born Oct. 30, 1932, Thumeries, France
died Nov. 23, 1995, Beverly Hills, Calif., U.S.
French film director.
He made his first feature film, Frantic , in 1957. Malle gained commercial success with The Lovers (1958), starring Jeanne Moreau , and he became a leading figure in the French New Wave . In The Fire Within (1963), Thief of Paris (1967), Murmur of the Heart (1971), and Lacombe, Lucien (1973), he achieved emotional realism and stylistic simplicity. In 1975 he moved to the U.S., where he directed films such as Pretty Baby (1978), Atlantic City (1980), My Dinner with André (1981), Au revoir les enfants (1987), and Vanya on 42nd Street (1994).