Robert Castel

Robert Castel — Biography

Born Robert Moyal, Robert Castel was born on 21 May 1933 in Bab El Oued, Algeria, and died in Paris on 5 December 2020; his father was the noted Algerian singer Lili Labassi. He began his career as a musician, accompanying his father in Franco-Arabic songs, before joining a theatre troupe in Algiers, where he appeared in a play about the Pied-Noir community. He made his film debut at twenty-four in two productions, and went on to work in cinema for more than six decades, closing his career with a 2017 documentary.

Much of his fame rested on the pied-noir-themed comedy sketches he performed on television with his wife and stage partner, Lucette Sahuquet, through the 1960s and 1970s, most notably as his recurring character Kaouito; the pair also appeared together on well-known radio and television variety programmes of the era. He continued acting in film after his wife's death in 1987, becoming known for roles in The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, Iznogoud, and a 1980 family comedy. He held the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honour and Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, and died in Paris after a long illness.