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Charles Brunier (31 May 1901 – 26 January 2007) was a French convicted murderer and veteran of both the First and Second World Wars, who claimed in 2005 to have been the inspiration for Papillon.
Jan 26, 2007 · Deceased people by name.
His hands gripping his wheelchair, Charles Brunier does not really understand why he is dressed up to come out of his room, yesterday morning, at the nursing home Orpa-Val-de-France in Domont (Val-d'Oise). This ex-con has been in peaceful retirement here for the past 12 years.
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Charles Brunier (31 May 1901 – 26 January 2007) was a French centenarian, convicted murderer, and veteran of both the First and Second World Wars. In 2005, he claimed to have been the inspiration for Papillon. Circumstantial evidence, including his butterfly tattoo and him having been on Devil's Island at the time, supported the claim.
Brunier was born in Paris on 31 May 1901. He was wounded in action while serving in Syria in 1918, also receiving the Croix de Guerre for saving a lieutenant's life. In 1923, however, he was accused of murder and armed robbery, and was later convicted. His military medals were revoked as a result, and he was not on the official list of French World War I veterans, although he did serve.
Brunier was sent to the penal colony off the coast of French Guiana. After the outbreak of World War II he escaped to Mexico and joined the Free French Forces as a fighter pilot, serving in the Battle of the Caribbean for two years before transferring to the infantry under Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, and also in Africa (where Charles de Gaulle personally decorated him) and Italy. He was imprisoned again after the war, but was released in 1948 in recognition of his services.
•On a retrouvé l'ancien bagnard qui prétend être Papillon Le Parisien, 17 December 2005 (Archived)
•The real Papillon (translation of newspaper article) Rue Rude, 17 December 2005 (Archived)
•Papillon alive and well in a Paris retirement home Mail & Guardian, 26 June 2005 (Archived)
•Charles Brunier emporte avec lui le secret de Papillon Le Parisien, 29 January 2007 (Archived)
Sep 6, 2022 · Charrière had lived the incredible tale of hardship, death, disappointment, and escape in that prison colony, and eventually made his way back to civilization and to France. His book sales rapidly brought him fame and fortune such as he had never known, but not everyone was so enamored.
Charles Brunier (31 May 1901 – 26 January 2007) was a French convicted murderer and veteran of both the First and Second World Wars, who claimed in 2005 to have been the inspiration for Papillon.
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May 3, 2015 · English: photo of Charles Brunier, former inmate of the Devil's Island, the man that inspired the novel Papillon, shortly before his death, at age 106
