Gabin, Jean (zhäN gäbăN`), 1904–76, French film actor, b. Paris; his original name was Alexis Moncourge. Gabin's work as a cabaret entertainer led to a career in films. He was one of France's most popular actors. In his early roles, he often played the tough yet sympathetic anti-hero. His later films were frequently detective stories. His films include Pépé Le Moko (1936), La grande illusion (1937), Quai des brumes (1938), Le plaisir (1951), Un singe en hiver (1962), and Fin de journée (1969).

Gabin, Jean

orig. Jean-Alexis Moncorgé

(born May 17, 1904, Paris, France—died Nov. 15, 1976, Paris) French film actor. The son of a music-hall comedian, he began as a performer at the Folies-Bergère (1923). After making his film debut in 1931 he earned critical and popular acclaim in Maria Chapdelaine (1934), Pépé le moko (1937), Grand Illusion (1937), The Human Beast (1938), and Daybreak (1939), often portraying the silent, tough antihero surviving in a world of social outcasts. He appeared in several films as Georges Simenon's detective character, Inspector Maigret, and also in Speaking of Murder (1959), Money, Money, Money (1962), and The Upper Hand (1967).