Biography
Starting in the '60s, French actor Philippe Leroy (somtimes credited as
Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu) was one of the most active European screen players for decades, with innumerable supporting roles in features representing all genres. Tall, distinguished, and elegant, Leroy exhibited a level of ease in everything from earnest dramas to farces to full-blooded horror. Born in France in 1930, Leroy debuted onscreen in
cause célèbre Jacques Becker's
Le Trou (1960), then began taking on an average of five to six films a year for the next 40 years, under the aegis of both well-known and lower-profiled directors, but most frequently on his native continent. Memorable projects included
Nicholas Ray's costume adventure
55 Days at Peking (1963),
Liliana Cavani's psychodrama
The Night Porter (1974),
Luc Besson's slick action thriller
La Femme Nikita (1990), and
Richard Attenborough's period romance
In Love and War (1996). In 2007, Leroy teamed up with goremeister
Dario Argento for the notorious director's gruesome supernatural horror outing
Mother of Tears. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide