Eddie Constantine Movies and Career Information

Eddie Constantine (born Edward Constantinowsky 29 October 1917, Los Angeles, California – 25 February 1993, Wiesbaden, Germany) was an American-born French actor and singer who spent his career working in Europe. He became well known for a series of French B movies in which he played secret agent Lemmy Caution and is now best remembered for playing the character in Jean-Luc Godard's philosophical science fiction film Alphaville. A cult figure, Constantine also appeared in films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (as himself in Beware of a Holy Whore 1971), Lars von Trier, and Mika Kaurismäki. He continued reprising the role of Lemmy Caution well into his 70s; his final appearance as the character was in Jean-Luc Godard's Allemagne année 90 neuf zéro (1991). Constantine was born in Los Angeles to Russian-immigrant parents. He went to Vienna for voice training, but when he returned to America his singing career did not take off and he started taking work as a film extra. Having failed to make a career in America, Constantine returned to Europe in the 1950s and started singing and performing in Parisian cabaret. There he was noticed by Edith Piaf, who cast him in the musical La p'tite Lili.