Robert Castel
Robert Castel
Biography
Robert Castel (in Arabic: روبرت كاستل), whose real name is Robert Adolphe Moyal, is an actor, musician and comedian, born on May 21, 1933 in Algiers in the Bab El-Oued district, Algeria. Robert Castel began as a musician, tar player, then guitarist, accompanying his father, composer violinist, and singer of light French-Arab songs. Young actor in the troupe of the Regional Center of Dramatic Art of Algiers, Robert Castel plays the role of Robert Le Bègue in the theatrical improvisation show on the life of the pieds-noirs, La Famille Hernandez, which is created by Geneviève Baïlac on September 17, 1957 in Paris. Having cut his teeth in music hall, Robert Castel began his film career at the age of 24 in Les Amants De Demain by Marcel Blistène, then in Un témoin dans la ville by Édouard Molinaro. In 1962, Robert Castel left the newly independent Algeria and settled in Paris with Lucette Sahuquet (who died in 1987), whom he married. The couple inaugurated their sketches as a duo that year, notably at the Olympia where they opened for Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich and Philippe Clay. In the 1970s, the comedian, lively and provocative, did a lot of television sketches with his favorite partner and Enrico Macias. For the big screen, this dark-haired comedian, with a clear forehead, who speaks with his hands, abandoned his favorite register. Having become the figure of "pied-noir humor" in France, he played alongside Edith Piaf in Les Amants de demain by Marcel Blistène, Pierre Richard in Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire by Yves Robert, and Isabelle Huppert in Dupont Lajoie by Yves Boisset. In 1982, he made a notable appearance in Algerian cinema by playing in Hassan taxi, directed by Mohamed Slim Riad, alongside Rouiched (Ahmed Ayad), Ouardia Hamitouche and Sidali Kouiret. He appeared in more than thirty films in total, until the early 2000s. Robert Castel kept a low profile for a few years before returning to the stage, this time in a musical, in 2007 thanks to the El-Gusto project. This project, which seeks to bring together Algerian, Jewish and Muslim musicians who were part of Hadj M'hamed El Anka's Algiers Chaâbi orchestra in the early 1950s, resulted in a documentary film that won international awards, the recording of an album and an international tour that took a troupe of 42 musicians to countries such as France, Morocco, Tunisia, Switzerland, Belgium, the United States and the Netherlands. In 2008, Robert Castel signed his autobiography, Je pose 75 [son âge], mais je retaîtres tout. He returned to the stage in 2013 to present his last one-man show, "Nostalgérie". He died on December 5, 2020 in Paris, at the age of 87.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
51
Gender
Male
Birthday
1933-05-21 (92 years old)
Place of Birth
Bab El-Oued, Alger, Algérie
Acting

2017

À la recherche de... Pierre Richard as Self - Actor, humorist (archive footage)

2016

The Jews as M. Bensoussan

2012

El Gusto as Le Comédien

2011

Teenagers as Pierre

2009

Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4) as Self (archive footage)

2007

The Elf Case as André Guelfi

2007

Elf, Kings of Oil as André Guelfi

2006

One Fine Day as M. Plisson

2000

The Sandmen as Damien

1983

Le Braconnier de Dieu as Le patron du bistrot

1983

C'est facile et ça peut rapporter... 20 ans as L'agent Alfredo Moreno

1982

Champs-Elysées as Self

1982

Les p’tites têtes as Mr. Roger

1982

Hassan Taxi as Not available

1981

Le bahut va craquer as le prof d'anglais

1980

Sacrés gendarmes as Gendarme Moreno

1980

Les Borsalini as Mohamed Rico

1978

Too Shy to Try as Trinita, le joueur de pétanque

1978

Take It from the Top as Le plombier

1976

Let's Make a Dirty Movie as Chouchou

1976

La Décharge as Le pied-noir

1976

Les Grands Moyens as Hubert Lacagne

1975

Midi Première as Self

1975

Numéro un as Self

1975

Système 2 as Self

1975

The Common Man as Loulou

1975

It's Tough for Everybody as Monsieur Gilles

1974

Le Permis de conduire as L'agent de police

1974

Shut Up, Gulli as Antoine

1974

Par ici la monnaie as Roméo

1974

Bedmania as Monsieur Albert, le directeur de l'hôtel

1973

Two Men in Town as André Vaultier

1973

The Conspiracy as Sapporo

1972

Le Grand Échiquier as Self

1972

Midi trente as Self

1972

The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe as Georghiu, Milan agent

1972

There Once Was a Cop as Rodriguez, Manoni's man

1971

Samedi soir as Self

1969

Agence Interim as M. Fred

1969

La Honte de la famille as Not available

1969

Les gros malins as Agent at the police station (uncredited)

1969

Three Men on a Horse as Norber

1964

The Unvanquished as Amerio

1959

The Lovers of Tomorrow as Not available