Louis de Funès celebrated 112th birthday, from humble roots to French box‑office king

On 31 July 2026 the French comedy legend Louis de Funès would have turned 112. Born in Courbevoie in 1914 to a family of Spanish aristocratic refugees, he spent his youth in poverty, working as a draughtsman, decorator and furrier before finding work as a pianist in Parisian bars. His film breakthrough came at age 50 with *Le Gendarme de Saint‑Tropez* and *Fantômas*, after which he became the highest‑paid actor in France and amassed a fortune that allowed him to buy the Château du Cellier in Loire‑Atlantique. Following two heart attacks in 1975, de Funès retired to the château, where he cultivated roses and a vegetable garden, a passion later recalled by his son Olivier. His career and later life illustrate a remarkable rise from modest beginnings to enduring cultural icon.