Louis de Funès was a French actor born in 1914 in Hauts-de-Seine, France. He started his career in theater but became a major star in film comedies at age 49, with some of his most popular films being Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez and The Miser. De Funès showed a penchant for comedy from a young age and was turned down from the military due to health reasons. He married Jeanne Barthélemy in 1943 and had two sons, Patrick and Olivier. De Funès was made a Knight of France's Légion d'Honneur in 1973 and was voted France's favorite actor in 1968. He died of a heart attack in 1983 at