He began his theatrical career at 25 in Elle est folle, Carole at the théâtre du Palais-Royal.

In 1956, he played in the musical comedy Irma la douce by Alexandre Breffort and Marguerite Monnot and then made his film debut in Les Truands, where he adopted his stage name, Tornade.

The next year, he played a theater role in Pericles, Prince of Tyre before joining the Branquignols troupe of Robert Dhéry, which also included Jean Lefebvre, Michel Serrault and Micheline Dax.

His most famous roles were as the victim's father The Common Man (1975), Captain Dumont in Now Where Did the 7th Company Get to?

He had fallen accidentally in the stairway of his Yvelines residence the previous week and had been comatose since then.