This section of the website is intended to be a directory of the many actors who have portrayed Inspector Javert, on film, and in the theatres. I have written reviews where applicable, and provided pictures of some actors. Note: This is a section that has been sitting idle for some time. However, I hope to update it soon, with a more comprehensive directory of images. [That is, if I can find the web space to host additional pictures. ]

Les Miserables (The Boubil & Schonberg Musical) 
 

• Richard Kinsey (Broadway, National Tours)
• Stephen Bishop (US Tour, 3rd National Cast) 
Understudies (3rd Natl Cast): Robert D. Mammana , Graham Rowat 
• Peter Corry (UK Tour) 
• Anthony Crivello (Broadway)
• Robert Cuccioli (Broadway) 
• Robert DuSold (Broadway) 
• Gregg Edelman  (Broadway 1999) 
• Merwin Foard (Broadway) 
• Hal Fowler (London)
• Robert Gallagher (Broadway) 
• Shuler Hensley (Broadway) 
• Philip Hernandez (Broadway)
• Christopher Innver (Broadway) 
• Todd Allan Johnson (3rd National Tour) 
• David Jordan (US tour) 
• Herdnon Lackey (Broadway)
• Roger Lemke (Melb, Australia) 
• Norman Large (Broadway) 
• Terrence Mann (Broadway, original cast) 
• David Massenheimer (Broadway) 
• Michael McCarthy (Current London Cast, 2001 )
• Philip Quast (Australia ) 
• Peter Samuel (Broadway) 
• Saulo Vasconcelos (Brazil, current.)
• Chuck Wagner (Broadway)

Despite my efforts, this list is far from complete. Please send any corrections or additions to [email protected].

Les Miserables (Movies & Television) 
 

• John Malkovich (2000, TV Miniseries)
• Geoffrey Rush (1998)
• Philippe Khorsand ( French. 1995. Modern Adaptation. ) 
• Michel Boquet. (1982)
• Anthony Perkins ( TV Movie, 1978 )
• Bernard Fresson ( TV Mini Series, 1972 ) 
• Bernard Blier ( 1957, East Germany, Italy, France ) 
• Robert Newton (1952)
• Hans Hinrich ( I Miserabli, 1947. Italian.)
• Antonio Bravo (Los Miserables. 1943. Mexico. )
• Charles Laughton ( 1935 )
• Charles Vanel. ( 1934, France )
• Jean Toulout (1925, France. )
• Hardee Kirkland. ( 1917 )
• William V. Ranous. (The Galley Slave. 1909. )

I am currently  searching for cast listings for the following films: 
Please e-mail me with any information. 
 

• Boassa, El. Aka Les Miserables. 1944. In Arabic.
• Re mizeraburu: kami to akuma. Japan. 1950
• Os Miseraveis (1958) Brazil 
• Les Miserables (1967) UK
• Les Miserables (1987) Austria 
• Les Miserables (1911) France 
• Les Miserables (1922) UK

John Malkovich 
Les Miserables, 2000 TV Miniseries 

John Malkovich has become somewhat of a household name following the Independent hit film"Being John Malkovich," in which the actor stars as a warped version of himself, experiencing an invasion of the worst kind as office-lackeys invade his head & effectively 'steal' his body.  As Javert, Malkovich's performance is immediately intriguing, though his velvet voice and characteristic uncertainty [This is to say, his characters always appear to have an inkling of self-doubt lingering beneath the surface. I have never seen a Malkovich performance without this element. Man in the Iron Mask, Mary Reilly, for instance] serve to create a very *different* Javert than most of us are accustomed to. Still, I enjoyed his interpretation and will keep my eyes peeled for future showings.... I did not have the opportunity to watch this entire movie and its finer details are considerably 'fuzzy' to say the least. Owing to this, I can neither oppose  nor recommend the film at the present time. It was difficult to accept Gerard Depardiue as Valjean, and while I am an avid  fan of his other work (particularly his French films), Depardiue's performance as Valjean is passable at best, and inescapably awkward.

I will revisit this film, as well as Malkovich's performance, at a later date.  For more information on Malkovich including additional Javert images, visit Malkovich Online.

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Geoffrey Rush
Les Miserables, 1998. America. 

