Sim

Sim

Born: July 21, 1926
Died: September 6, 2009
in Cauterets, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
Sim (born Simon Jacques Eugène Berryer; 21 July 1926 – 6 September 2009) was a French humourist, writer and comedian.

He was part of the team on Les Grosses Têtes, a radio and TV programme. He also played the part of Geriatrix in the films Asterix and Obelix vs Caesar and Astérix at the Olympic Games.

Simon Jacques Eugène was born on 21 July 1926 to engineer Henri Berryer and his wife Marie-Thérèse (née Bonnemazou). At the time of his birth, Henri was an electrician for the director Abel Gance and grip on the film Napoléon.

The family lived in a small flat in the Rue du Fer-à-Moulin, a cinema district in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, where Simon spent the most part of his earliest years at flats 26, then 28. Very early on, his Russian uncle working at Synchro-Standard took Berryer to see the first talking pictures, which he would remember all his life.

In 1936, the family moved to Nantes when Berryer senior found work as a technician at Le Majestic cinema (later L'Olympic, then La Fabrique).

At the age of eleven, Barryer founded a comedy group called "Sim-Art".(age fourteen, according to other sources). In 1939, with his friend Jojo, Sim got his first award in a funny face competition organised on 15 August at Saint-Julien-de-Concelles. Age fourteen, they played truant and performed sketches in a cellar, with fake letters to their school justifying their absence. Simon later studied at De Launey technical college in Nantes.

In 1941 his parents took over a cinema, L'Éden, in the small town of Ancenis (between Nantes and Angers). The family moved from Nantes to Ancenis en 1942 and reopened the cinema. Sim continued his studies at the Joubert d'Ancenis lycée and worked as projectionist in the family business.

In 1946, the Berryer family stopped working at the Ancenis to start a film distribution company at Rennes, without success. The Berryer parents returned to Ancenis but Sim – now married – stayed in Rennes as a projectionist at Le Royal. This venue also staged musical performances, so Sim saw performances from Edith Piaf, Yves Montand, Henri Salvador, Maurice Chevalier, among others. He practiced his comedy, alone, after the performances. He won a contract as a humorous singer in a ballroom. He was spotted by Étienne Perrin, with whom he performed a comic clown act Etty et Balta.

At the end of 1953, he toured as a comic song act in the Paris cabaret clubs, often in drag, as at Madame Arthur in Montmartre. He also worked at the Crazy Horse Saloon as a dresser. This stage of his career would be resurrected in Elle boit pas, elle fume pas, elle drague pas, mais... elle cause ! by Michel Audiard, where he plays a schoolteacher who has a spare-time drag act.

In the 1960s, he was part of Jean Nohain's team producing animated children's television, and performed the Baronne de la Tronche-en-Biais in a Guy Lux production.

In the 1970s he was part of many televised sketch shows. He also performed comic sketches and songs with humourist Édouard Caillau on RTBF's Chansons à la carte. In France, he was a regular performer in short comic sketches, often in costume, on Guy Lux's programmes. ...

Source: Article "Sim (actor)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for Sim...

