint-Malo, Brittany, and studied medicine for a while before entering the film industry as a costume and set designer. Cuny started acting in the 1930s. Among his most notable films are Les Visiteurs du soir (1942), by Marcel Carné; Les Amants (The Lovers 1958); La dolce vita (1960) and Satyricon (1969), the later two directed by Federico Fellini. During his life, he befriended women such as Hafida Elalama, and many other models and actresses Later in his career he had a role in the softcore porn film Emmanuelle (1974). Also in 1974 he played Sitting Bull in the absurdist western Don't Touch the White Woman!. One of his last roles was in Camille Claudel (1988) as Louis-Prosper Claudel, father of the film's heroine. Cuny worked in both France and Italy, and died in 1994 in Paris. Description above from the Wikipedia article Alain Cuny, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 12, 1908
Died
May 16, 1994 (aged 85)
From
Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 65 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 40% in 30 days

What are Alain Cuny's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Self.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
30%
Self
20%
Society
19%
Bonds
11%
Morality
9%
Ideas
7%
Survival
5%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 10 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 7

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 4 of 7 analyzed roles.

Shadow
4 of 7
Mentor
2 of 7
Hero
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
10
Tense
7
Contemplative
7
Romantic
4
Absurd
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Thought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Alain Cuny's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Alain Cuny's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

65 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Emmanuelle in Ontario (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Mario (archival footage)

  • La famiglia Ricordi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • The Return of Casanova (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Marquis

  • The Annunciation of Marie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Screenplay · as Anne Vercors

  • Sweet War, Farewell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Vecchio Crimen

  • Les chevaliers de la table ronde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Merlin

  • Camille Claudel(1988)

    as Louis-Prosper Claudel

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Umi e, See You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Don Macine

  • La coscienza di Zeno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 2 episodes · as Alfio Cosini sr.

  • Van Gogh à Paris, repérages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Lecteur des textes d'Artaud

  • Lucky Ravi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Plantation Owner

  • Chronicle of a Death Foretold(1987)

    as El Viudo Xius

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Distant Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Aigner

  • Detective(1985)

    as Old Mafioso

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Buio nella Valle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Luigi

  • The Basileus Quartet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Mario Cantone

  • Deuil en 24 heures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 4 episodes · as Le colonel Carvin

  • The Time Masters(1982)

    as Xul (voice)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Colomba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Games of Countess Dolingen(1981)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Le Journal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 6 episodes · as Wilchaint

  • Roberte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as La voix du pur esprit

  • Christ Stopped at Eboli(1979)

    as Barone Nicola Rotunno

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Song of Roland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Turpin/der Mönch

  • El recurso del método(1978)

    as El Académico

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • I prosseneti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Il conte Davide

  • Illustrious Corpses(1976)

    as Judge Rasto

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Irene, Irene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Guido

  • Two in the Amsterdam Rain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Actor

  • Antigone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Le Coryphée

  • Emmanuelle(1974)

    as Mario

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Le Roman de Renart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 15 episodes · as Ysengrin (voice)

  • Don't Touch the White Woman!(1974)

    as Sitting Bull

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • La rosa rossa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Count Paolo Balzeri

  • Valparaiso, Valparaiso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Balthazar Lamarck-Caulaincourt

  • La divine comédie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Virgile

  • The Master and Margaret(1972)

    as Profesor Woland & Satana

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Audience (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as teologa Belga

  • The Big Black Sow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Il Padre di Enrico

  • Many Wars Ago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Gen. Leone

  • Satyricon(1969)

    as Lica

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Safari 5000 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Actor

  • The Milky Way(1969)

    as Man with cape

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • La forêt noire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Hans Richter

  • Mission of Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Jean de Brébeuf

  • Corruption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Leonardo Mattioli

  • Banana Peel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Hervé Bontemps

  • Cross of the Living (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Baron Von Eggerth

  • Scano Boa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Cavarzan

  • La Dolce Vita(1960)

    as Steiner

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Lovers(1958)

    as Henri Tournier

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1956)

    as Claude Frollo

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Vanquished(1953)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Mina de Vanghel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Mr. de Larçay

  • The Lady Without Camelias (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Lodi

  • Les Crimes de l'amour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Mr. de Larçay (segment 'Mina de Vanghel')

  • The Solitary Conquerors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Pascal Giroud

  • Red Shirts - Anita Garibaldi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Bueno

  • The Forbidden Christ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Antonio

  • Solita de Cordoue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Pierre Desluc

  • The Phantom Baron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Hervé

  • The Devil's Envoys(1942)

    as Gilles, a Minstrel

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Stormy Waters(1941)

    as Un matelot du « Mirva » (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Madame Sans-Gêne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Roustan

  • My Crimes After Mein Kampf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Marinus van der Lubbe (l'incendiaire du Reichstag)

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 64 titles from 1940 to 2025; peak year 1969.

Biggest box office

Camille Claudel (1988)

$3.3M worldwide

Highest rated

La Dolce Vita (1960)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Emmanuelle (1974)

Film career

19402025

Peak 1969 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1941Screen debut· Stormy Waters
  • 1963First top-billed film· Corruption
  • 1974Career best· Emmanuelle

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting63 of 64: 62 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdDirecting1 of 64: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 64: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 64: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1940s6 · acting1950s9 · 8 acting · 1 crew1960s10 · acting1970s19 · acting1980s14 · acting1990s5 · 5 acting · 1 crew2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 5% of 22 roles
41617181

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Alain Cuny's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

The Games of Countess Dolingen (1981)

59th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

La Dolce Vita (1960)

Midcredits 97th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Alain Cuny's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Alain Cuny work with?

People who share at least 2 of Alain Cuny's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ruggero Mastroianni shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles