Noël Roquevert, later to develop into the archetypal bossy retired military officer, was born into a family of actors in Brittany. Before embodying all those old grumpy characters which made him famous he first appeared on stage as a ... baby ! Incredible but true. He performed in 150 plays and was among Sacha Guitry's regulars. He never stopped working in his long career. Only a broken heart (he didn't recover from his wife Paulette's death) caused him to call it quits.