born Aug. 18, 1906, Paris, France
died Oct. 31, 1996, Clamart
French film director.
He worked as an assistant director before directing his first feature, Jenny (1936). This success was followed by Bizarre, Bizarre (1937), Port of Shadows (1938), and Daybreak (1939), works of poetic realism that were the fruit of his collaboration with screenwriter Jacques Prévert . During the Nazi occupation he made The Devil's Envoys (1942) and later his masterpiece, The Children of Paradise (1945), which chronicled life in the theatre and celebrated the French spirit. His work declined after his breakup with Prévert in 1948.