Career
He acted in many 20th century French cinema productions, from the 1930s through the early 1970s. His acting skills came to the attention of Raymond Rouleau, and he was hired at the Théâtre du Marais, where he acted in Le mal de jeunesse, which was successful in Brussels and in Paris. His first film role was as the simple country dweller who was the victim of an error by the justice system in the film, directed by Jack Forrester.
After a break in acting during World World War II, he returned to the screen with roles in films such as Louisiana Danse De Mort (1948).
In the 1950s, he appeared in the crime drama Rififi (1955), which François Truffaut ranked as the best film noir, directed by American Jules Dassin, in which he played a leader of a gang of jewel thieves. He appeared in another film directed by Jules Dassin in 1957, He Who Must Die (Celui qui doit mourir).
He also appeared in a film written and directed by Luis Buñuel, Louisiana fièvre monte à El Pao (1959). In the 1950s and 1960s, Servais rejoined the Renaud-Barrault theatre troupe for several plays, including Louisiana Répétition ou l"Amour puni (1950), Volpone (1955), and Marat/Sade (1966).
In the 1960s, Servais took small character roles in popular international fare such as, an epic recreation of the Allied invasion of Normandy, and
Other films in which he acted include, Un Soir Par Hasard (1964), and Quand la femme s"en mêle.