Known for his incisive sense of humor and left-wing political views, Guy Bedos (born on June 15, 1934) is a French actor, stand-up comedian and scriptwriter. Originally hailing from Algeria, Bedos arrived in Paris with his family in 1949, and sold books door-to-door to sustain himself. At the age of 17, he enrolled at the Rue Blanche school (now known as the ENSATT) to study drama. Encouraged by Jacques Prévert, Bedos first started to perform his own sketches at theaters and cabarets such as La Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons. In 1965, he founded the music hall company Bobino with French singer Barbara, and then joined his soon-to-be wife Sophie Daumier for one of the most celebrated comedy duos of the decade, "La Drague". During the 1970s, Bedos became famous for playing the role of Doctor Simon in the Yves Robert films Un éléphant ça trompe énormément (1976) and Nous irons tous au paradis (1977), among others. He remained very active during the following decades, collaborating with comedian Muriel Robin in 1992 and participating in the 1993 staging of Bertolt Brecht’s La Résistible Ascension d'Arturo Ui. During the 2010s, Bedos became involved with politics, often expressing his support for left-leaning candidates. In 2012, he was cast as Jean in Stéphane Robelin’s Et si on vivait tous ensemble ?, which would be his last role in a major feature film. Bedos spent his last years away from the stage, eventually succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease in 2020.
