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Charles Vanel

Charles Vanel

Actor · Died April 15, 1989, aged 96 · Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Charles-Marie Vanel, known as Charles Vanel (21 August 1892 in Rennes, France - 15 April 1989, in Cannes, France) was a French director and actor. He made his screen debut in 1912, in Robert Péguy's Jim Crow. His 77 year career comprised appearances in more than 200 films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles Vanel, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.    

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 21, 1892
Died
April 15, 1989 (aged 96)
From
Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
20 on Motif · 152 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 26% in 30 days

What are Charles Vanel's films like?

Across their 17 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their Motif 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%
Survival
24%
Bonds
14%
Power
13%
Ideas
9%
Society
5%
Self
4%
Survival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 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 3 · Serious 4 · Dark 10

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

Grounded 7 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 8 · Intense 6

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

Steady 11 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1

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

A split, not a type: Casual 4 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 7

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 5

Roles they play

16 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 5 of 16 analyzed roles.

Shadow
5 of 16
Threshold guardian
3 of 16
Hero
2 of 16
Ally
2 of 16
Mentor
2 of 16
Trickster
1 of 16
Shapeshifter
1 of 16
Show the 16 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Dread
5
Melancholic
5
Contemplative
5
Romantic
3
Other
11

How their films linger

Thought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous4

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 Charles Vanel's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 20 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Charles Vanel's titles on Motif; 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

152 credits, 20 with a Motif page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

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

    Actor

  • Les saisons du plaisir(1988)

    as Charles van Bert

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • If the Sun Never Returns (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    as Anzevui

  • Three Brothers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1981)

    as Donato Giuranna

  • La Puce et le privé (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1981)

    as Mathieu Fortier

  • The Lost Way (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    as Léon

  • Thomas Guérin, retraité (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

    as Thomas Guérin

  • Ne pleure pas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

    as Le grand-père

  • Alice or The Last Escapade(1977)

    as Henri Vergennes

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Golden Night (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)

    as Charles Fournier

  • Boomerang (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)

    as Jean Ritter

  • Illustrious Corpses(1976)

    as Procurator Varga

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • 7 morts sur ordonnance(1975)

    as Pr Brézé

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Es herrscht Ruhe im Land (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)

    as Großvater Parra

  • Le Juge et son bourreau (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1974)

    as Le commissaire Bairelard

  • The End of the Tether (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    as Whalley

  • Le Reflet dans la mer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    as Baron Ucciani

  • The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life(1972)

    as Il Presidente

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Les Thibault (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • Camorra (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

    as Don Mimo De Ritis

  • La Nuit bulgare (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

    as Bohringer

  • Le Père Goriot (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

    as Father Goriot

  • Ils(1970)

    as Professor Swaine

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

  • Sébastien and Mary-Morgane (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 13 episodes · as Louis Maréchal

  • Countdown to Vengeance (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)

    as Juliani

  • Ballad for a Dog (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)

    as Viachet

  • Woman in Chains(1968)

    as L'invité au vernissage qui dit 'Oui, ça correspond au schéma du bonhomme' (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • La Séparation (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)

    as Louis Vigué

  • Shock Troops(1967)

    as Passevin

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • L'Arlésienne (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)

    Actor

  • Le chant du monde(1965)

    as Marinau the sailor

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Magnet of Doom(1963)

    as Dieudonné Ferchaux

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • A King Without Distraction (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

    as le procureur du roi

  • Symphony for a Massacre(1963)

    as Paoli

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Rififi in Tokyo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

    as Van Hekken

  • Lo sgarro (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

    Actor

  • The Steppe (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    as Pére Christophore

  • Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece(1961)

    as Father Alexandre

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Truth(1960)

    as Maître Guérin

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Island Fisherman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    as Shipowner Mével

  • Gorilla's Waltz (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    as Berthomieu aka 'Le Vieux'

  • Prisoner of the Volga (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    as Ossip Semjonowitsch

  • The Wreckers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    as Marnez

  • The Mask of the Gorilla (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    as Colonel Berthomieu

  • No Escape (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    as Caillé

  • Sinners of Paris (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    as Léonce Pozzi, dit "Le Fondu"

  • The Suspects (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    as Commissioner Perrache of the D.S.T.

  • Burning Fuse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

    as Albatrasse

  • Death in the Garden(1956)

    as Castin

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Defend My Love (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

    as Verdisio

  • A Missionary (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    as Père Gauthier

  • Native Drums (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1955)

    as Carlo Leonardi

  • To Catch a Thief(1955)

    as Bertani

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Diabolique(1955)

    as Police Inspector Alfred Fichet

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Cheerful Squadron (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    as Hurluret

  • Maddalena (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    as Giovanni Lamberti

  • On Trial (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    as Wolf Andergast

  • Royal Affairs in Versailles(1954)

    as Mr. de Vergennes

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Wages of Fear(1953)

    as Mr. Jo

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Malaire (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Producer · Actor

  • The Last Sentence (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    as Judge Marco Valsetti

  • Tragic Spell (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    as Bastiano

  • Il bivio (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)

    as Lubiani

  • Cuori sul mare (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    as Nostromo Norus

  • The Fighting Men (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

    as Don Salvatore Sparaino

  • In the Name of the Law (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1949)

    as Massaro Turi Passalacqua

  • The Woman I Murdered (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    as François Bachelin

  • Vertigine d'amore (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    as Mugnaio Resplanton

  • Woman of Evil (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    as Laurent

  • La Cabane aux souvenirs (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    Actor

  • Le Bateau à soupe (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

    as Le capitaine Hervé

  • Gringalet (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1946)

    as Lucien Ravaut

  • Hanged Man's Farm (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1945)

    as François

  • L'Enquête du 58 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1945)

    as Bernard - le mécanicien

  • The Woman Who Dared (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1944)

    as Pierre Gauthier

  • The Roquevillards (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1943)

    as François Roquevillard

  • Le soleil a toujours raison (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1943)

    as L'homme du mas

  • Promise to the Unknown One (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    as Bernard Parker

  • Haut le vent (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    as François Ascarra

  • Business Is Business (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

    as Isidore Lechat

  • The Black Diamond (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1941)

    as François Mitry

  • The Wonderful Night (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1940)

    as le fermier

  • Cristobal's Gold (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1940)

    as Le Coronel - le chef de la police

  • Law of the North (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    as Dalrymple

  • Yamilé Under the Cedars (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    as Rachid El Hame

  • Savage Brigade (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

    as Général Kalitjeff

  • Crossroads (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    as Roger de Vétheuil

  • S.O.S. Sahara (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    Actor

  • Southern Bar (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    as Captain Olivier

  • Legions of Honor (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    as Captain Dabrau

  • The West (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jean Cadière

  • Rail Pirates (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    as Henri Pierson

  • The Woman at the End of the World (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

    as Durc, l'Officier Mécanicien

  • Abused Confidence (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    as Jacques Ferney

  • Troïka sur la piste blanche (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    as Michel Steinberg

  • Social Police (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    as Salviati

  • Southern Carrier (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1937)

    as Herlin

  • L'assaut(1936)

    as Alexandre Mérital

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Port Arthur (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    as Commander Vassidloff

  • The Seniors (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    as Henri Lormier

  • Jenny (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    as Benoit

  • La Belle Équipe (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    as Charles dit Charlot

  • The Flame (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    as Victor Boussat

  • The Fear (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    as Robert Sylvain

  • Michel Strogoff (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

    Actor

  • The Green Domino (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

    as Nebel, a sculptor

  • Flight Into Darkness (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

    as Le lieutenant Maury

  • Les Bateliers de la Volga (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

    as Colonel Goreff

  • L'Impossible Aveu (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

    Actor

  • King of the Camargue (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

    as Rampal

  • The Great Game (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)

    as Clement

  • At the End of the World (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)

    as Geroges Laudy

  • Les Misérables (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)

    as Inspector Javert

  • Obsession (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)

    as Pierre

  • Gitanes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)

    Actor

  • Case closed (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)

    Director · Actor

  • Dainah the Mixed (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)

    as Michaux

  • In the Name of the Law (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)

    as Lancelot

  • Wooden Crosses(1932)

    as Caporal Breval

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Faubourg Montmartre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)

    as André Marco, dit Dédé

  • Rio's yellow house (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)

    as King-Fu / Scalpa

  • Dance House (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)

    as Ramon

  • The Yellow Captain (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

    Actor

  • L'Arlésienne (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

    as Gardian Mitifio

  • Accused, Stand Up! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

    as Henri Lapalle

  • In the Night (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

    Director · Writer · as L'ouvrier carrier

  • Chic (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

    as Fernand (François)

  • Waterloo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)

    as Napoleon

  • An Ideal Woman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)

    as Angel Call

  • Drei Tage auf Leben und Tod - Aus dem Logbuch der U.C.1 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)

    as Der Steuermann

  • Le Passager (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)

    Actor

  • Apaches of Paris (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

    Actor

  • Die weisse Sklavin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

    Actor

  • Feu! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

    as Lieutenant Frémiet

  • The Prey of the Wind (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

    as Pierre Vignal

  • Nitchevo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

    Actor

  • Mister Mustard's Millions (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

    as John Durand

  • The Flame (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

    Actor

  • Barocco (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

    Actor

  • The Awakening (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

    Actor

  • A Night of Romance (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

    as Matteo Scaliuccio

  • Iceland Fisherman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1924)

    as Yann

  • Heart of an Actress (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1924)

    Actor

  • La Flambée des rêves (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1924)

    Actor

  • Calvaire d'amour (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)

    Actor

  • L'Autre aile (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)

    as Gaston Lager

  • The House of Mystery (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)

    as Henri Corradin

  • Tillers of the Soil (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1923)

    Actor

  • Tempêtes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1922)

    as Raoul Mauduit

  • Phroso (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1922)

    as Dimitri

  • The Child of the Carnival (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1921)

    Actor

  • Miarka, la fille à l'ourse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1920)

    as Mario the game warden

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 152 titles from 1920 to 2022; peak year 1960.

Biggest box office

The Wages of Fear (1953)

$22K worldwide

Highest rated

Diabolique (1955)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19202022

Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 4 Motif 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting152 of 152: 149 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score76thDirecting2 of 152: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 152: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 152: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

152 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1920s25 · acting1930s44 · 44 acting · 2 crew1940s18 · acting1950s26 · 26 acting · 1 crew1960s14 · acting1970s19 · acting1980s5 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 0% of 23 roles
325262

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 Motif, 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 Charles Vanel's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Le chant du monde (1965)

53rd percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Diabolique (1955)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif 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 Charles Vanel's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 Motif titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 35 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 68 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

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

Who does Charles Vanel work with?

People who share at least 2 of Charles Vanel's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Henri-Georges Clouzot shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors