Alain Renoir (October 31, 1921 – December 12, 2008) was a French-American writer and literature professor, son of filmmaker Jean Renoir and actress Catherine Hessling, and grandson of impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Renoir was born in Cagnes-sur-Mer, the only son of Jean Renoir. As a teenager Renoir worked in a few of his father's films, including ''House Party'' (1936), as assistant cameraman on '' The Human Beast'' (1938) and ''

The Rules of the Game ''The Rules of the Game'' (original French title: ''La règle du jeu'') is a 1939 French satirical comedy-drama film directed by Jean Renoir. The ensemble cast includes Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Marcel Dalio, Julien Carette, ...

'' (1939). In 1942 he joined his father in the United States, enlisted in the American Army and served in combat in the Pacific. After the war, he studied English literature and comparative literature, earning his PhD from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1956. Renoir became a professor at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, where he founded the Department of Comparative Literature in 1966. He was considered a leading scholar of medieval English literature and published books on '' Beowulf'' and

John Lydgate John Lydgate of Bury (c. 1370 – c. 1451) was an English monk and poet, born in Lidgate, near Haverhill, Suffolk, England. Lydgate's poetic output is prodigious, amounting, at a conservative count, to about 145,000 lines. He explored and estab ...

. After retiring, he spent his last years running a small sustainable farm in north central California, doing much of the work himself. He had three children, John, Peter and Anne.

References

External links

IMDb database bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renoir, Alain 1921 births 2008 deaths People from Cagnes-sur-Mer University of California, Berkeley faculty Harvard University alumni French emigrants to the United States Alain