Les Editions GIL

French publisher Les Editions GIL produced several film star postcards of contemporary French and international stars during the 1970s and 1980s. Their 'Acteurs Français' series contained portraits in black and white. The Acteurs and the Chanteurs series were both in colour. GIL vanished later in DKlogue éditions, which publishes mainly books.


French postcard by Les Editions Gil in the 'Acteurs Français' series, no. 3. Alain Delon.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Alain Delon (1935-2024) was the breathtakingly good-looking James Dean of French cinema. The 'male Brigitte Bardot' soon proved to be a magnificent actor in masterpieces by Luchino Visconti and Michelangelo Antonioni. In the late sixties, Delon came to epitomise the calm, psychopathic hoodlum in the 'Policiers' of Jean-Pierre Melville, staring into the camera like a cat assessing a mouse.


French postcard by Les Editions Gil in the 'Acteurs Français' series, no. 4. Alain Delon in Borsalino (Jacques Deray, 1970).


French postcard by Les Editions GIL in the 'Acteurs Français' series, no. 5.

French actor Bernard Giraudeau (1947-2010) was, with his bright blue eyes, one of the most attractive but also talented stars of French cinema. For his roles, he was twice nominated for the French Oscar, Le César. Giraudeau also worked as a film director, scriptwriter, producer and writer.


French postcard by Les Editions GIL in the 'Acteurs Français' series, no. 6.

Darkly handsome Gérard Lanvin (1950) is a César Award-winning French actor and screenwriter. He appeared in several popular French comedies and gangster films.


French postcard in the 'série acteurs' by Les Editions GIL, no. 5. Isabelle Adjani in L'Été Meurtrier / One Deadly Summer (Jean Becker, 1983).

Isabelle Adjani (1955) is a dark-haired beauty with porcelain skin and expressive blue eyes, who has appeared in nearly 50 films since 1970. The French film actress holds the record for most César Awards for Best Actress with five, for Possession (1981), L'Été Meurtrier / One Deadly Summer (1983), Camille Claudel (1988), La Reine Margot / Queen Margot (1994) and La journée de la jupe / Skirt Day (2009). She also received two Oscar nominations for Best Actress.


French postcard in the 'série acteurs' by Les Editions GIL, no. 6.

French, American-born actor Christophe or Christopher Lambert (1957) is known for his good looks, gravelly, raspy voice and his unsettling eyes. His best-known roles are Tarzan, Lord of the Apes in Greystoke (1984) and the immortal Connor MacLeod in the Highlander film series (1986-2000). He was also the hero of countless futuristic action films that often went straight to video.


French postcard in the 'série acteurs' by Les Éditions GIL, no. 7. Louis de Funès in L'aile ou la cuisse / The Wing and the Thigh (Claude Zidi, 1976).

French actor of Spanish origin Louis de Funès (1914-1983) was one of the giants of French comedy alongside André Bourvil and Fernandel. In many of his over 130 films, he portrayed a humorously excitable, cranky man with a propensity to hyperactivity, bad faith, and uncontrolled fits of anger. Along with his short height (1.63 m) and his facial contortions, this hyperactivity produced a highly comic effect, especially opposite Bourvil, who always played calm, slightly naive, good-humoured men.


French postcard by Les Editions Gil in the série acteurs, no. 3. Gérard Lanvin and Bernard Giraudeau in Les Spécialistes / The Specialists (Patrice Leconte, 1985).


French postcard in the 'série acteurs' by Les éditions GIL, no. 11. Photo: Louis de Funès in L'avare / The Miser (Louis de Funès, Jean Girault, 1980).


French postcard by Les Editions Gil, no. 14. Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (George Miller, George Ogilvie, 1985). Caption: "You don't have a hundred quid!"

American-Australian actor Mel Gibson (1956) became known worldwide thanks to the small-budgeted action film Mad Max (1979). He went on to star in such acclaimed films as Gallipoli (1981) and The Bounty (1984). In 1987, he became a superstar with the buddy cop action-comedy film series Lethal Weapon (1987-1998). As director of Braveheart (1995), he won both the Academy Award for best director and best film. Gibson also produced and directed The Passion of the Christ (2004) about the last phase of Jesus Christ's life on earth.


French postcard in the 'série Acteurs' by Les Editions GIL, no. 17. Gérard Lanvin.


French postcard in the 'série Acteurs' by Les Editions Gil, no. 20. Photo: Isabelle Adjani in L'Été Meurtrier / One Deadly Summer (Jean Becker, 1983).


French postcard in the 'série chanteurs' by Les Editions GIL, no. 28.

British rock artist Sting (1951) is best known as the pop star with the high-pitched, raspy voice and blonde, spiky hair. Sting (Gordon Summers) made his breakthrough as the singer and bass player for The Police and then launched a successful solo career. He also acted in film and television, and was memorable as the Mod leader in Quadrophenia (1979) and as Eddie’s father in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).


French postcard in the 'série chanteurs' by Les Éditions GIL, no. 47. David Bowie in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima, 1983).

English musician and actor David Bowie (1947-2016) was a major pop star for over four decades. During the 1970s, he was a magnificent innovator. We love his album 'Changes'. With various stage and film roles, he also proved to be a fine actor.


French postcard in the 'série chanteurs' by Les Editions GIL, no. 76. David Bowie in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima, 1983).


French postcard in the 'série chanteurs' by Les Editions GIL, no. 125. Madonna in Who's That Girl (James Foley, 1987).

Madonna or Madonna Louise Ciccone (1958) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. During the MTV craze in the 1980s, Madonna pushed boundaries with her song texts and her provocative performances. She frequently reinvented herself and her music and stayed the 'Queen of Pop' for decades. Her global bestsellers were hits such as 'Like a Virgin' (1984) and 'True Blue' (1986), but for us she became more interesting with songs like' Like a Prayer' (1989), 'Vogue' (1991) and 'Frozen' (1998). And we're still fans, even of some of her films, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Truth or Dare (1991), and Evita (1996). The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops reinventing herself, Madonna is a seven-time Grammy Award-winner who has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide.

Sources: DK Logue Editions.