Daniel Emilfork French theater and film actor Date of Birth: 07.04.1924 Country: France

1. Biography of Daniel Emilfork
2. A Strange Turn of Events
3. Success in Theater and Film
4. Achieving Recognition
5. Continued Success
6. A Unique Career

Biography of Daniel Emilfork

Daniel Emilfork Bernstein was born on April 7, 1924, in San Felipe, Chile. His Jewish parents, who were socialists, fled from Kiev after the Odessa Pogrom. As a child, Daniel suffered constant teasing and bullying due to his unusual appearance. Pale, skinny, and with a guilty face, Daniel deeply suffered from the taunts of his peers but never found a new life after moving to the "City of Lights," Paris, in 1948.

A Strange Turn of Events

Initially, in the post-war era, Emilfork taught English to Parisian students. However, he then came up with a brilliant idea of how to use his "strange appearance." He gradually transformed himself into a dramatic actor, choosing the archetype of a villain. In doing so, Daniel fulfilled the promise he made to himself as a child to overcome his inner pain and "conquer the world." His plan worked brilliantly.

Success in Theater and Film

Emilfork received numerous theatrical roles, predominantly playing repulsive and despicable characters, before venturing into cinema. He portrayed Quasimodo in Jean Delannoy's film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in 1957, alongside Anthony Quinn and Gina Lollobrigida. In the 1960s, Emilfork appeared in Jacques Baratier's science fiction film "Him, Her or It," played Gunther in the comedy "The Castle in Sweden," and portrayed Gregory in the crime action film "The Liquidator."

In 1964, he left Europe to star in the American comedy "What's New Pussycat?" directed by Clive Donner and Richard Talmadge, with a screenplay by Woody Allen.

Achieving Recognition

Emilfork gained significant recognition in the 1970s, thanks to two pivotal roles in very different films. In 1971, he played the mysterious man dressed in a black cloak, who hands over seven tourists to a succubus, in the occult horror film "The Longest Night of the Devil," a co-production of France, Italy, and Belgium. In 1976, Emilfork caught the attention of Federico Fellini, which was hardly surprising, as everyone knew how much the renowned director loved working with strange, unique-looking individuals. It was rather astonishing that these two hadn't met earlier. The prominent Italian invited Daniel to play Du Bois in the melodrama "Fellini's Casanova," where Donald Sutherland portrayed the famous Italian adventurer of the 18th century, Giacomo Casanova.

Continued Success

Emilfork continued to make his mark in the big screen in the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. During this period, he stood out in notable roles such as Saint-Just in the detective comedy "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?" (1978), Inspector Francis in the fantasy film "La Belle Captive" (1983), and Hendrik in the adventure comedy "Pirates" (1986) directed by Roman Polanski.

When the actor with the unusual appearance started to be forgotten, directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet rescued Emilfork by giving him a role in their delightful surrealist fairy tale film "The City of Lost Children" in 1994. Daniel was portrayed as Krank, a mad scientist whose cyclops henchmen kidnapped children and stole their dreams.

In 2000, at the age of 75, Emilfork played a supporting role as Andre in the comedy "Les Frères Soeur" directed by Frédéric Jardin. His final film appearance was in director Noémie Lvovsky's "Let's Dance!"

A Unique Career

Daniel Emilfork passed away on October 17, 2006, in Paris at the age of 82. This European actor stood as living proof of how one can use their physical peculiarities, often perceived as disadvantages, to build a successful and enduring career in the film industry.