Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 62
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Mireille Darc was born on 15 May 1938 in Toulon, Var, France. She was an actress and director, known for Weekend (1967), Galia (1966) and O.K. patron (1974). She was married to Pascal Desprez. She died on 28 August 2017 in Paris, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Orson Welles once called beloved French character star Raimu (né Jules Auguste Cesar Muraire) "the greatest actor who ever lived." It is hard to argue the compliment of one genius to another.
The jowly, cigar-chomping comedian was born in Toulon, France on December 17, 1883 of very humble means, his father making ends meet as an upholsterer. Raimu began his stage career at age 16 as a music hall extra imitating famous French comic idols. Using the stage name of Raimut (he later dropped the "t"), he eventually gained a following in dance halls, cafe concerts, nightclubs and pubs as an entertainer but cemented his reputation on the Parisian comedy stages. Around this time, he also began to appear in minor roles in silent film shorts (1911-1917), but nothing much came from them and he left the screen.
Continuing to thrive on the live stage, Raimu's serious intentions as an actor were solidified with the 1929 stage production of the Marcel Pagnol play "Marius," which told story of a wanderlust sailor, his wife Fanny and father César. Raimu transferred the role of César brilliantly to the film trilogy Marius (1931), Fanny (1932) and César (1936) all co-starring Pierre Fresnay as Marius and Orane Demazis as Fanny. He went on to work with Pagnol quite frequently.
Closely identifying himself with the iron-willed working class, Raimu swayed quite effectively from humor to great pathos in characters that reminded one in looks and flavor of a grubby, weary-looking Honoré de Balzac. Immortalized in Pagnol's trilogy, arguably celebrated as the greatest series ever put together, Raimu continued to charm in primarily 1930's social comedies. His star role with leads in Le blanc et le noir (1931), La petite chocolatière (1932), Mam'zelle Nitouche (1931), Théodore et Cie (1933), the title roles in Charlemagne (1933) and Tartarin de Tarascon (1934), The King (1936), Let's Make a Dream (1936), Confessions of a Newlywed (1937), Heroes of the Marne (1938), Monsieur Brotonneau (1939) and Noix de coco (1939). For his superb work in both Julien Duvivier's Life Dances On (1937) and Pagnol's The Baker's Wife (1938), he won the National Board of Review award.
Along the way Raimu worked with a host of legendary directors including Marc Allégret, Henri Decoin, Alexander Esway and Sacha Guitry. His film popularity continued to soar into the war years with roles in Pagnol's The Well-Digger's Daughter (1940), as well as The Man Who Seeks the Truth (1940), Strangers in the House (1942), Midnight in Paris (1942), Little Nothings (1941), The Heart of a Nation (1943) and the title role in Balzac's Le colonel Chabert (1943). He also returned to the theatre in such productions as "The Bourgeois Gentleman" and "The Imaginary Invalid."
Raimu returned to filming following the war with Hoboes in Paradise (1946) co-starring Fernandel. In March of 1946, while shooting his next post-war film The Eternal Husband (1946), he was involved in a car accident that would require some surgery. The 62-year-old actor died of a heart attack on September 20th following an allergic reaction to anesthesia while on the table for a minor leg operation. The outpouring of grief felt by his native country was monumental.
Survived by wife (from 1936) Esther Metayer (1905-1977) and daughter, Paulette Brun (1925-1992). Raimu was laid to rest in a cemetery in the town where he was born. In 1961, the French government placed his image on an honorary postage stamp.- Sandra Julien was born on 14 February 1950 in Toulon, France. She is an actress, known for The Shiver of the Vampires (1971), Au théâtre ce soir (1966) and Dany la ravageuse (1972).
