Louis Jourdan aka Octopussy's Prince Kamal Kahn 1921-2015 RIP

BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
in Actors Posts: 14,811
For Bond fans, today is a sad day as we learn the news of the passing of Louis Jourdan. (Birth name,Louis Robert Gendre) Born in Marseille, France, to Yvonne and Henry Gendre on 19th June 1921.
He trained as an actor with René Simon at the École Dramatique. He debuted on-screen in 1939, going on to play cultivated, polished, dashing lead roles in a number of French romantic comedies and dramas. During World War 2, Louis' father was arrested by the Gestapo, and he joined the French resistance with his two brothers. His film career came to halt after he refused to act in Nazi propaganda movies. In 1948, David O. Selznick invited him to Hollywood to appear in The Paradine Case (1947); he remained in the USA and went on to star in a number of Hollywood films, in 1958 he appeared in what would be one of his most memorable roles Gigi in the role of Gaston Lachaille the multi Oscar winning romantic comedy, alongside co stars Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier and Eva Gabor.
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His career was hampered by the limitations of the roles he was offered, most of which featured him as an old-fashioned Continental lover.
Married for 68 years to Berthe 'Quique' Frederique Jourdan a childhood sweetheart until her death in 2014, the couple had one son Louis Henry. Sadly his son committed suicide in 1981 from a drug overdose.
Notable film roles included, Three Coins In The Fountain, Letter from an Unknown Woman and the title role in the TV movie
Count Dracula (1977).
But it was the role of Prince Kamal Kahn, the exiled Afghan Prince in the 1983 movie Octopussy, that Bond fans will fondly remember him.
Louis Jourdan was a close friend of producer Cubby Broccoli. Having turned down the role of Hugo Drax in Moonraker, Jourdan finally gave into his friend, and took the villain role of Kamal.
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For me Kamal was one of my first introductions to the 'Bond villain'. I have always loved the character. Sinister, utterly corrupted and evil. Yet with a charming streak. I've always found him to be a truly underrated villain. The infamous Sotheby's auction as Bond pushes the bidding for the Faberge Egg and then later using the loaded dice trick against him at the backgammon tables are two of my highlights of the entire series. And both Roger Moore and Louis Jourdan play it was such understated ease.
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Octopussy also affords us one of the rare times when the villain not only challenges Bond to a game. And loses.
But also wines and dines OO7, before he will ultimately kill him. The image of Kamal Kahn enjoying sheeps eyes is well remembered by Bond fans.
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So too is the jungle hunt that follows, as Bond must escape the sadistic hunt in which he is the prize. What could've been more tense and thrilling is let down by a gag. Though until this point, it's rather good.
Kahn who is cohorts with Octopussy and General Orlov, double crosses Octopussy to aid Orlov in his quest to detonate an atomic bomb in West Germany.
After retreating back to his palace in India, after Bond foils the plan, he is pursued by Bond as he flees in his private plane with Octopussy as his hostage.
After Bond hangs onto the exterior of the inflight plane, and causes the aircraft to lose one of it's engines and descend. Bond rescues Octopussy as the plane briefly lands, but plummets over a cliff killing Kamal in the process.
Octopussy is the film that made me a Bond fan, in no small part thanks to the wonderful performance by Louis Jourdan. His line delivery is joyful.
Louis Jourdan passed away on Saturday 14th February at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 93.
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Comments

  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Rest his soul. He, indeed, brought his charm and brilliance to the series.
  • edited February 2015 Posts: 11,189
    I didn't know he turned down the role of Drax. He would have been brilliant in that too.

    Great tribute @Benny.
  • Posts: 159
    May he rest in peace. A great villain indeed for the Bond series.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Rest in peace Louis. He was a fine villain in the Bond canon.
  • Posts: 11,189
    All the best people live until 93 it seems ;) My granddad did.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,449
    A great Bond villain.
    A pretty cool Dracula.

    R.I.P.
  • Posts: 1,548
    Very sad news. LJ was a great Bond villain in an average film. He was clearly a very gifted actor.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I just mentioned him yesterday in another thread coincidentally.

    A very charismatic actor. I loved him as Kamal Khan, and in a very interesting episode of Columbo.

    He was one of the old school greats. Classy and refined.

    Thank you for your contributions sir. RIP.

  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,567
    Looking at pictures of the young Louis....is that James Bond or what?
  • Posts: 11,189
    I could actually imagine him and Ian Fleming getting along quite nicely.
  • Funny thing regarding Bond and Columbo: Louis Jourdan plays both villains in exactly the same manner. Prince Kamal Khan survived, exiled himself to L.A. and was arrested by a blue collar lieutenant - although historically the Columbo episode came before Octopussy.
    RIP Louis Jourdan.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited February 2015 Posts: 2,629
    Khan was one of the more underrated villains in the franchise and IMHO, OP is one of the underrated films of the franchise, Moore's second best if you ask me.

