GUEST-STARS
The series’ popularity attracted many celebrities who appeared throughout the seasons. The first was Bernard Montiel. The scriptwriters created bespoke roles for them. The public enjoyed finding well-known figures in unexpected and even comical situations.
MALLAURY NATAF
She is the protagonist of the sitcom ‘Le miel et les abeilles’. She starred in the first 10 episodes of the series as Sandra, an attractive, lively, and dynamic young woman who has the opportunity to join Louis at the beachfront resort. She has a good sense of business and negotiation and is full of plans for the beachfront.
BERNARD MONTIEL
Coming from the written press, TV, and radio, he is a film enthusiast. He joined the Saint Tropez family by playing a patronizing and cynical showbusiness man, Patrick Saint-Val, between 1996 and 1997. He went on to star in several episodes afterwards.
LAURENT MOUTON
A Tropezian actor, scriptwriter, dubber and even singer, Laurent Mouton appeared in a minor role at the beginning of the series, giving him his first acting job during his time at the Cours Florent. Then he came back in 2006 as Vincent, responsible for organising parties and in particular a soirée in Saint-Tropez. He tries, in vain, to seduce Jessica. He appeared in several films shot in Saint-Tropez such as ‘Hors de prix’, ‘Les randonneurs à Saint-Tropez’, ‘Mystère à Saint-Tropez’.
PATRICE LAFFONT
Patrice Lafont, a famous TV showman, played Dr. Vigeac who, expelled from the medical profession, pretended to be an eminent specialist. He starred also in ‘The troops of Saint Tropez’ in 1964.
VINCENT LAGAF’
Comedian, actor, singer, TV host, he made an appearance in 2005. On this occasion, he lent his yacht to the production to shoot the scene of his arrival in Saint Tropez. He played Lorenzo, a whimsical Italian filmmaker, using the beach resort as a set to shoot the video clip for ‘Place des Lices au soleil’ with Jessica, Caroline and Laure.
CLAUDE GENSAC
Known for over 18 years as Madame Cruchot alongside Louis de Funès. In 2004 she played Aunt Clarisse, Alain’s allegedly wealthy aunt whose inheritance he covets.
PATRICK PREJEAN
The last Gendarme of the Saint-Tropez brigade in ‘Le Gendarme et les gendarmettes’ (the last film of ‘The troops of Saint Tropez saga’) in 1982, he appeared in two episodes in 2007 as Alban.
MINOR ROLES
Beyond fiction, real friendships were born on the set.
For 12 years, the production of ‘Saint Tropez’ was the biggest local business in winter, employing Tropezians and recruiting extras from the whole region.
With 450 extras per month, many of them made a more or less long appearance in the series. Like ‘The troops of Saint-Tropez’, it is the production that has made the most use of local ‘manpower’.
About the series
An extraordinary filming schedule
While the first and second seasons had 13 and 26 episodes respectively, the following seasons have all reached at least 40 episodes each. This is due to a filming method invented by Marathon Production, with two crews filming simultaneously.
This was a demanding schedule for the main actors who moved from one set to another. But this technique allowed the show to offer two storylines in the same episode and one episode per week.
This method has been taken as a model by several French productions.
The series was first shot on 16mm film, like a cinema film, until it was replaced in the 2000s by digital formats. This evolution changed the way technicians and actors worked.
The producers also favoured natural settings and even though the series was mainly shot in winter, it had to give the impression that the weather was nice and warm. This led the actresses to come up with tricks to keep warm, such as hot water bottles and heated slippers!
The series has been exported to over 130 countries, from Brazil to Finland, Canada, Kazakhstan and Romania.
