Jacques Mesrine
| Jacques Mesrine | |
|---|---|
Booking photo of Mesrine, taken in 1973.
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| Born |
Jacques René Mesrine 28 December 1936 Clichy-la-Garenne, France |
| Died | 2 November 1979 (aged 42) Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Shot by four police officers |
| Other names | French Robin Hood The Man of a Hundred Faces |
| Criminal charge | Assassination, bank robbery, burglary, kidnaping, smuggler. |
| Criminal penalty | 20 years |
| Criminal status | Escaped |
| Spouse(s) | Lydia De Souza (divorced) María de la Soledad (divorced) Jeanne Schneider (partner) Sylvia Jeanjacquot (partner) |
| Children | Sabrina, Boris and Bruno |
| Parent(s) | André Pierre Mesrine and Fernande Buvry-Mesrine |
Jacques Mesrine (French pronunciation: [mesʁin]; 28 December 1936 – 2 November 1979) was a French criminal responsible for numerous murders, bank robberies, burglaries, and kidnappings in France and Canada. Mesrine repeatedly escaped from prison and made international headlines during a final period as a fugitive when his exploits included trying to kidnap the judge who had previously sentenced him. An aptitude for disguise earned him the moniker "The Man of a Thousand Faces" and enabled him to remain at large while receiving massive publicity as a wanted man. Mesrine was widely seen as an anti-establishment 'Robin Hood' figure. In keeping with his charismatic image, he was rarely without a glamorous female companion. A two-part film which came out in 2008 was based on Mesrine's life.
Jacques René Mesrine was born in Clichy-la-Garenne near Paris on 28 December 1936 to a couple of blue collar origin who had moved up in social class. As a child he witnessed a massacre of villagers by German soldiers. His parents had great aspirations for their son and sent him to the prestigious Catholic Collège de Juilly where his friends included the likes of musician and composer Jean-Jacques Debout. Mesrine was an extremely unruly pupil, and he was expelled from Collège de Juilly for attacking the principal. He went on to be expelled from other schools and fell into the lifestyle of a juvenile delinquent, much to the dismay of his family. In 1955 at age 19 he married Lydia De Souza in Clichy; the couple divorced a year later. Drafted into the French Army, he volunteered for special duty in the Algerian War as a parachutist/commando. While participating in ruthless counter-insurgency operations, Mesrine's duties are said to have included the killing of prisoners. Although he disliked military discipline, Mesrine enjoyed action and was decorated with the Cross of Military Valour by General Charles de Gaulle before leaving the army in 1959. His father was later to claim that the time in Algeria had brought about a noticeable deterioration in Mesrine's behavior.
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