    Anyways, Jourdan played an excellent mix of charm and evil as Khan, yet remained an understated character. Which is what I always liked about the Khan character. Even if something seemed like it could be OTT, Jourdan had the ability to bring it back to Earth.

    I didn't until just now that he turned down the Drax role. I think he could have easily transcended his Khan character into Drax's character. In also reading Jourdan's bio (thank you Benny for posting), he helped the French Resistance during WWII and refused to participate in Nazi entertainment. I salute you Mr. Jourdan.

    RIP to a great contributor to the franchise and a contributor to helping France regain its freedom.
  • If you haven't seen Jourdan in the 1977 BBC(?) production Count Dracula, you should. This is the best and most memorable realization of Stoker's creation that I have seen.

    Requiescat in pace.
  • Posts: 1,964
    One of my favorite Bond villains ever. Very underrated RIP Louis Jourdan
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    If you haven't seen Jourdan in the 1977 BBC(?) production Count Dracula, you should. This is the best and most memorable realization of Stoker's creation that I have seen.

    Requiescat in pace.

    I will check this out.

    RIP to the man. I'm glad he lived a long life.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    RIP Louis Jourdan, an exceptional Bond villain in a fantastic Bond film.
  • ThomasCrown76ThomasCrown76 Augusta, ks
    Posts: 757
    No one could talk about pussy the way he could
  • Posts: 11,189
    Except Sean Connery ;)
  • edited February 2015 Posts: 4,622
    Jourdan was specialist in the "octo-pooh-seee"
    Connery specialized in the "poo-shee"
    A very memorable Bond villain!
    He joins the list of other iconic Bond lead-baddies that have passed on.

    Lotte Lenya 1981, age 83
    Curt Jurgens 1982, age 66
    Adolfo Celi 1986, age 63
    Gert Frobe 1988, age 75
    Telly Savalas 1994, age 72
    Donald Pleasance 1995, age 75
    Charles Gray 2000, age 71
    Joseph Wiseman 2009, age 91
    Louis Jourdan 2015, age 93

    Jourdan is the second of the Rog-era leads to pass.


    The longest serving living lead-villain remains Yaphet Kotto age 75. Christopher Lee is the oldest living at 92.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,449
    No one could talk about pussy the way he could

    Wrong thread, sir.
  • Interesting fact, Louis Jourdan played in the Count of Monte Cristo, big French epic production of 1961. In that film, the 2 main villains Fernand de Morcerf played by Jean-Claude Michel and the Public Prosecutor Villefort played by Bernard Dhéran are the French voice of Sean Connery.
    Jean-Claude Michel dubbed Sean Connery from Marnie when he is not playing James Bond until 1971 and therafter becomes his main voice until his death just after Entrapment. Mr. Michel also dubbed George Lazenby only once as James Bond.
    Bernard Dhéran took over for the last 2 films of Sean Connery: Finding Forrester and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited February 2015 Posts: 13,882
    I didn't think much care for his Dracula. There are at least 3 versions I prefer, but this isn't the thread for that.

    As Prince Kamal Kahn, he was the most elegant and regal of Bond villains.

    Prince Kamal Kahn: "Go out, and get him."
    Gobinda: "Out THERE?"
    Prince Kamal Kahn: "GO!"

    R.I.P
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 2015 Posts: 17,728
    A life well lived - the last of the "classic" James Bond film villains. And he was brilliant as the food critic Paul Gerrard in Columbo: Murder Under Glass.
  • Extra info regarding the Count of Monte-Cristo, big production of that time which in 3 hours managed to follow closely the novel. With a very good soundtrack and some fantastic performance, this film was quite a success that year.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo_(1961_film)
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    RIP Louis Jordan. He was an amazing, charismatic actor and Kamal Khan shall always remain as one of my favourite Bond villains.
  • Posts: 12,506
    RIP Louis Jourdan. You will always be remembered thanks to the silver screen.
  • Posts: 1,181
    RIP, Definitely one of my favorites!
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    He and Chris Lee were Moore's best bad guys!
    RIP man.
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,332
    Mr. Bond is indeed of a very rare breed... soon to be made extinct.

    Jourdan's delivery was just great. There is a gentlemanly charm in the way he says his lines that makes Khan such a good villain for me.

    He continued signing fanmail into his early 90s, and wasn't until the final year or two that his health prevented him from further signing given the volume of letters he received.

    RIP Mr. Jourdan, your memory will live on and continue to provide us with joy and entertainment.
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    edited February 2015 Posts: 14,811


    Forgive the sound and picture quality. But this is one of the series best 'game' scenes.
    Perfectly shows off Kamal Kahn to be the cheat and slippery character that he is. The loaded dice that Bond uses against him, and using the Faberge egg as collateral is just the best ace up the sleeve I can think of.
    Louis Jourdans face when first the egg is placed on the table, and then Bond using the dice as well. The double sixes line without looking down, is about the coolest Bond has been.
    Just brilliant stuff. Top notch Bond versus villain.
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