Max Linder Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 2 in |
Weight | 60 kg |
Date of Birth | December 16, 1883 |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Date of Death | November 1, 1925 |
Max Linder was a French actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian of the silent film era who has been described as the “first international movie star” and “the first film star anywhere”. He worked in films like The Legend of Punching, Le pendu, Max And The Lady Doctor, The Cure for Cowardice, A Farm-House Romance, Max Takes Tonics, The Romance of Max, Une nuit agitée, Max Does Not Speak English, Max Wants a Divorce, Be My Wife, Seven Years Bad Luck, The Three Must-Get-Theres, and The Little Cafe. Max Linder enlisted at the outbreak of the First World War and the experiences left a devastating impact on him both physically and mentally, including bouts of severe chronic depression.
Born Name
Gabriel Leuvielle
Nick Names
Max Linder, Gentleman Max
Age
He was born on December 16, 1883.
Died
On November 1, 1925, Max Linder died at 41 in Paris, French Third Republic, after committing suicide.
Sun Sign
Sagittarius
Born Place
Cavernes, Saint-Loubès, Gironde, French Third Republic
Residence
He resided in Paris, France.
Nationality
Education
Max Linder got enrolled in the Conservatoire de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France in 1899.
Occupation
Actor, Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Comedian
Family
- Father – Jean (Vineyard Owner)
- Mother – Suzanne (née Baron) (Vineyard Owner)
- Siblings – Maurice Leuvielle (June 28, 1881 – December 14, 1959) (Older Brother) (Rugby Player), Gérard Leuvielle (Younger Brother), Marcelle Leuvielle (Younger Sister) (Actor)
- Others – Jeanne (Grandmother)
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 2 in or 157.5 cm
Weight
60 kg or 132 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Max Linder had dated –
- Hélène “Ninette” Peters (1923-1925) – He was arrested in Nice in 1923 for “kidnapping a minor” who turned out to be his future wife Hélène “Ninette” Peters, 17-years old at the time. Max and Hélène had planned to run away to Monte Carlo after they had their first encounter at a hotel in Chamonix. It is noted that Linder exclaimed to a friend, “I spent the whole night in a hotel lounge talking to the most extraordinary girl I could ever imagine. Instantly I knew this to be the woman in my life.”
On August 2, 1923, they got married at the Parisian church of St. Honoré d’Eylau. However, their relationship wasn’t an ideal one as he was a fiercely jealous and mentally abusive husband who would frequently threaten to “end her”. Their only child together – a daughter named Maud-Lydié Marcelle Leuvielle – was born on June 27, 1924. Both Max Linder and Hélène “Ninette” Peters died in 1925 after they allegedly drank Veronal, injected morphine, and slashed their wrists. Their deaths were described as a suicide pact but some argue whether the deaths were really a result of a suicide pact or if Max murdered his much-younger wife or pressured her into killing herself.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Short stature
- Silk hat, stick, and mustache
Religion
He was raised in a Catholic household.
Max Linder Facts
- He was born to wealthy vineyard owners who wanted Linder to take over the family business. However, Max later wrote that “nothing was more distasteful to me than the thought of a life among the grapes.”
- Growing up, he was inclined towards theatre and was fascinated by the traveling theater and circus performances that occasionally visited his town.
- Max Linder was affected by a severe case of cholera as a child. He reportedly survived by resting in the oven of the village baker.
- Max had adopted his stage name of “Max Linder” by 1905.
- He developed a close friendship with Charlie Chaplin and they used to attend several events together. Linder once said, “He calls me his teacher, but I have been the happy one, to take lessons from his school.”
- It is reported that Charlie Chaplin closed his studio for one day out of respect after receiving the news of Linder’s demise.
Featured Image by Karl Bulla / livejournal.com / Public Domain