René Dary
Date of birth: 1905-07-18
Place of birth: Paris, France
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Anatole Clément Mary, Bébé Abelard, Dary, Clément Mary, Kid René
Biography
René Dary (19 July 1905 – 6 October 1974) was a French film actor. Dary began his career as a child actor. Young Clément Mary, as was his original name, was born 18 July 1905 in Paris 6th arrondissement. He got his chance in the Spring of 1910 when he was only five. His father Abélard Mary had put in his head to go and promote himself and his two young kids as extras at the Gaumont studio. Mary, who had been an actor, had become a rundown clown in bars because of his gambling and kept things going with some furniture trade. He had set his hopes for his kids, and gambled well this time, as they were all hired for a peplum, Les Derniers Jours de Babylone. Young Clément's native playfulness, his histrionic acting making him older than he was, his borrowed street talk, and his ease on the set to charm everyone, from actors to technicians, soon began to attract the attention of producer-director Louis Feuillade. Feuillade tested him and designed a whole series around him, the Bébé series. All in all Mary would play in 74 Bébé comedies between 1910 and 1912, according to Braquet (76 between December 1910 and February 1913, according to Lacassin, while IMDb lists 73 titles), such as Bébé apache, Napoléon, Bébé et les cosaques, Bébé en Maroc etc. Feuillade permitted little Mary to do anything forbidden at home. Often his character would be a spoiled brat, have impossible tantrums and pester all adults around him, but he could also help children and old people in distress, showing his good heart after all. Often his mother would be played by Renée Carl, a leading Gaumont actress in her own. And often the child was placed in adult situations, as millionaire, marriage candidate or underworld 'apache'. For over two years Bébé was the best known child actor worldwide. The extremely good box office made papa Mary wealthy too, but his money hunger caused also the downfall of his son. Abélard bought a small cinema in Ménilmontant and called it Bébé-Cinéma, counting on a franchise by Gaumont to show his son's films. This was the limit for Feuillade, who was already fed up with the pretense of the father's self-promotion as his son's manager and his continuous demands for raises for his son. Besides, Clément was reaching an age where his cuteness as child actor was passing. Already mid-1912 another young kid had been picked up in Belleville, near the studios, and had started as supporting actor to Clément in the film Bébé adopte un petit frère, but replaced him completely in March 1913 (February 1913, according to Francis Lacassin) under the character name of Bout-de-Zan (a name he already wore as Bébé's co-actor). Abélard went to court against Gaumont. The court ruled that the breach of contract was just, but also that Mary was allowed to continue acting as Bébé at Pathé's subsidiary Eclectic Films, and he did so until 1916. Yet, it was no competition for Gaumont's Bout-de-Zan. As Abel mentions, Bout-de-Zan was more plebeian while Bébé was 'au fond' bourgeois as type. Still, in the end Poyen did some 50 films for Gaumont, less than Mary.
Movie Credits
Risky Business
1967-12-21
A teenage girl accuses her primary schoolteacher, Jean Doucet (Jacques Brel), of trying to rape her.
Bifur 3
1945-08-29
Two hitch-hikers are on the way to Marseilles pursued by her husband.
Touchez Pas au Grisbi
1954-03-17
Gentleman gangster Max and his partner, Riton, pull off their last, most successful heist and find t
Operation Diplomatic Passport
1965-03-31
The daughter of a foreign diplomat in Paris is courted by two men. One of them entrusts her with a h
A Certain Mister
1950-05-24
Documents relevant to National Defence have been concealed in a certain vase by a dangerous gang of
The Fugitive
1947-02-07
Fred Maubert, an innocent convicted of a crime he did not commit, escapes from prison and goes in se
Eight Men in a Castle
1942-12-09
The Paladines write crime novels together. In a cinema, they happen to see a report on the consequen
Sidonie Panache
1934-10-19
In 1842, during the conquest of Algeria Sidonie Panache disguised as a Soave runs away with her love
Hélène
1936-10-17
Helene is based on Helene Wilfur, a novel by Vicki (Grand Hotel) Baum. Madeleine Renaud essays the t
À nous deux, madame la vie
1937-03-26
Two bank employees like Lucie, their colleague. They steal money from the cash register to gamble. J
S.O.S. Sahara
1938-08-17
At a North Africa desert outpost threatened by Arabs, the French commander has added trouble when hi
Un fichu métier
1938-10-05
Because of the escapades of Alexis, the Crown Prince of Vodenia, the kingdom is likely to lose the l
Moulin Rouge
1940-12-08
A poor wretch, who has just been hired as a music-hall artist, in spite of himself becomes the tenan
Forte tête
1942-06-10
René, a bank employee, is suspected of theft and fired from his job. It borders on the worst by foll
Nord-Atlantique
1939-04-13
Barnes, the mate of the 'Portland', is the object of the hate of the whole ship's crew. His mistress
Mélodie pour toi
1942-11-11
Famous singer, René Sartène, falls in love with a young bourgeois, Marie. Irène, her stage partner a
After the Storm
1941-01-02
René Sabin, engineer, disappointed by failures, leaves his village in the South to go to Paris with
