Andrex

Biography: life and films

Andrex was a French actor and singer who appeared on film and television in over seventy roles in a career spanning half a century. His real name is André Jaubert and he was born in Marseille, France, on 23rd January 1907. It was at school that he first met the future star Fernandel and formed a friendship that would last a life-time - the two men would appear in 29 films together. Andrex started out as a singer and then began a career as an actor on stage and screen in the early 1930s. He made his screen debut in Louis Mercanton's short film Une idée de génie (1931) and made the first of many appearances alongside Fernandel in Maurice Cammage's Le Coq du régiment (1933). A dependable supporting artist, Andrex was at his best in comedic roles (particularly when partnering Fernandel), but was also adept at playing straight drama - evidenced by Marcel Pagnol's Angèle (1934), Jean Renoir's Toni (1935) and H.G. Clouzot's Manon (1949). Whilst he was neither star material nor a great character actor, Andrex had both an impressive dramatic range and an amiable screen persona, so he was convincing in both sympathetic and unsympathetic roles. After the death of his wife Ginette Baudin and his friend Fernandel in 1971, he virtually gave up his acting career. His last film role was in Juliet Berto's Cap Canaille (1983). Andrex died from a heart attack in Paris on 10th July 1989, aged 82.

Filmography