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Robert Hossein

Robert Hossein

Actor, director and writer · Died December 31, 2020, aged 93 · Paris, France

Robert Hossein was a French film actor of Parsi origin, director and writer. He directed the 1982 adaption of Les Misérables, and appeared in Vice and Virtue, Le Casse, Les Uns et les Autres and Venus Beauty Institute. His most recent roles include starring as Michèle Mercier's husband in the Angélique series and as a Catholic priest who falls in love with Claude Jade and becomes a communist in Prêtres interdits (Forbidden Priests) in 1973. Hossein started directing films in 1956 with Les salauds vont en enfer from a story by Frédéric Dard whose novels and plays went on to furnish Hossein with much of his later film material. Right from the start Hossein established his characteristic trademarks: using a seemingly straightforward suspense plot and subverting its conventions (sometimes to the extent of a complete disregard of the traditional demand for a final twist or revelation) in order to concentrate on ritualistic relationships. This is the director's running preoccupation which is always stressed in his films by an extraordinary command of film space and often striking frame compositions where the geometry of human figures and set design is used to accentuate the psychological set-up of the scene. The mechanisms of guilt and the way it destroys relationships is another recurring theme, presumably influenced by Hossein's lifelong interest in the works of Dostoyevski. Although Hossein had some modest international successes with films like Toi, le venin and Le vampire de Dusseldorf, he was much singled out for scorching criticism by the critics and followers of the New Wave for the unashamedly melodramatic frameworks of his films. The fact that he was essentially an auteur director with a consistent set of themes and an extraordinary mastery of original and unusual approaches to staging his stories, was never appreciated. He was not averse to trying his hand at widely different genres and was never defeated, making the strikingly different spaghetti western Une corde, un Colt and the low-budgeted but daringly subversive period drama J'ai tué Raspoutine. However, because of the lack of wider success and continuing adverse criticism, Hossein virtually ended his film directing career in 1970, having concentrated on theatre where his achievements were never questioned, and subsequently returning to film directing only twice. With two or three exceptions, his films remain commercially unavailable and very difficult to see. He is the son of André Hossein a Zoroastrian French composer of Azerbaijani-Tajik descent, and a Jewish comedy actress from Kiev. He was married three times: first to Marina Vlady (he has two sons with her, Pierre and Igor), later to Caroline Eliacheff (with whom he has a son, Nicholas). He is currently married to actress Candice Patou, with whom he has one son, Julien. According to an article written by Emannuel Peze, Hossein experienced a conversion to Catholicism in 1971 during a visit to the Marian apparition at San Damiano in Lombardo Italy. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Hossein, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 30, 1927
Died
December 31, 2020 (aged 93)
From
Paris, France
Works as
Actor, director and writer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 113 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 23% in 30 days

What are Robert Hossein's films like?

Across their 34 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Biography 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
Morality
30%
Bonds
20%
Power
18%
Self
16%
Survival
13%
Society
2%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themePower6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 34 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 10 · Serious 5 · Dark 19

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 17 · Heightened 8

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 20 · Intense 11

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 17 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 11 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 9 · Affecting 15 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

21 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 8 of 21 analyzed roles.

Shadow
8 of 21
Hero
6 of 21
Ally
6 of 21
Shapeshifter
1 of 21
Show the 21 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
22
Melancholic
16
Thrilling
7
Joyful
6
Romantic
4
Other
24

How their films linger

Haunting14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous7

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 Robert Hossein's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Hossein'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

113 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 26 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Picking Strawberries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Actor

  • Belmondo: The Incorrigible (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Love Is Better Than Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Robert Prat

  • Noni : Le Fruit de l'espoir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Le grand-père d'Angeli

  • Une femme nommée Marie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Stage Director · as Narrator (voice)

  • A Man and His Dog(2008)

    as Un homme a la soupe populaire

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Little Murders of Agatha Christie(2009)

    Show as Simon

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • La disparue de Deauville(2007)

    as Antoine Bérangère

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Petits Meurtres en famille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 4 episodes · as Simon

  • Le Juge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · as Roger Marino

  • San Antonio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Le ministre de l'intérieur / The Minister

  • Antigone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Art Direction · as Créon

  • Scandalous Crimes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Judge Bocchi

  • Venus Beauty Institute(1999)

    as L'aviateur

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Wax Mask(1997)

    as Boris Volkoff

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Les Misérables(1995)

    as Le maître de cérémonie

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • L'affaire(1994)

    as Paul Haslans

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Stranger in the House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Le Gorille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 13 episodes · as Joseph Beaucis

  • Cyrano de Bergerac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Children of Chaos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Robert

  • Kean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Stage Director

  • La croisade des enfants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Philippe-Auguste

  • Levy & Goliath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Goliath customer (uncredited)

  • A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later(1986)

    as Robert Hossein

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Le Caviar rouge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Screenplay · as Alex

  • Surprise Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as André Auerbach

  • Les Misérables(1982)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Big Pardon(1982)

    as Manuel Carreras

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Professional(1981)

    as Commissaire Rosen

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Bolero(1981)

    as Simon Meyer / Robert Prat

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Démons de midi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Metteur en scène de théâtre

  • Henry James Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter Quint

  • Hernani (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Stage Director

  • The Phoney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Kaminsky

  • The Protector (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Arnaud

  • Le Tour d'Écrou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Peter Quint

  • Forbidden Priests(1973)

    as Jean Rastaud

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • A Police Officer Without Importance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Pierre Fresse

  • Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman(1973)

    as Louis Prévost

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • A Murder Is a Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Jean Carouse

  • Hellé (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Kleber

  • The Burglars(1971)

    as Ralph

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Lion's Share (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Maurice Ménard

  • Judge Roy Bean(1971)

    as Black Bird

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Falling Point (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Writer · as Le Caïd

  • Versatile Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Serge Belaïeff

  • Time of the Wolves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Dillinger

  • The Conspirators (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Leonida Montanari

  • Desert Assault (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Capitaine Curd Heinz (Rudi en Français)

  • Crime Thief(1969)

    as Tian

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Scarlet Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Julien

  • Misdeal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Martin von Klaus

  • Life Love Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Man in the movie

  • Cemetery Without Crosses(1969)

    Director · Writer · as Manuel

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Battle of El Alamein(1969)

    as Erwin Rommel

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Once Upon a Time in the West(1968)

    as Member of Frank's Gang in Flashback (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Tender Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Enrico Fontana

  • OSS 117 Murder for Sale(1968)

    as Dr. Saadi

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Angelique and the Sultan(1968)

    as Joffrey de Peyrac "Le Rescator"

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • A Little Virtuous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Louis Brady

  • Untamable Angelique(1967)

    as Joffrey de Peyrac, 'Le Rescator'

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Lamiel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Roger Valber

  • The Man Who Betrayed the Mafia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Maître Bianchini

  • J'ai tué Raspoutine(1967)

    Director · Writer · as Serge Sukhotin

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • La Musica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Him

  • Brigade Anti Gangs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Chief Commissioner Le Goff

  • La longue marche(1966)

    as Carnot

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Other Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Pierre Montaud, the Advocate

  • Angelique and the King(1966)

    as Jeoffrey de Peyrac

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Madamigella di Maupin(1966)

    as Captain Alcibiade

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Le tonnerre de Dieu(1965)

    as Marcel

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Marco the Magnificent(1965)

    as Prince Nayam

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Le commissaire mène l’enquête (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as The lover (segment "Pour qui sonne le ...")

  • The Secret Agents(1965)

    as Dupont

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Secret Killer(1965)

    Director · Screenplay · as Peter Kuerten

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Angélique(1964)

    as Jeoffrey de Peyrac

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Marked Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Director · Story · as Franz

  • Why Paris? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Actor

  • Shadow of Evil(1964)

    as Dr. Sinn

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Death of a Killer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Director · Adaptation · Screenplay · as Pierre Massa

  • Highway Pick-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Daniel Boisset

  • In the Midst of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Co-Producer

  • Of Flesh and Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Samuel

  • Vice and Virtue(1963)

    as SS Oberst Erik Schörndorf

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Enough Rope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Inspektor Corby

  • Love on a Pillow(1962)

    as Renaud Sarti

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Paris Pick-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Robert Herbin

  • Hitch-Hike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Edouard, le fou

  • Madame(1961)

    as Le sergent François-Joseph Lefebvre

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Game of Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Writer · as L'inspecteur de police

  • The Taste of Violence(1961)

    Director · Dialogue · Screenplay · as Perez

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Savary

  • The Wretches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director · Screenplay · as Jess Rooland

  • Take Me As I Am (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Ed Dawson

  • The Verdict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Writer · as Georges Lagrange

  • Double Agents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director · Screenplay · as Lui

  • Riff Raff Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Marcel Point-Bleu

  • The Road to Shame(1959)

    as Pierre Rossi

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Blonde in a White Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director · Screenplay · as Pierre Menda

  • Provisional Liberty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Jean-Paul Viberty / Jean Rungis

  • Young Girls Beware (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Raven

  • No Sun in Venice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Sforzi

  • Crime and Punishment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as René Brunel

  • Forgive Our Trespasses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director · Screenplay · as (uncredited)

  • The Wicked Go to Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director · Screenplay · as Fred

  • Rififi(1955)

    as Rémi Grutter

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Série noire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Jo

  • Quai des blondes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Chemise Rose

  • Maya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Un témoin du meurtre qui n'a rien vu (uncredited)

  • In the Eyes of Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as A student from the Simon course

  • Sextette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Actor

  • The Devil Who Limped (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Guest in white (uncredited)

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 113 titles from 1948 to 2025; peak year 1981.

Biggest box office

The Taste of Violence (1961)

$6.4M worldwide

Highest rated

Rififi (1955)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Angélique (1964)

Film career

19482025

Peak 1981 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 3 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.

  • 1955Screen debut· Rififi
  • 1981First top-billed film· Bolero
  • 1981Career best· Bolero

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting108 of 113: 91 only acting, 17 with another role · typical Midcredits score45thDirecting16 of 113: 1 only directing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thWriting16 of 113: 0 only writing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thProducing1 of 113: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew4 of 113: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

113 titles, 18 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 14 of them.

By decade

1940s4 · acting1950s14 · 14 acting · 5 crew1960s47 · 46 acting · 9 crew1970s17 · 16 acting · 2 crew1980s11 · 9 acting · 3 crew1990s8 · 7 acting · 1 crew2000s7 · 7 acting · 1 crew2010s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew2020s4 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 8% of 24 roles
557085

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 Robert Hossein's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 38; across their 34 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Approval · how many liked their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 34

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 39 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · actor

Judge Roy Bean (1971)

74th percentile spread · 50% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 41. 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 Robert Hossein'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 55 · 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 Robert Hossein work with?

People who share at least 2 of Robert Hossein's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michel Magne shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers