Roland Topor was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, known for the surreal nature of his work. He gained notoriety as one of the home cartoonists of the subversive French magazine Hara-Kiri, renamed later Charlie-Hebdo. Roland Topor wrote the novel The Tenant (Le Locataire chimérique, 1964), which was adapted to film by Roman Polanski in 1976. The Tenant is the story of a Parisian of Polish descent, a chilling exploration of alienation and identity, asking disturbing questions about how we define ourselves.

Filmography

• 2024Joko — Theatre Play
• 2019Portrait of Suzanne — Original Story
• 2012The Orphan Plus Minus an Arm — Original Story
• 2008Batailles — Theatre Play
• 2005L'Hiver sous la table — Author
• 1997Le Cinéma au travail comme la mort
• 1996Three Lives and Only One Death — Bum #2
• 1995Comment devenir cinéaste sans se prendre la tête — Maître Bessonet
• 1993Topor, Père et Fils
• 1990The Most Beautiful Breasts in the World — Story
• De l'autre côté — Writer
• 1989Marquis — Writer, Art Direction
• Palace — Writer
• 1986La Galette du roi — Writer
• 1986The Satin Spider — Le médecin
• 1984Swann in Love — Biche
• Telecat — Characters, Writer, Creator
• 1981The Ones That Got Away — The murderous fencer
• 1979Destins parallèles
• 1979Nosferatu the Vampyre — Renfield
• 1979Ratataplan — The Boss
• 1979The Hamburg Syndrome — Writer
• 1976The Tenant — Novel
• 1975The Butcher, the Star and the Orphan — Inspector Labelote, Writer, Dialogue
• 1975The Daughter of the Railroad Crossing Guard — Le pochard, Writer
• 1975The Game — Writer
• 1974Sweet Movie
• 1974Threshold of the Void — Homme dans le métro
• 1973Fantastic Planet — Screenplay
• 1972The Troubles of Alfred — Writer
• 1966The Snails — Draughtsman, Screenplay
• 1966Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? — Un émissaire du prince
• 1965He! Viva Dada — Self, Writer
• 1964Dead Times — Writer, Draughtsman

Appearances as themselves (10)

• 2015Les vendredis d'Apostrophes — Self (archive footage)
• 2010Fantastic Laloux — Self
• 2004Topor and Me — Self (Voice)
• Nulle part ailleurs — Self
• 1979The Making of 'Nosferatu' — Self
• Ciné regards — Self
• Apostrophes — Self
• 1974Italiques: Roland Topor — Self
• 1972Cartoon circus — Self
• Midi trente — Self