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Popeck

May 18, 1935 (90 years old) in Paris, France

Popeck (born Judka Herpstu; 18 May 1936) is a French actor and stand-up comedian.

The son of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Romania, Judka Herpstu was born in Paris. He was among the children saved from the Holocaust by the OSE, but his mother was murdered in Auschwitz. He studied acting at the Cours Simon and started his career on stage under the name Jean Herbert.

In 1968, Herpstu created the character of Popeck, a grumpy Eastern-European immigrant dressed in a 3-piece suit, wearing a bowler hat and speaking French with a strong Yiddish accent. Sketches featuring Popeck made Herpstu known to the larger public, and the actor identified with his character so far as to finally adopt the name Popeck for himself in 1978.

In addition to his work on stage, Popeck has acted in movies. He had a small role in Roman Polanski's The Pianist.

Source: Article "Popeck" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known For

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The Pianist
Rubenstein
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Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
Self (archive footage)
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The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob
Moishe Schmoll
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Cousin, Cousine
Sacy
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The Restroom Robbery
Un policier à la gare
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The Jews
Lucien
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Themroc
Le tailleur de crayons
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Cellini: A Violent Life
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The Station
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Face à face
Paul Laffargue

Credits