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Title: La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 7, 2022
Type: Movie
In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions was to break up the ORTF with the creation of three new television channels: TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3. Three new public channels but autonomous and competing. It is a race for the audience which is engaged then, and from now on the channels will make the war! This competition will give birth to a real golden age for television programs, with variety shows in the forefront. The stars of the song are going to invade the living rooms of the French for their biggest pleasure. This unedited documentary tells the story of the metamorphosis of this television of the early 1970s, between freedom of tone, scandals, political intrigues and programs that have become mythical.
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Asterix at the Olympic Games
Title: Asterix at the Olympic Games
Character: Agecanonix
Released: January 30, 2008
Type: Movie
Astérix and Obélix have to win the Olympic Games in order to help their friend Alafolix marry Princess Irina. Brutus uses every trick in the book to have his own team win the game, and get rid of his father Julius Caesar in the process.
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Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar
Title: Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar
Character: Agecanonix
Released: February 3, 1999
Type: Movie
Set in 50 B.C., Asterix and Obelix are living in a small but well-protected village in Gaul, where a magic potion concocted by Druids turns the townsfolk into mighty soldiers. When Roman troops carve a path through Gaul to reach the English Channel, Caesar and his aide de camp Detritus discover the secret elixir and capture the Druid leader who knows its formula, and Asterix and Obelix are sent off to rescue them.
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Les Interdits des Grosses Têtes
Title: Les Interdits des Grosses Têtes
Character: Self
Released: April 23, 1997
Type: Movie
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Une cloche en or
Title: Une cloche en or
Character: Robert Requefort aka Bébert
Released: January 1, 1993
Type: Movie
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The Voice of the Moon
Title: The Voice of the Moon
Character: Flute player
Released: March 5, 1990
Type: Movie
A parable on the whisperings of the soul that only madmen and vagabonds are capable of hearing. Odd couple Ivo Salvini, recently released from a mental asylum, and former prefect Gonnella wander through the countryside and discover a dystopia made of television commercials, beauty pageants, rock music, Catholicism, and pagan rituals.
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Pinot simple flic
Title: Pinot simple flic
Character: Vénus, le photographe
Released: June 6, 1984
Type: Movie
The film starts in the 13th arrondissement of Paris in 1984. Robert Pinot is a police officer as ordinary as clumsy. One day, he stops a certain Josyane, a young drug addict who is also doubled as a pickpocket, nicknamed Marylou. Having discovered that she comes from the same village, Nanteuil, then him, he takes compassion for the young girl and decides to take her under his wing to keep her away from Tony, a dangerous dealer with whom she is in love.
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Title: Champs-Elysées
Character: Self
Released: January 16, 1982
Type: TV
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Touch'pas à mon biniou
Title: Touch'pas à mon biniou
Character: Gaëtan
Released: December 3, 1980
Type: Movie
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Sacrés gendarmes
Title: Sacrés gendarmes
Character: Legionary gendarme
Released: March 26, 1980
Type: Movie
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Drôles de zèbres
Title: Drôles de zèbres
Character: Napoleon
Released: March 22, 1977
Type: Movie
Two unemployed men, heavily in debt due to losses at the racetrack, are hired by a criminal mastermind to harass the guests of a hotel he hopes to purchase at a below-market price in order to access a tunnel below the building that leads directly to a nearby bank.
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Le Roi des bricoleurs
Title: Le Roi des bricoleurs
Character: Malju
Released: February 23, 1977
Type: Movie
Goumic, an industrialist and his wife Anne lose their big house when their town's mayor coerces them to sell it for a low price.
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Andréa
Title: Andréa
Character: Mehmet (as Sim O'Connor)
Released: July 13, 1976
Type: Movie
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Title: Les Jeux de 20 heures
Character: Self
Released: March 22, 1976
Type: TV
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Title: 30 millions d'amis
Character: Self
Released: January 6, 1976
Type: TV
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Title: Système 2
Character: Self
Released: January 19, 1975
Type: TV
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Title: Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1975
Type: TV
A talk show presented by Michel Drucker
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Title: Midi Première
Character: Self
Released: January 6, 1975
Type: TV
Midi Première is a French variety show presented by Danièle Gilbert, directed by Jacques Pierre and broadcast from January 6, 1975 until January 1, 1982 on TF1. The program was generally broadcast between 12:15 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., then giving way to the 1:00 p.m. TV news. However, the broadcast schedule could change, depending on the guests, and the setting where the recording of the program was shot. Certain performances by artists who have become cult like the one where Ringo jostles with a demonstrator in interpretation (1977), that of Dalida with the title There is always a song with the soundtrack that does not start, twice, at the right speed (1978), Claude François and his Clodettes, who, in the provinces, are unable to join "the set" in order to interpret his song, the latter being taken by the crowd of delirious fans (summer 1977) . The group Supertramp performed there with the title "Dreamer" on March 8, 1975.
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The Funny Guys in a Crazy World
Title: The Funny Guys in a Crazy World
Character: Alexandre Ladislas Ladretsky, le pianiste / Le poissonnier
Released: April 1, 1974
Type: Movie
The viscount Galmiche de Quoibedec and his wife have today the engagement party of their daughter.Suddenly The viscount leaves the house, tries to drive his car, but there is great traffic jam.At the same time Alexandre Ladislas Ladretsky, the pianist needs to go to the television.The viscount steals a taxi , Alexandre jumps in the taxi and the owner of a perfume shop jump also into the taxi.Some minutes later two gangsters kidnapped the viscount, the pianist and the young woman of the perfume shop.
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La brigade en folie
Title: La brigade en folie
Character: Commissaire Grospèze
Released: February 7, 1973
Type: Movie
A police brigade and a financial brigade are sent to Switzerland to dismantle a banking sector.
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Title: Midi trente
Character: Self
Released: March 6, 1972
Type: TV
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Title: Cadet Rousselle
Character: Self
Released: November 4, 1971
Type: TV
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La Grande Maffia
Title: La Grande Maffia
Released: September 17, 1971
Type: Movie
After receiving a mobster's heart as a transplant, a modest bank teller embarks on a life of criminal exploits.
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The Married Couple of the Year Two
Title: The Married Couple of the Year Two
Character: Lucas
Released: April 7, 1971
Type: Movie
Nicolas Philibert goes to America after killing a French aristocrat. On his return he tries to divorce his wife, Charlotte, but when he sees others trying to woo her his own interest is rekindled.
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Title: Samedi soir
Character: Self
Released: January 9, 1971
Type: TV
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She Does Not Drink, Smoke or Flirt But... She Talks
Title: She Does Not Drink, Smoke or Flirt But... She Talks
Character: Phalempin
Released: April 17, 1970
Type: Movie
Housemaid Georgette loves to gossip and this causes major trouble to people around her.
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A Golden Widow
Title: A Golden Widow
Character: 'Il Vecchio'
Released: October 23, 1969
Type: Movie
A woman learns that she is sole legatee of her forgotten rich uncle, but there is a small problem: she's got to be a widow to latch onto the dough or the fortune will go to a vague sect...
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Les gaités de l’escadrille
Title: Les gaités de l’escadrille
Released: May 28, 1958
Type: Movie
Onésime Labarbe, a "crawler" in the French Air Force, wants to become a pilot. He hopes to triumph over the sarcasm of his prankster comrades and win the hand of his beloved. Onésime has anticipated this by pretending to be a pilot in front of the young girl and her parents. It's true that they are no more barons than Onésime is a pilot, despite what his fiancée Pulchérie has said. The young soldier's efforts are not without their mishaps and setbacks. Yet his faith and tenacity triumphed over all obstacles. He is finally accepted as a pilot, while Pulchérie, through a misunderstanding, becomes an unwilling parachutist and, at the same time, a champion jumper. The deception is uncovered, but what does it matter to the two fiancés, who are joyfully celebrated by the entire Escadrille and can at last look forward to their long-awaited happiness?
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Comiques de toujours (Vol. 3 & 4)
Title: Comiques de toujours (Vol. 3 & 4)
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie