Jean Gabin was a major French actor and war hero. He gained a first recognition for his performance in "Maria Chapdelaine", a 1934 production directed by Julien Duvivier. Cast as a romantic hero in a 1936 war drama titled "La Bandera", this second Duvivier-directed film established Gabin as a major star. The following year, he teamed up with Duvivier again, this time in the highly successful "Pépé le Moko" that became one of the top Grossing Films of 1937 worldwide; its popularity brought Gabin international recognition. That same year, he starred in the Jean Renoir masterpiece "La Grande Illusion", an anti-war film that was a huge box office success and given universal critical acclaim, even running at a New York City theatre for an unprecedented six months. Considered one of the great stars of French cinema, he was made a member of the Legion of Honor.