To steal Grantaire's lines; "I am agog, I am aghast..." Aside from the musical, this version of Les Miserables is probably the most famous, and yet, its quality is decidedly questionable. Rush presents us with a typically crass, stolid, and obsessive Javert (following tradition), and were the  movie based solely on his character, the film might have hope. Regrettably, this interpretation is not true to Hugo's novel, and whatever merit it might have garnered from such prestigious stars as Liam Neeson and Rush, is summarily obliterated by the director's  insistence on butchering the ending. Javert's suicide lacks explanation, and while in both the novel and musical his incapacity to accept a greater truth than justice is both poignant and deeply sympathetic, this confusion does not come through on screen. Valjean actually sees Javert fasten on a pair of handcuffs and fall backwards into the Seine (a shot curiously devoid of rapids), then leaves the scene with a smile! Not very Valjean, if the book is to be trusted. Following the suicide, Les Miserables (1998) includes nothing more than an insultingly 'happy' ending; Valjean is not abandoned and shunned by Marius & Cosette, only to be accepted on his deathbed... I am frankly surprised that Geoffrey Rush (usually an amazing performer, critically acclaimed for his leading role in Shine) agreed to appear in such a terrible adaptation.

Above, Geoffrey Rush and Liam Neeson star in the 1998 Sony Pictures release of Les Miserables. A ghastly picture despite the cast.  For more information on this film, go to the official site.  For additional Rush info, visit the Geoffrey Rush Corner.

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Richard Kinsey
Broadway, Touring Casts

I have never seen Mr. Kinsey perform, so I cannot adequetely judge his performance of Javert. He sent me a very nice e-mail with his picture attached, however, so I bounded straight over to add him to my site ^.^ That being said, his performance of Javert has earned rave reviews, and I would love to see him in theatre some day. There are more pictures and a downloadable mp3 of Mr. Kinsey singing Javert's Suicide on his website. Please go check it out! www.richardkinsey.com

 

 

Robert Cuccioli 
Broadway Javert

First, an admission: I know nothing about Cuccioli's performance! Seeing his name and picture on the Les Mis official site, I was frankly shocked. Cuccioli will always be the original Jekyll/Hyde to me, and casting him as Javert feels a bit odd. He does have the build and face for it (or so I thought, until I caught a pic of him in sideburns.. er... ). Cuccioli has a beautiful voice, though perhaps a bit too nasal for Javert, and I can imagine he'd deliver a wonderful interpretation if it's within his vocal capacity. Hearing him speak on the J/H CD and the Today Show, his voice strikes me as being too rich for Javert's very simplistic, straightforward presentation.. I think he might have a tendency to make the suicide too melodramatic, but that may very well be a misconception.  For a sample of Cuccioli's voice, please visit his official home on the web.

Being the original Broadway Javert, Mann deserves a certain degree of leeway in his interpretation: after all, his models were scarce. Nevertheless, I have never been a fan of the Broadway recording, and though Mann is one of the better cast members, his Javert still evokes a cringe. This is not to say that Mann's portrayal is without merit: the chain gang contains some wonderful moments, and the second half of Javert's Suicide isn't bad. My chief complaint is that this Javert lacks inflection; Mann tends to cut his words off abruptly, and strip even the most impassioned utterances of an emotional undercurrent. Yes, Javert is a rigid and [in some ways] passionless man, however he possesses a savageness, a certain feral core that should shine through in his relentless pursuit of justice. The 'Confrontation,' which is one of my favorite tracks when sung by Quast, is a mess with Mann, and his voice clashes with Wilson's for a particularly garish sound... Likewise, the first half of 'Suicide' strikes me as being excessively flat. Mann sings Javert passably, but he fails to 'act' the part. 

Note: I realize that many fans of Les Mis are also fond of Terrance Mann. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I hope that my comments have not offended. When I listen to the Broadway recording after having not heard Quast for awhile, Mann's Javert does not seem so out of place. It may be that I am projecting expectations from the 10th anniversary performance onto the earlier recording, and that Mann is actually an excellent Inspector.

Haven't heard Mann? Download a clip or two, then buy the cd & tell me if I'm wrong. 

Who's Da Mann? -- Official T. Mann Homesite. 

Todd Alan Johnson   3rd National Tour, US Assuming my Les Mis program is correct, Johnson's Javert was the first [sadly, only] that I have seen in live theatre. Though it has been awhile, I recall Johnson as being an exceptionally intimidating Javert: in stature he commands the stage, and his features are likewise hard & arresting. This is a Javert who could easily crush Valjean by brute force alone, and he exudes the unmistakable aura of a lion preparing to pounce. I do prefer Quast, of course, but Johnson is [if memory serves me] an excellent Javert. His voice is superb, rich in tone and sufficiently commanding for the role. On an alternate note, I personally did not connect as emotionally with Johnson as I have with Quast.

