Jean-Claude Pascal

French singer and actor.
Born in Paris 24th October 1927, † 5th May 1992 at Clichy-la-Garenne.

Singer and actor Jean-Claude Pascal (1927-1992) started his career as a fashion designer for Hermès. Later he met Christian Dior and became his stylist and also his model. When he designed costumes for the theatre-play Don Juan by Moliere he discovered his passion for acting. His first film as a jeune premier was Quattro rose rosse (1949, Nunzio Malasomma). In the 1950’s he became one of the romantic lovers of the French cinema. He was often seen in costume in such films as Le Grand Jeu (1954, Robert Siodmak), Le Chevalier de la nuit (1954, Robert Darène), Les Mauvaises rencontres (1955, Alexandre Astruc), Le Salaire du péché (1956, Denys de La Patellière) and La Belle et l’Empereur (1959, Axel Von Ambesser), with Romy Schneider.

The filmmakers of the Nouvelle Vague were not interested in Jean-Claude Pascal. His film work diminished and he switched to singing chansons such as Lily Marlene in German and French.. In 1961 he won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg singing Nous Les Amoureux. In 1981 he represented Luxembourg again in the Eurovision Song contest with C'est peut-être pas l'Amérique but finished 11th. In the meantime he incidentally played in popular films, including Le Rendez-vous (1961 Jean Delannoy), Angélique et le Sultan (1968, Bernard Borderie) and Unter den Dächern von St. Pauli (1970, Alfred Weidenmann). He worked for television and wrote in the 1980’s detective novels and historical portraits.