L'Esprit de Sidi-Brahim
1939-12-08
In the thirties, a Chasseur Alpin commander is accused of spying and sentenced to death. At the last
Homeport
1943-02-10
A discharged seaman winds up on an old man's farm: his children left the place for the broader horiz
Le café du port
1940-05-08
Following a heartbreak, Aimée, a young girl is taken in by the owners of a café for whom she starts
The Loves of Hercules
1960-08-19
Hercules decides to avenge the death of his wife, murdered at the hands of Éurito, king of Ecalia, b
À la Belle Frégate
1943-04-01
It's a sailors' story; they often sail away and when they return, the first thing they do is searchi
Cité de l'espérance
1948-10-27
The City of Hope is the place where left-behind artists subsist by scraping by. When one of them is
Le diamant de cent sous
1948-01-07
For fun and to dazzle his wife, the novelist Morgan steals a ring and gets rid of it in the costume
Sins of Youth
1958-10-31
In a small provincial town, the boarding-house is run by Mathilde Belin, the overindulging and over-
Suzanne and Her Brigands
1949-06-15
Suzanne is a lawyer, she's just got her degree and she is married to a cop. We follow her through th
The Unknown N° 13
1949-06-21
While investigating the world of Parisian tramps, journalist René Savary, himself disguised as a poo
120, rue de la Gare
1946-02-06
On the verge of death, a man entrusts Inspector Burma with an address. Burma conducts a difficult in
Bébé apache
1910-12-24
Bébé's father is attacked by the "apaches", a group of hooligans. Bébé and his sister decide to aven
Daniella by Night
1961-04-28
Daniella, a fashion model, goes to Rome to replace a model who's been murdered. Once there, she meet
The Delinquents
1960-06-22
Jean-Pierre, who has escaped from prison, tries to reintegrate into society with the help of workers
Bébé veut imiter Saint-Martin
1911-10-19
Bébé's nanny reads to him the exploits of Saint Martin, who gave half of his coat to a poor man at t
Children of Chaos
1944-04-26
An officer, two of his comrades and a social worker want to create the "Carrefour", a place for lost
Five Red Tulips
1949-03-23
During the Tour de France, five riders are found murdered with a red tulip near their bodies. A jour
A Trap for Cinderella
1965-10-22
Based on Sébastien Japrisot's novel, the story revolves around a young girl who suffers from amnesia
La Trouvaille de Bébé
1910-12-16
Directed by Louis Feuillade.
Napoléon, Bébé, and the Cossacks
1912-08-30
At the front, Bébé meets two Russian soldiers.
Bébé fait du spiritisme
1912-10-01
Bébé's mother and her friends conduct a spiritualist session. They feel the presence of evil and get
Bébé Runs After His Watch
1911-05-26
On the street, Bébé has his pocket watch stolen. He sets off to find the thief himself.
Bébé Runs After His Watch
1911-05-26
On the street, Bébé has his pocket watch stolen. He sets off to find the thief himself.
Tonight We Kill
1959-09-15
In Antwerp, Belgium, in 1959, a succession of Interpol agents are gunned down without obtaining what
Goto, Island of Love
1969-01-29
A petty thief works his way up the absurd hierarchy of Goto, an archipelago cut off from civilisatio
Tom Thumb
1912-10-31
Bébé's Masterpieces
1910-01-01
A child painter sells one of his paintings to an adult who appears to be surprised.
Bébé soigné son père
1912-01-01
A mischievous child feeds his father a laxative, leading to disruptive bouts of intestinal disorder—
Jusqu'à plus soif
1962-05-16
A young teacher arrives in Normandy, where she intends to put an end to illegal alcohol trafficking
Napoléon II, the Eagle
1961-11-01
The story of Napoleon 1st's long-awaited son, born in 1911. He spent his childhood in the Tuileries,
Skin and Bones
1961-04-28
Convicted of murdering his wife, a crime of which he declares himself innocent, Jacques Mazur is ser
Règlements de compte
1963-03-05
Bryant, an American, arrives at the Gare de Lyon after serving a sentence of hard labor at the Baume
L'Exécution
1961-01-29
Paris, at the start of the German Occupation, five men plan to sabotage a factory.
Horizon
1967-04-12
Antonin is a young French soldier who returns home from World War I to recover from his wounds. When
Jimmy Pulls The Trigger
1912-01-01
A short from Feuillade's Bébé series
The Postmaster's Daughter
1938-03-03
A small town postal official allows a military officer to sweep his lovely daughter away to St. Pete
Fire of Love
1967-04-28
Maroîs, the fairground bon vivant, spends most of his time around a bottle of wine, in the company o
Bébé a le béguin
1911-05-01
Bébé Corrects His Father
1911-11-10
Bébé nègre
1911-01-20
Bébé sur la Canebière
1911-02-10
Baby Fisherman
1910-12-30
Bébé, victime d'une erreur judiciaire
1912-01-01
Bébé veut payer ses dettes
1912-01-01
The Rebel
1938-10-28
Pimaï, the strong-headed anarchist, joined the navy out of bravado. But the sweet influence of a you
Fugitive from Montreal
1950-11-17
Pierre Chambrac, a French industrialist, and Canadian Paul Laforêt, two former brothers in arms, mee
Bébé juge
1912-01-01
Short comedy for the Gaumont film company
Bébé n’aime pas sa concierge
1912-01-01
From the Bébé series. Bébé plays tricks on his concierge
Bébé et Jeanne d'Arc
1913-01-10
Bébé picks a painting of Jeanne d'Arc from a junkshop and a thief steals it.
Le Suicide de Bébé
1912-01-10
The atmosphere in the living-room of Bébé's parents living-room is peaceful. Bébé is reading a child
Bébé roi de Rome
1911-11-05