Want to know the best Louis Jourdan movies? How about the worst Louis Jourdan movies? Curious about Louis Jourdan box office grosses or which Louis Jourdan movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Louis Jourdan movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well, you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Louis Jourdan (1921-2015) was a French actor. Jourdan was known for his movie roles in The Paradine Case (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gigi (1958), The Best of Everything (1959), The V.I.P.s (1963). I came to know Louis Jourdan from his one-two punch in the early 1980s. 1982’s Swamp Thing and 1983’s Octopussy were movies I watched many times as a teenager. His IMDb page shows 87 acting credits from 1939 to 1992. This page will rank Louis Jourdan movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows and many of his French movies were not included in the main stat table…but they do get a small shout out at the end of the page.
Louis Jourdan Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews, and awards.
Louis Jourdan Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies any way you want.
- Sort Louis Jourdan movies by his co-stars
- Sort Louis Jourdan movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Louis Jourdan movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Louis Jourdan movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Louis Jourdan movie received.
- Sort Louis Jourdan movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews, and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Louis Jourdan
1. Louis Robert Gendre was born in Marseille, France, in 1921. Jourdan was his mother’s maiden name.
2. Louis Jourdan’s first movie was 1939’s Le Corsaire opposite Charles Boyer. Filming was interrupted by the Second World War and was never resumed. Louis Jourdan was part of the French Resistance during World War II. He helped publish and distribute newspapers for the Underground.
3. Louis Jourdan played the Maurice Chevalier role in “Gigi” on stage at the age of 63. Chevalier was 70 and frail when he did the movie Gigi (1958).
4. Louis Jourdan was supposed to be the Bond villain in Moonraker. He had to wait until Octopussy was made to join the illustrious group of Bond villains. The eyeball in the stuffed sheep’s head that Jourdan eats in Octopussy was made out of marzipan.
5. In 2010, Louis Jourdan received the ‘French Legion of Honor.’ The French Ambassador to the U.S presented the medal in Los Angeles, California.
Check out Louis Jourdan’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Louis Jourdan’s Missing French Movies That Did Not Make The Above Table
Movie Title and Audience and Critic Rating
1944’s Les petites du quai aux fleurs 73.00%
1953’s Rue de l’Estrapade 72.50%
1944’s Twilight 69.50%
1940’s Comedy of Happiness 69.50%
1941’s Her First Affair 66.00%
1962’s Dark Journey 65.50%
1942’s L’arlésienne 65.00%
1940’s Ecco la felicità 64.50%
1961’s The Story of the Count of Monte Cristo 63.00%
1957’s Escapade 61.00%
1942’s La belle aventure 59.00%
1941’s Parade en 7 nuits 58.50%
1975’s Piange… il telefono 58.00%
1945’s La vie de bohème 57.00%
1977’s The More It Goes, The Less It Goes 56.00%
1962’s Disorder 55.50%
1967’s To Commit a Murder 53.00%
1967’s The Young Rebel 51.50%
1963’s Mathias Sandorf 51.00%
1961’s Amazons of Rome 47.50%
1966’s The Sultans 46.50%
Steve’s Louis Jourdan YouTube Video
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1/My own favorite Jourdan performances were actually ones on TV -as the legendary d’Artagnan in 1977’s TV movie Man in The Iron Mask; and the following year as a murderous chef in an episode of Columbo called Murder under Glass. [Sorry Joel: we disagree again I never hand any interest in a Letter from an Unknown Thin Woman!]
2/Louis appeared in many other TV movies and productions throughout his career. He also performed on stage and Wikipedia lists 12 plays that he was in from 1948 until 1985. His leading ladies in a few of those plays were Jennifer Jones/Lana Turner/Leslie Caron/Geraldine Page
3/In 1954 Geraldine and Louis were joined by James Dean in The Immoralist at the Royale Theatre in New York. In fact Wikipedia states “Positive reviews for Dean’s 1954 theatrical role as Bachir, a pandering North African houseboy, in The Immoralist led to calls from Hollywood.”
4/Louis therefore worked with one of America’s greatest Method icons on the latter’s way to acting immortality – and Jourdan openly and publicly idolized yet another of those icons: Marlon Brando. Louis said “Brando showed us the way. He was our Don Quixote. Always tilting at windmills to let us see what worked in acting and what didn’t.”
5/In my opinion Louis is another deserving recipient of a Cogerson page; and I found interesting above Bruce’s list of Jourdan French films that didn’t make the main tables. “Voted Up!”
Don’t feel bad, I saw Silver Bears in the cinema. Louis Jourdan is # 721 on the 2020 Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 and he doesn’t have anywhere near the connections of Helena Bonham Carter who is # 745. These are the people Louis is connected to on the list.