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Born in Toulon on 24 October 1927, Gilbert Bécaud was introduced to music at a very early age and started playing the piano well before attending the Nice conservatoire at age nine. Accepted by the Sacem at the age of 20, Gilbert Bécaud composed film scores on several occasions before only gradually taking an interest in songs (the French lyricist Pierre Delanoé wrote his first song "Mes mains"). He also composed music for Edith Piaf, such as "Je t'ai dans la peau". A meeting in 1952 with the poet Louis Amade gave birth to the song "Les Croix". Bécaud's singing career took off with his first super-45 featuring three tracks, "Mes mains","Viens","Quand tu danses". These songs were recorded under the His Master Voice label (now EMI), a record company that has supported Bécaud since the beginning.- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Richard Rionda Del Castro was born on 3 May 1967 in Toulon, France. Richard is a producer and writer, known for USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016), Rage (2014) and Heist (2015).- Actor
- Editor
- Director
Michael Marco is a French-American filmmaker. He was born Michaël Joseph Raymond Marco, in Toulon, France. The son of Lyna Pont, a French Navy employee and François Marco, a talented carpenter. His parents are both from Spanish decent.
Marco got bit by the acting bug at an early age while performing in a summer camp play.
He grew up watching American and French classics such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Great Escape (1963), The Samurai (1967), The Night Caller (1975), The Towering Inferno (1974), Death Wish (1974), Dirty Harry (1971), Buffet Froid (1979), and the list goes on and on...
In the '80s, Marco was lucky to have found a video group in the little town he grew up in, who took a few kids under their wing and gave them proper training in production and post-production. They let the teenagers borrow the equipment and taught them how to work a U-matic editing bench. They started writing and shooting short films.
Marco ended the last year of junior high by acting in the short play "Edouard et Agrippine" de René de Obaldia, a story written with three characters and one location. It was just enough for the acting bug to permanently sink its teeth into him.
When Marco moved to Dallas, Texas in 1993, it was inevitable that he would get into the film and TV business.
Today Marco lives in Texas with his wife Jennifer. He is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, a seasoned editor and a passionate actor... who now produces as well.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Brigitte Roüan was born on 28 September 1946 in Toulon, Var, France. She is an actress and director, known for Overseas (1990), After Sex (1997) and Grosse (1985).- Sound Department
- Music Department
- Producer
Patrick Giraudi was born in France where he studied electronics and became a professional drummer at age 15. He also owned and operated a recording studio as well as performing live with his band. Passionate in music and sound for movies, he moved to Los Angeles in 1987. Patrick started working graveyard shifts in music recording studios in Hollywood and made his way up to lead engineer but his passion for sound effects and digital editing lead him to switch gear in 1991 and became a sound editor and later a re-recording mixer for motion pictures at Digital Sound and Picture a State Of The Art audio post production company. In 1999, Patrick started freelancing as a re-recording mixer bringing his own gear to the mix stages since Protools wasn't widely used at that time. Over the years, he mixed films directed by David Lynch, Walter Salles, Robert Townsend, Kevin Bacon as well as major film networks including Tales From The crypt for HBO, Showtime features films, Xena Warrior Princess for Universal, Audio restorations for MGM, Austin Powers for Newline Cinema to name a few. Some of these films were nominated or won MPSE awards for best sound and other festival awards. In 2010, Patrick expanded his skills and brought his post sound knowledge to film sets by doing location recording on films he was doing post on. It's a definite gain of quality for the filmmakers to have their sound designer on the set. Patrick opened his own State Of The Art digital facility; Virtualmix studios which is located in Burbank, CA. With his small and very talented crew, most of the sound recording of ADR and Foley, sound editing, sound design and mixing takes place there. The future looks promising for Patrick and Virtualmix as more films are being produced and the demand for pristine sound that each motion picture needs is a challenge he is willing to accept and deliver.- Yves Ramonet was born on 1 May 1962 in Toulon, Var, France. Yves is a writer, known for Léa Parker (2004), Disparitions, retour aux sources (2008) and Sam (2016).
- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Actor
The diversified costumes of designer Jean-Pierre Dorléac have enlightened audiences worldwide with their visual concept of the 18th and 19th centuries; provided them with an accurate and honest visual history of this century and our present day; and propelled them into the futuristic galaxies of tomorrow, ... all filled with details of authenticity. Dorléac's prolific career in costume design has encompassed feature films, television, theater, rock-videos and private couture. His provocative and challenging creations range from the exotic rags and tatters assembled for The Blue Lagoon (1980), the mad, institutional designs for the West Coast premier stage production of Peter Weiss' "Marat/Sade". The gallantry and pageantry of the American Revolutionary War was seen in the television movie, The Bastard (1978), earning Dorléac his first Emmy nomination, followed by its sequel, _"Rebels, The" (1979) (mini)_. The beauty and romanticism of turn-of-the-century America, has been honestly captured in a quartet of films that include Horton Foote's Lily Dale (1996); the biographical films, Mae West (1982), and A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story (1994); and finally, Somewhere in Time (1980), the feature that garnered him an Academy Award nomination. His depiction of the South Pacific in the 30's was nominated for an Emmy for Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982), while the 40's were explored in another woman's biographical film, Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982). The 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's costumes for the NBC series, Quantum Leap (1989) were Emmy nominated for four consecutive years for their factual depiction of the quaternion. The enduring Heart and Souls (1993), showed us San Francisco in the late 50's and present day, while Universal's feature, Leave It to Beaver (1997) gave us a 'today', reminiscent of the late 50's. His striking creations for the cover of NEW YORK magazine caused a fashion media frenzy and the beguilingly-styled, high-tech Bond-ish glamour, Elizabeth Hurley wore in the television special, "THE WORLD OF JAMES BOND" was 'simply drop-dead', so said television's EXTRA. Fantasy and science-fiction have been represented through the punk, sociopathic madness of Max Headroom (1987); the vampy, cartoonish camp of _Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)_; and the Emmy Award winning simplicity of the retro, look-into-the-future of Battlestar Galactica (1978). Dorléac's collection of work has been exhibited world wide. Benefits for AIDS Project Los Angeles have celebrated his designs, as well as the Mannequins Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Southern California with fashion shows. The Los Angeles County Museum of Arts showcased his costumes in their exhibition and book, "HOLLYWOOD AND HISTORY: COSTUME DESIGN IN FILM", as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; La Palais de la Civilization, Montreal, Canada; and La Place Vendôme, Paris, France.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Stéphane Giusti was born in 1964 in Toulon, Var, France. He is a writer and director, known for Pourquoi pas moi? (1999), Made in Italy (2008) and Bella ciao (2001).- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Philippe Sr. was born in Toulon, France just about the time his father Jacques Cousteau was inventing the Aqualung (or scuba tank as it is more commonly known) that would allow human kind to explore the oceans freely for the first time. At the age of four years wearing a miniature aqualung he had entered the sea behind his father, following the bubbles to the bottom of rocky shallows, an experience that changed his life forever. The lessons Philippe learned at sea enriched those he learned at school spending each vacation aboard his father's famous ship, Calypso.
As a teenager Philippe dreamed of flying airplanes, pursuing new horizons in the sky as he had in the sea. At 16 he received his glider pilots license and then earned his pilot and commercial license.
At the age of 25 Philippe joined Jacques Cousteau" Precontinent III" where he and five "Aquanauts" lived in a specially designed house 330 feet below the surface of the sea. This was the first time any humans had attempted such a feat.
Philippe recorded the experience in writing as well as on film contributing to a National Geographic Television special that won such widespread acclaim that the public was soon clamoring for a series of films from the Cousteau's.
One year later, father and son were ready to meet the public's demand and delivered a series that changed the world. At 26 years old Philippe set off with his father on Calypso." All departures are exciting, Philippe commented, "but this one was more magnificent than any. A kind of miracle was about to happen. We would be reporting to millions of people, our goal was to serve as eyes for those who could not travel."