Michael McCarthy  London, 2001. Australia.  This is an extraordinary  picture, and I would love to see McCarthy on stage.. While I cannot vouch for his voice or acting, he certainly bares the 'look' of Javert.  McCarthy actually portrayed the foreman at the Royal Albert Hall 10th Anniversary concert ( a factoid I was not aware of when posting this image!). Obviously, he does sport a decent voice, though the foreman's accent distorts its purity somewhat, and based on a soundclip from his recent broadway cd, I do believe he would deliver a fine Javert. One concern is that McCarthy seems to have a rather subdued singing voice, and it is perhaps a bit 'sweet' for Javert... Again, please keep in mind with all me reviews that Quast is my ultimate favourite, and many fans will hotly disagree.  Soundclips located at "Worlds Apart, The Michael McCarthy Page"

Stephen Bishop  3rd National Tour  [Left] Peter Corry London Cast [Right] Neither of these actors strike me as being 'Javert' body and soul. Bishop might surprise me, but Corry's complexion is too serene.. There's nothing lurking beneath the surface, watchful and ready to devour its prey, should chance permit.

UPDATE:I have found a few soundclips of Bishop singing [Rue Plumet], and while his voice reminds me more of 'The Beast' then Javert, his rendition is infused with a similar passion and desperation [Javert's Suicide] that I deeply admire  in Quast's acting. For some reason, 'Stars' would not download to my computer, but the Suicide shows definite promise.. I personally did not care for The Confrontation, but that track's success depends on two actors, neither of which I can explicitly site as being 'bad.' 

Given the time period, perhaps I ought not to have expected an accurate rendition of Hugo's provocative work; film has never been capable of depicting Valjean or Javert with any truth to the novel, and I am consistently disappointed by their striking ineptitude.  In the black & white 1930s adaptation  by director Richard Boleslawski, Charles Laughton delivers an especially doughy Javert, whose resolution is thin and summarily devoid of substance. Forgetting for a moment that Laughton bares none of Javert's characteristic features (sideburns, for instance); a fault which might be acceptable were the acting itself genuine, his performance could not be in greater opposition to the Javert of Literature and stage. The opening shot of Laughton finds Javert with a trembling lip, begging an official for a promotion which has been denied him for parental history-- he is a weak and cowardly man, whose devotion to the law bares none of the depth that Hugo intended.

- This movie includes all the problems of its 1998 counterpart plus an additional hoard. It is maddeningly  exclusive, and fails to elaborate on essential scenes/characters who make one-time appearances only to deliver a monologue and die pitifully, without further recognition. Though it does include Javert's suicide (a daring  scene for the '30s), nothing truly horrid happens to any of the "good" characters. Again, Valjean is not shunned by Marius, he never loses Cosette... Additionally, key connections between characters and events are never established, and nothing wholly meaningful occurs throughout the entire movie-- Impressive, considering  they had  Hugo's amazing literary sense  to work from. I can excuse a movie which is poor on the basis of its original premise; many of these are written merely to satiate base public desires, but when a director insists on butchering a masterpiece that is pre-written for him.... It takes a special 'genius' to actively destroy beauty for the sake of 'art.' 

Philip Quast
[Australia, UK, Complete Symphonic Recording, Tribute to Cameron MacIntosh, Tenth Anniversary Concert] 
 

What is it that attracts us to Philip’s performance? He was not the first Javert, nor does he boast the extensive vocal training of most broadway legends. His words are identical to those sung by Mann; words set in theatrical stone by Herbert Kretzmer’s famous libretto. In the tenth anniversary concert, he barely moves but to adjust the microphone, and is stripped of the elaborate props and scenery that generally define English theatre. Yet, even in that stark environment, he succeeds in captivating us; moving us in a most compelling fashion that is so unlike any other stage personality and yet so inseparable from Quast that I am want to explain it… 

His performance is exquisitely expressive, and no glance, no motion, no rise or fall of his magnificent baritone, fractures the honesty of that singularly beatific deliverance. Moreso than any other actor, he is lost entirely within the role of Javert, and whatever effort he must exude to adopt such an alien persona is lost beneath *that* gaze… A gaze which encompasses Javert’s entire struggle in one fell slice; which cradles each chapter and each year in a  flawless reflection… Javert’s progression from prudent inspector, to triumphant arbiter, to the lonely and destitute man who ultimately flings himself into the raging Seine. 

It has been said that Quast’s Javert is entirely unlike the upright and unapproachable inspector originally envisioned by Hugo; that his humanity is too great, and that the character becomes sympathetic whilst he ought to be villainous. However, the Javert of literature is not lacking these softer qualities—they are merely filed behind a veneer of duty and savagery that peels aside on only two occasions (1) his admission of wrongdoing to M. Madeleine, and (2) the infamous suicide. Not coincidentally, these are also the moments where Quast portrays a fully shaken Javert, for indeed the original does tremble under the power of Valjean’s forgiveness, and does wrestle violently with the admission that goodness might indeed supersede justice. Apart from his suicide, Quast is capable of embodying the sheer ferocity of Javert’s nature; that raw animal magnetism that at once demands admiration and invites unadulterated terror. Although I hate to harp on his eyes, during ‘The Confrontation,’ Quast’s gaze burns with a palpable triumph that invariably invokes a tremor… Combined with the stern resonance of his voice, this power never ceases to amaze or captivate me, and no matter whom he shares the stage with, Quast invariably commands. Moreover, in appearance he is the epitome of Javert; he has a bone structure and stance reminiscent of a ‘watchdog,’ and when he roars it is that demanding, feral snarl of a ‘tiger,’ that the Inspector so directly represents. Hugo describes Javert in this fashion:
 

The human face of Javert consisted of a flat nose, with two deep
nostrils, towards which enormous whiskers ascended on his cheeks. 
One felt ill at ease when he saw these two forests and these two
caverns for the first time.  When Javert laughed,--and his laugh
was rare and terrible,--his thin lips parted and revealed to view
not only his teeth, but his gums, and around his nose there formed
a flattened and savage fold, as on the muzzle of a wild beast. 
Javert, serious, was a watchdog; when he laughed, he was a tiger. 
As for the rest, he had very little skull and a great deal of jaw;
his hair concealed his forehead and fell over his eyebrows;
between his eyes there was a permanent, central frown, like an imprint
of wrath; his gaze was obscure; his mouth pursed up and terrible;
his air that of ferocious command.

While Philip may lack the natural severity  traditionally associated with Javert, in all meaningful respects he is that same monster, and that same innocent, bewildered, child whose faith is shattered by kindness.  [On stage, of course. I am sure that Quast is quite amicable in person.. in fact, his antics after the concert/while sitting, are rather more goofy than fierce!] 

Quast is an incontestably remarkable talent, and his definitive performance has attracted the respect and admiration of Cameron MacIntosh, not to mention a [rather vocal] host of broadway fanatics the world over. He is passionate, severe, and wholly convincing in whatever role he deigns to adopt, and I for one am infinitely grateful he found Javert a worthy counterpart. 

This is an astonishing film. While not Les Miserables precisely, as it updates the classic tale too fit a WW2 era struggle--  in spirit and ingenuity, there could not be a more perfect translation. It would be difficult to explain this movie in only a short review, and thus I will not risk confusing the reader by lapsing into detailed analysis.  Besides, putting this French adaptation to text would rob a potential viewer of the excitement & sense of elated discovery that comes with finding personal connections between book and video. Therefore, without giving anything away, director Claude Lelouch ingeniously parallels Hugo's Les Miserables and its diverse cast of characters, with an equally diverse collection of 1940s rebels, fugitives, criminals, and heroes, all caught in one sense or another within the iron fist of Nazi expansion. Rather than simply update the story, however, Les Miserables (1995), brilliantly adds depth and modern-day relevance to Valjean's famed heroism, and his '40s counterparts each adopt multiple roles from the original fable. While some parallels are blatant, others require a keen knowledge of the novel, and avid readers will be greatly  rewarded for their literacy. 

I won't say anything further of the movie itself... Honestly, entering in blindly is the best route. But if you truly  enjoy the story of Les Miserables, and not only Schonberg's music, I highly recommend that you rent or borrow this film [I found it at my school's library]. It *does* span two tapes, and please make sure that you rent both.. watching the 2nd first is a bit confusing [experience speaking]. 

As for Philippe Khorsand's interpretation of Javert... Despite my love for the character, in this case it is not [nor can it be considered] his story. Javert's role is extremely small, and I do not find it worth review. Khorsand did not, with few exceptions, interest me, and while I wish he had been more prominently featured, I respect the director's decision to focus on other aspects. My one significant complaint is that Javert's suicide makes little sense in context, and I desperately wanted to see a bit of his sordid internal struggle as interpreted by this fabulous director... This is one film that could have done justice to any part, were it featured as dominantly  as Valjeans. Oh well, it is a small price to pay for an otherwise stunning picture. 

At the risk of being redundant. Please, please, please  see this movie ! It is by far the best Les Mis film I have yet to view, and I am looking forward to sharing it with my friends and family [whether or not they consent].