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Maurice Marsac

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Maurice Marsac
Marsac (left) and Red Skelton on The Red Skelton Hour December 1954 episode "The Cop and the Anthem"
Born
Maurice Louis Clement Ferrat[1]

(1915-03-23)23 March 1915
La Croix-Valmer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Died6 May 2007(2007-05-06) (aged 92)
Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1943–1987
SpouseMelanie Adelina Tenorio de Marsac (1952–2007; her death)[2]

Maurice Marsac (born Maurice Louis Clement Ferrat; 23 March 1915 – 6 May 2007) was a French actor who had a long career in the United States, with over 150 appearances in American films and television.[2] He was also a nationally ranked croquet player.[2][3]

Early life

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Marsac was born in La Croix-Valmer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in 1915. He was a captain in the French Army Reserves and later worked as a clerk at the French embassy in Great Britain, until the outbreak of World War II led him to move to the United States.[2] He made a string of minor acting appearances, then returned to France during the liberation with the Free French Forces.[2] After the war, he permanently settled in Southern California, initially working as a sales representative for a French winemaking firm.[2]

Career

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Marsac appeared in over 150 films and television series between 1943 and 1987, typically in small character roles as comic waiters and maitre d's.[2] He played one in the films The Razor's Edge (1946, uncredited), Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Jerk (1979), as well as episodes of I Love Lucy ("Ricky Asks for a Raise", 1952; "Paris at Last", 1956), Hazel (1966), Columbo ("Publish or Perish", 1975), Wonder Woman ("Death in Disguise", 1978), Soap (1979), The Fall Guy ("The Lady In Green", 1986), and L.A. Law ("The Douglas Fur Ball", 1987), among others. He also played Nicodemus in the 1961 biblical epic King of Kings. In the early 1960s, he also starred in an Italian (Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory, 1961) and Spanish film (Perro golfo [es], 1963).

Croquet

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He was a member of the Beverly Croquet Club and a resident pro in Newport Beach.[2] In 1986, he was among the top 25 American players in the "informal rankings".[4] He played in the 1994 US Croquet Open, a qualifier for the 1995 World Championships.[5]

Personal life

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Melanie, his wife of 55 years, a Mexican national, was also a skilled croquet player. She was born on 12 May 1916 and died on 16 April 2007, aged 90.[citation needed]

Death

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Marsac died of cardiac arrest on 6 May 2007, aged 92, less than three weeks after the passing of his wife.[2]

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ↑ U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) for Maurice Marsac (AR# 7542899). Accessed July 23, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Nelson, Valerie J. (6 June 2007). "Maurice Marsac, 92; French actor often portrayed snooty waiters". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ↑ "Croquet World Online Magazine | People". www.croquetworld.com. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
  4. ↑ Jupiter, Harry (4 May 1986). "S.F. hosts a sport that's nasty but nice". San Francisco Examiner – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Palm Springs' Mehas sweeps 3 matches in U.S. Open croquet". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs. 10 November 1994 – via Newspapers.com.
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