4 MICHAEL CAINE Silver Bears (1978)
45 GEORGE KENNEDY Escuadrón (1988)
54 ROGER MOORE Octopussy (1983)
60 MICHAEL HORDERN The V.I.P.s (1963)
66 OMAR SHARIFF Grand Larceny (1987)
70 JOSS ACKLAND Silver Bears (1978)
102 ORSON WELLES The V.I.P.s (1963)
106 SHIRLEY MACLAINE Can-Can (1960)
106 SHIRLEY MACLAINE Irma la Douce (1963)
108 JAMES MASON Madame Bovary (1949)
115 IAN MCSHANE GRAND LARCENY (1987)
136 SHANE RIMMER Silver Bears (1978)
136 SHANE RIMMER Year of the Comet (1992)
146 ROBERT FORSTER Escuadrón (1988)
183 DAVID WARNER Silver Bears (1978)
200 MARTIN BALSAM Silver Bears (1978)
222 MAGGIE SMITH The V.I.P.s (1963)
239 BEAU BRIDGES No Minor Vices (1948)
263 KABIR BEDI OCTOPUSSY (1983)
284 WALTER GOTELL Octopussy (1983)
290 GREGORY PECK The Paradine Case (1947)
294 RICHARD BURTON The V.I.P.s (1963)
305 STEVEN BERKOFF Octopussy (1983)
306 JOSE FERRER Cervantes (1967)
310 JACK LEMMON Irma la Douce (1963)
366 ANN-MARGRET Made in Paris (1966)
419 ALEC GUINNESS The Swan (1956)
494 LOIS MAXWELL Octopussy (1983)
511 DIANE BAKER The Best of Everything (1959)
516 ART MALIK YEAR OF THE COMET (1992)
534 CURT JURGENS Il disordine (1962)
612 DESMOND LLEWELYN Octopussy (1983)
634 JOAN COLLINS Decameron Nights (1953)
642 GEOFFREY KEEN Octopussy (1983)
688 LESLIE CARON Gigi (1958)
748 GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA Cervantes (1967)
748 GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA Les Sultans (1966)
757 RICHARD CRENNA Made in Paris (1966)
759 CHARLES BOYER The Happy Time (1952)
759 CHARLES BOYER Untel père et fils (1943)
779 ELIZABETH TAYLOR The V.I.P.s (1963)
788 MARCEL DALIO Can-Can (1960)
788 MARCEL DALIO Made in Paris (1966)
788 MARCEL DALIO The Happy Time (1952)
813 ROD TAYLOR The V.I.P.s (1963)
815 REX HARRISON A Flea in Her Ear (1968)
826 IAN MCNEICE YEAR OF THE COMET (1992)
828 JACK ELAM Bird of Paradise (1951)
861 ROSSANO BRAZZI Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
913 ROBERT BROWN Octopussy (1983)
948 FRANK SINATRA Can-Can (1960)
974 EDMOND O’BRIEN Peau d’espion (1967)
991 LILLI PALMER Leviathan (1962)
991 LILLI PALMER No Minor Vices (1948)
Louis has appeared with 22 Oscar winners.
ALEC GUINNESS The Swan (1956)
CHARLES COBURN The Paradine Case (1947)
CHARLES LAUGHTON The Paradine Case (1947)
EDMOND O’BRIEN Peau d’espion (1967)
ELIZABETH TAYLOR The V.I.P.s (1963)
ETHEL BARRYMORE The Paradine Case (1947)
FRANK SINATRA Can-Can (1960)
GEORGE KENNEDY Escuadrón (1988)
GRACE KELLY The Swan (1956)
GREGORY PECK The Paradine Case (1947)
JACK LEMMON Irma la Douce (1963)
JENNIFER JONES Madame Bovary (1949)
JOAN CRAWFORD The Best of Everything (1959)
JOAN FONTAINE Decameron Nights (1953)
JOAN FONTAINE Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
JOSE FERRER Cervantes (1967)
MAGGIE SMITH The V.I.P.s (1963)
MARGARET RUTHERFORD The V.I.P.s (1963)
MARTIN BALSAM Silver Bears (1978)
MICHAEL CAINE Silver Bears (1978)
REX HARRISON A Flea in Her Ear (1968)
SHIRLEY MACLAINE Can-Can (1960)
SHIRLEY MACLAINE Irma la Douce (1963)
VAN HEFLIN Madame Bovary (1949)
Hey Dan. Thanks for the information on Louis Jourdan. I bet few have actually seen Silver Bears (like me) and even fewer have seen Silver Bears in theaters (like you). Surprised Louis Jourdan is ranked 721st…and really surprised Helena Bonham Carter is behind him. Marcelo Dalio gets the most frequent Oracle co-star title. Not aware of him at all. 22 Oscar wins is below average especially for somebody that had such a long career. Good stuff.
I have seen 13 Louis Jourdan movies, including 9 of his top 10. None of these are his French films.
The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is Gigi.
The highest rated movie I have NOT seen is The Best of Everything.
The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is Made in Paris.
Favourite Louis Jourdan Movies:
Gigi
Can-Can
Irma La Duce
Octopussy
Love in the Afternoon
The Paradine Case (American debut)
The V.I.P.s
The Swan
Letter From an Unknown Woman
Other Louis Jourdan Movies I Have Seen:
Madame Bovary
Julie
Made in Paris
Hey Flora. Thanks for the thoughts on Louis Jourdan movies. Tally count: Flora 13 and 11 for me. I have seen 6 of your favorites. I have seen The Best of Everything…it was ok…so I do not think you are missing much. Good stuff as always.
Great UMR Page
Thank you Mike.
“As a young man, Louis Jourdan could only be described as beautiful –perfect features, warm but not-too-thick French accent, and a winning smile. However, he was more than the stereotype of a lover for he showed remarkable ease with urbane dialogue and the proper intensity for heavy melodrama. Letter From An Unknown Woman was probably his finest hour as an actor; Jourdan played the self-centered musician that broke Joan Fontaine’s heart.”
Rating the Movie Stars Book (1983) 4 Star Louis Jourdan Performances
1948’s The Paradine Case
1948’s Letter From An Unknown Woman
1949’s Madame Bovary
1956’s Julie
1959’s The Best of Everything
27 Joel Subjects to go. I have seen 11 of his movies that made the stat table…and none of his French movies. Favorites would include Octopussy, Swamp Thing (silly fun), and Irma La Douce (though he only narrates that one). I am proud to say I have seen his lowest rated movie…Silver Bears…saw it once….on VHS…..and only have vague memories of that Michael Caine dud.