Gésip Légitimus

Its artistic career

Cinema

Gésip is a rather early artist, since it starts his career in three months. It is indeed, the black baby of first talking film about Sacha Guitry: “the White and the Black”, with Raimu, Pauline Paperboard and Fernandel, of which it is also the first film. The cinema, he played in more than fifty films including in 1961 “ Gala ”, short film of Jean-Daniel Pollet and François Bel of which he is the high-speed motorboat. He became Co-producer of first film carried out by Hungarian László Szabó, “the white Gloves of the devil” with Bernadette Lafont and Jean-Pierre Kalfon.

Theater

With the theater, or he is actor since the 8 years age at the sides of Jean-Louis Barrault, Henri Rollan, Henri Crémieux, Lucien Coedel, he is formed with the setting in scene while becoming the collaborator of Raymond Rouleau with the Théâtre Edouard VII in 1948, for the part a tram named Désir of Tennessee Williams with Arletty, Louis De Funès, Milly Mathis, Darling Légitimus etc, and in 1952 with the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in the Witches of Salem , near Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Nicole Courcel, Pierre Mondy, and Darling Légitimus. He collaborated in 1960 with Roger Blin for creation in the Théâtre of Lutèce of the part the Negros of Jean Genet with the troop “Griots”. He founded, in order to support his compatriots in the metropolitan artistic world, the Federation of the black Artists of French Expression which supported theatrical companies such “Griots”, “the Black Theater”, managed by his Théo brother. In 1966 it receives the congratulations of the president Léopold Sédar Senghor and of Aimé Césaire for the direction of the delegation of the French Artist representing France with the world Festival of negro Arts with Dakar, with Joséphine Baker and Moune de Rivel.

In 1979 it was named director of the Théâtre of the Rebirth and founded the CICAF International Center of French-speaking audio-visual creation.

Music

Musician, with his brothers, Théo, Gustave and Clément it animated celebrates it orchestra Jazz and Salsa “Légitimus” which made of 1947 to 1969 “the beautiful evenings of exotic the Paris whole” and specialized in the organization of official receptions and balls of the Parisian universities. With its West-Indian folk group, it represented France in several international festivals (Bari, Nice, La Rochelle) of 1953 to 1959 or the group carried the gold medal. It organized with Paris and in province more than 500 spectacles thus gaining the recognition of the largest musicians of Salsa, to which they had, partly, their celebrity in the hexagon. He was creator of “Savanna”, club of famous exotic Jazz of 1957 to 1963. He also contributed to the organization of great national demonstrations such as “France of the four corners of the world” in 1976, with the Palais of the congresses of Paris. He was also artistic director of Francis Lopez famous for his operettas, like for group musical of which Touré Kunda and Exile One.

Journalism

Sub-editor of the newspaper of his/her father, “the Antillais" Correspondent; , he became initially writer in various newspapers: “Bingo”, “Jeune Afrique”, “Antilles France”… then it creates with the famous African musician Manu Dibango, the newspaper “Afro Music”. It founds, cofinances and manages in collaboration with the African journalist Pierre Coula, BLACK HEBDO “the Newspaper of the Black World”, first weekly newspaper intended for the colored persons to France in 1976

TV production, disc, radio

From 1956 to 1958, Gésip is pupil in the Center of Higher learning of Radio Television of which part of this teaching is taken again today with the IDHEC and the INA. Producer of Television, as of the thirty years age, artistic director, Gésip Légitimus contributed to the development of audio-visual and the promotion of the black artists of French expression. Initiator of several companies, first (and a long time single) producing black of television programs, it made known with the French televiewers a great number of black talents of all horizons: Gerard Laviny, Manu Dibango, Tanya Maria, Bonga, Clyde Wright, the Golden Spoils Four-bit byte, etc

It created a series of television programs since 1967, Pulsations , In 1967, (it is besides on this occasion, the request of Gésip Légitimus, that Manu Dibango throne with the head of its first BIG BAND, and creates and develops its innovative and urban musical style), then, some time later, On all the tons" , " Rates/rhythms of time , Sam Song , as well as the shows of Sammy Davis Jr., Myriam Makeba, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, 70 years of Duke Ellington to the Alcazar. He to him was entrusted the direction of the jazz on television and the production of 50 emissions for the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the Jazz in France. In the Olympia, he collaborates with Bruno Coquatrix for the organization in many concerts.

Concerned of the evolution of the black Diaspora, Gésip Légitimus wrote in 1981 the “Légitimus Report/ratio” which enables him to obtain - within the framework of the Law Fillioud of 1982 - the creation of a National company of Programs of Radiotelevision of Overseas (RFO). It creates since 1982, first private radio station West-Indian with Paris: Tropic FM, while producing the “Calendar of Overseas”, weekly page of information on the topicality artistic and cultural overseas, diffused on RFO, and animated by various overseas presenters.

It will be made Chevalier of Arts and Lettres by the Ministre for the Culture, Jack Lang.

He will die with Paris, the January 18th 2000, at the 69 years age.

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