Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

and

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

awards, and won

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...

Edgar Allan Poe Awards The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, Golden Globe Award, French National Academy of Cinema and Honorary Cesar awards. According to one obituary:

For exactly 40 years, the prolific Verneuil made movies as mainstream and commercial as any to be found in America or Britain. In his best period – the 1950s and 1960s – he delivered films in the "tradition of quality" so despised by the
Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
. Many of them proved excellent vehicles for old-timers Jean Gabin and Fernandel, and newcomers such as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon.

Life and career

Early life

Verneuil was born Ashot Malakian ( hy, Աշոտ Մալաքեան) to

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

parents in Rodosto, East Thrace,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. In 1924, when Ashot was a little child his family fled to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

in France, to escape persecution after the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

. He later recounted his childhood experience in the novel ''Mayrig'', which he dedicated to his mother and made into a 1991 film with the same name, which was followed by a sequel,

588 Rue Paradis ''588 rue paradis'' is a 1992 semi-autobiographical film written and directed by French-Armenian filmmaker Henri Verneuil. The film's principal cast includes Richard Berry, Claudia Cardinale and Omar Sharif. It was preceded by '' Mayrig'', the fi ...

, the following year. Verneuil entered the École Nationale d'Arts et Metiers in Aix-en-Provence in 1942. After graduation, he worked as a journalist, then became editor of Horizon Armenian magazine.

Film career

In 1947, Verneuil managed to convince the established European film actor

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan t ...

to appear in his first film. In 1951 he directed his first feature, the black comedy ''

La Table aux crevés ''The Hollow Field'' () is a 1929 novel by the French writer Marcel Aymé. It tells the story of the rivalry between two farming villages, Cantagrel and Cessigney, which is triggered after a failed attempt at tobacco smuggling. An English translat ...

''. His second film, ''Forbidden Fruit'' (1952), based on a

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

novel, was even more acclaimed. Later he also directed other movie stars including

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), '' La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ...

, Alain Delon, Lino Ventura (all together acting for him in " Le clan des siciliens" in 1969),

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

("Le Corps de mon ennemi" in 1976 and other films), Omar Sharif,

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

( Mayrig),

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held stron ...

and Michèle Morgan. Verneuil has filmed almost all the great figures of French cinema, with the exception of

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

, as even

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

has a small role in one of his films. After the American experience (he was called the "most American of French directors"), in 1969 Verneuil "found" France. He was awarded a César in 1996 and he was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 2000. He died at

Bagnolet Bagnolet () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, a small part of the commune ...

, a suburb of Paris, in 2002. The opening of the seventh annual Golden Apricot International Film Festival in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

paid tribute to Verneuil. His son, television director Patrick Malakian, who reclaimed the name of his historical ancestors, received the posthumous award, the Parajanov's Thaler, for his father's contribution to cinema.

Filmography

* '' Pipe chien'' (1950) * '' On demande un bandit'' (1950) * '' Maldonne'' (1950) * '' La Légende de Terre-Blanche'' (1950) * '' L'Art d'être courtier'' (1950) * ''

Compositeurs et Chansons de Paris ''Compositeurs et Chansons de Paris'' is a French short film directed by Henri Verneuil in 1951. Synopsis Little known to the general public for the benefit of the performers, composers present a sample of their talent through several songs. ...

'' (1951) * ' (1951) (+ screenwriter) * '' Le Fruit défendu'' (1952) (+ screenwriter) * ' (1952) * '' Le Boulanger de Valorgue'' (1953) * '' Carnaval'' (Carnival) (1953) * '' L'Ennemi Public n°1'' (Public Enemy No. 1) (1953) * '' Le Mouton à cinq pattes'' (The Sheep Has Five Legs) (1954) (director + screenwriter) * '' Les Amants du Tage'' (1955) * '' People of No Importance'' (1956) (+ screenwriter) * '' Paris, Palace Hotel'' (1956) (+ screenwriter) *''

A Kiss for a Killer ''A Kiss for a Killer'' (French: ''Une manche et la belle'') is a 1957 French Drama (film and television), drama mystery film directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Henri Vidal, Mylène Demongeot and Isa Miranda. It is based on the 1954 novel ''T ...

'' (1957) (+ screenwriter) * '' Sois belle et tais-toi'' (1958) * ''

Maxime Maxime is a French given name that may refer to: As a name * Maxime Bernier (born 1963), former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs *Maxime Bôcher, American mathematician * Maxime Boyer, Canadian professional wrestler * Maxime Du Camp, French wri ...

'' (1958) (+ screenwriter) * ''

Le Grand chef ''Le Grand Chef'' () is a 2007 South Korean film starring Kim Kang-woo, Im Won-hee and Lee Ha-na. Produced by ShowEast and distributed by CJ Entertainment, it was released on November 1, 2007 with the length of 114 minutes. Based on the popular ma ...

'' (1959) * ''

La Vache et le Prisonnier ''La Vache et le Prisonnier'' (English version: ''"The Cow and I"'') is a French-Italian tragicomedy film from 1959, starring Fernandel and directed by Henri Verneuil, that is based on Jacques Antoine's 1945 novel, ''Une histoire vraie'' (''A Tru ...

'' (1959) (+ screenwriter), with

* ' (1960) * '' La Française et l'amour'' (1960) * '' Le Président'' (The President) (1961) (+ screenwriter), with

* '' Les Lions sont lâchés'' (1961) * '' Un singe en hiver'' (1962), with

and

* '' Mélodie en sous-sol'' (1963) (Any Number Can Win) (1964 Edgar Award, Best Foreign Film), with Alain Delon and

* '' Cent mille dollars au soleil'' (1964) (+ screenwriter), with

and Lino Ventura * '' Week-end à Zuydcoote'' (1964), with

* '' La Vingt-cinquième heure'' (The 25th Hour) (1967) (+ screenwriter), with

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

* '' La Bataille de San Sebastian'' (A wall for San Sebastian) (1968), with

and Charles Bronson * '' Le Clan des Siciliens'' (The Sicilian Clan) (1969) (+ screenwriter), starring Delon, Gabin and Ventura * '' Le Casse'' (1971) (+ screenwriter), with

and Omar Sharif * '' Le Serpent'' (Night Flight from Moscow) (1973) (+ screenwriter), with

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

and

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in th ...

* '' Peur sur la ville'' (1975) (+ screenwriter), with

* '' Le Corps de mon ennemi'' (1976) (+ screenwriter), with

* '' I comme Icare'' (I as in Icarus) (1979) (+ screenwriter), with

* ''

A Thousand Billion Dollars ''A Thousand Billion Dollars'' () is a 1982 French thriller film directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Patrick Dewaere. It tells the story of a young French journalist who discovers how an American company is using assassinations and other crimin ...

'' (1982) (+ screenwriter) * '' Les Morfalous'' (1984) (+ screenwriter), with

* '' Mayrig'' (Mother) (1992) (+ screenwriter) * ''

'' (1993) (+ screenwriter)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verneuil, Henri 1920 births 2002 deaths People from Tekirdağ Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to France 20th-century French engineers French film directors Edgar Award winners Parajanov Award winners César Honorary Award recipients Arts et Métiers ParisTech alumni