In the years to follow Philippe would join his father in making more than thirty films, taking his camera and with it, his viewers all over the world: from the Indian Ocean, to Truk Island in the Pacific, from the Yucatan Peninsula south to Patagonia, Argentina the Antarctic, on to Africa and north to the Arctic and more. Philippe was overall director of the television series, which won an astounding 10 Emmy Awards. The films were graced not just by Philippe's camerawork and editing but also by his aeronautical contributions: he operated the Calypso hang glider, a Raven S55A hot air balloon; a Hughes 300 C helicopter and the PBY Seaplane he proudly called his "Flying Calypso"
On June 28th 1979 however, tragedy struck, and Philippe was killed in an airplane accident in Portugal. He left behind his wife Jan Cousteau and 3 yr. old daughter Alexandra. His son Philippe Jr was born 6 months later.
While the entire world was stunned by his untimely departure the legacy Philippe left for his family - and his audience -is more than his films, books, ideas and discoveries...his legacy lives on as an inspiration to always seek a vision of a better world.- Producer
- Writer
- Executive
Henri Magalon was born on 4 June 1970 in Toulon, Var, France. He is a producer and writer, known for The Fifth Element (1998), Ernest & Celestine (2012) and Zombillenium (2017).- Michel Bardinet was born on 15 November 1931 in Toulon, Var, France. He was an actor, known for The Age of the Medici (1972), Janique aimée (1963) and The Sweet Body of Deborah (1968). He died on 22 February 2005 in Apt, Vaucluse, France.
- Laetitia Carrere was born on 23 May 1992 in Toulon, France. She is an actress, known for Alien Crystal Palace (2018), Le chien fou (2015) and Money Has No Smell (2015).
- Pierrette Rossi was born on 5 November 1927 in Toulon, Var, France. She was an actress, known for Je n'aime que toi... (1949), La belle meunière (1948) and La patronne (1950). She died on 5 December 2010 in Toulon, Var, France.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Jean Tournier was born on 3 April 1926 in Toulon, Var, France. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Moonraker (1979), The Day of the Jackal (1973) and The Train (1964). He died on 5 December 2004 in Paris, France.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Denis Poncet was born on 29 October 1948 in Toulon, Var, France. He was a producer and writer, known for Sin City Law (2007), Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001) and The Staircase (2004). He was married to Cornelia Theune. He died on 12 December 2014 in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France.- Jacques Tournier was born on 21 June 1922 in Toulon, Var, France. He was a writer, known for Via Macau (1966), Replay (1977) and The King's Whore (1990). He died on 15 March 2019 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Christophe Dominici was born on 20 May 1972 in Toulon, France. He was an actor, known for Pour toi, j'ai tué (2012), Élection de Miss France (1986) and Fort Boyard (1990). He died on 24 November 2020 in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
- Colette Mareuil was born on 20 December 1914 in Toulon, Var, France. She was an actress, known for Three Sinners (1950), Cet homme est dangereux (1953) and La pension du libre amour (1974). She died on 12 November 1991 in Paris, France.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Maurice de Canonge was born on 18 March 1894 in Toulon, Var, France. He was an actor and director, known for L'empreinte rouge (1937), Boum sur Paris (1953) and Inspecteur Grey (1936). He died on 29 December 1978 in Ballancourt-sur-Essonne, Essonne, France.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Jean Canolle was born on 25 May 1919 in Toulon, Var, France. He was a writer and director, known for L'âne de Zigliara (1970), Maurin des maures (1970) and Le puits aux trois vérités (1961). He died on 15 September 2009 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne, France.- Olivier Lajous was born in 1955 in Toulon, France. He is an actor, known for GoldenEye (1995).
- Actor
- Stunts
Guy Di Rigo was born on 25 February 1929 in Toulon, Var, France. He was an actor, known for Moonraker (1979), Eye of the Widow (1991) and Dear Inspector (1977). He died on 26 October 1998 in Paris, France.