Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Actor profile : Philippe Hersent

Continuing with profiling relatively unknown supporting actors of Italian/Euro PEPLUM films. Today it's Philippe Hersent, a French actor who appeared in an incredible number of PEPLUM films. When he was 20 years old he acted in GOLGOTHA (1932), a French Biblical film on the life of Jesus. It's almost impossible to find him in the film since it has a cast of thousands and even though he plays one of the apostles few characters are identified on screen. Anyway, I included a screenshot from it just for fun but I'm unsure. Fast forward 20 years and Philippe acted in SIGFRIDO, which was one of the many PEPLUM films he would appear in up to the mid-1960s.

An excellent actor who was very versatile and at time difficult to spot, with an almost chameleon-like manner, Philippe was always a great addition to any films of the genre.


Is this Philippe at the age of 20 in GOLGOTHA?

Philippe in SIGFRIDO (1957)

Philippe was Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusades, in THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS (1958)

Philippe played Pontius Pilate in THE SWORD & THE CROSS (aka Marie Magdalene; 1958) 

THE GIANT OF MARATHON (1959)

Philippe was Goliath's best friend, Androcles, in GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON (1960)

QUEEN OF THE TARTARS (1960)

Philippe in THE CONQUEST OF NORMANS (1962)

Philippe had a commanding role as Titus Flavius in 79 AD : THE DESTRUCTION OF HERCULANEUM (1962)


All of the following films were released in 1964:

Philippe was in the GIANTS OF ROME (with Wandisa Guida)

HERO OF ROME (aka The Colossus of Rome) was one of a couple of films Philippe made with Gordon Scott

Philippe was Claudius, husband of Messalina (Lisa Gastoni), in THE LAST GLADIATOR 

An almost unrecognizable Philippe in ROME VS ROME (aka War of the Zombies)

Philippe in another Gordon Scott film COROLIANUS : HERO WITHOUT A COUNTRY

Philippe co-starred with Dan Vadis in ZORIKAN

Philippe in one of his last PEPLUM films was also one of the last films from the genre made in the 1960s, THREE SWORDS OF ROME


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