The wife of Louis de Funes, Jeanne, lived with him for exactly 40 years. She became a support and support for him, helped him develop his talent, took an active part in the creation of films in which her famous husband was shot.
Louis de Funes and his first wife
Louis de Funes is a French actor, screenwriter, film director, and the greatest comedian. Before becoming an actor, he tried himself in several professions. He achieved his greatest success as a jazz pianist.
Louis de Funes married for the first time before the war. Germaine Louise Elodie Carroye became his wife. They had a son, Daniel, but in 1942 the marriage broke up.
Family relations went wrong and Louis met another woman. Upon learning of the existence of a rival, the wife did not agree to a divorce for a long time. She agreed with only one condition: the ex-husband was no longer supposed to meet with the child. Louis' feelings for his new lover were so strong that he abandoned his son.
Second wife Jeanne de Funes
The second wife of the great comedian was born in Paris into a very wealthy family. Her parents died early enough and the girl was raised by her grandmother. Jeanne was the grand-niece of the legendary author of the novel "Dear Friend" Guy de Maupassant. Her full name is Jeanne Augustine de Barthelemy de Maupassant. In her youth, she worked as a secretary at a music school, where Louis taught solfeggio during the war. Gradually, the working relationship grew into a romantic one.
Louis and Jeanne's wedding took place in 1943. During the war, de Funes was not yet famous and worked as a simple theatrical extra. He was very proud of his young wife, her noble birth, and always reckoned with her opinion. Zhanna did the housework, did everything to create a comfortable environment. She gave birth to her husband two sons - Patrick and Olivier. The sons subsequently did not follow in the footsteps of their father. Olivier became a pilot, and Patrick chose the noble profession of a doctor.
Jeanne had a huge impact on the work of Louis de Funes. Critics have written more than once that without this brilliant woman, Louis, most likely, would not have achieved such success. She herself chose the films in which her husband was to appear. Jeanne was a screenwriter by profession. She often altered the scripts and this became the cause of conflicts with the directors of the paintings. Zhanna always knew exactly what role would bring her husband success, what needs to be done in order to interest the viewer. She personally chose the on-screen wife for Louis. With the wise Joan, the famous actor has appeared in different films and they have developed a truly successful tandem. Louis de Funes himself was very fond of working with people already familiar to him. In the paintings with his participation, viewers often saw the same faces.
Louis de Funes was distinguished by frugality, and sometimes he was stingy. Relatives said that he always checked accounts, paid attention to prices. He adhered to these rules even when he became a millionaire. But he presented his wife Jeanne with a truly royal gift. In 1966 he presented her with a castle. It was property that belonged to his wife's family and was very dear to Jeanne. At that time, the castle was worth fabulous money.
After the death of the comedian, his sons and widow published a book about his life. The eldest son told readers that his father was very vindictive. If he lost confidence in someone, it was already forever.
Life after the death of Louis de Funes
Louis de Funes's life came to an end in 1983. The famous comedian was ill for a long time. He had serious heart problems and died of a heart attack. Shortly before his death, Louis said: "My most successful joke will be my funeral. I have to play so that everyone laughs incessantly."
The widow of Louis de Funes lived in the castle donated to her, and then moved to a small house. In 2013, she and her sons initiated the opening of a museum dedicated to Louis de Funes. By that time, the estate had a different owner, who allocated a small part of the building for a museum. After his death, the comedian's widow was unable to maintain the castle and sold the property.
Jeanne de Funes died in 2015 at the age of 101. She was buried in the basement of the Loire Atlantique cemetery, where her husband was buried in 1983. The mourning ceremony was attended by sons, seven grandchildren and other family members. There was no interest in this event from the press. Perhaps the close ones hid the death of Jeanne de Funes to the last, did not want to talk about it. The life of this woman and her fate began to interest the public after the death of her famous husband, and for all 40 years of their marriage, she remained in the shadow of her beloved Louis.
