Jean-Michel Cousteau (born 6 May 1938) is a French oceanographic explorer,

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

, educator and film producer. The first son of ocean explorer

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA ( self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...

, he is the father of

Fabien Cousteau Fabien Cousteau (born 2 October 1967) is an aquanaut, ocean conservationist, and documentary filmmaker. As the first grandson of Jacques Cousteau, Fabien spent his early years aboard his grandfather's ships Calypso and Alcyone, and learned how ...

and Céline Cousteau.

Life and career

Cousteau is the son of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and

Simone Melchior Simone Cousteau (née Melchior; 19 January 1919 – 1 December 1990) was a French explorer. She was the first woman scuba diver and aquanaut, and wife and business partner of undersea explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Although never visible in the ...

, who were business partners. Cousteau first dived with an

aqua-lung Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or "scuba") to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success. This class of equipment is now commonly referred to as a twin-hose diving regulator, or dem ...

in 1945 when he was seven years old. Although he went to school to study architecture, he joined his father's Cousteau Society, serving for twenty years as executive vice president before striking out on his own in 1993 to produce environmental films. Cousteau and his father disagreed on the management and policies of the Society. After Cousteau opened a resort on a

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...

island utilizing the family name, Jacques-Yves Cousteau filed a lawsuit against him in 1996. In June 1996, a court signed an injunction requiring him to add, with equal prominence in placement, his first name to the hotel. Jean-Michel then founded the Ocean Futures Society in 1999, a

marine conservation Marine conservation, also known as ocean conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas through planned management in order to prevent the over-exploitation of these marine resources. Marine conservation is i ...

and education organization. In 2003, Francesca Sorrenti and Marisha Shibuya of the SKe GROUP project, in partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, collaborated to produce ''Water Culture'', a

Trolley Books Trolley Books is an independent UK publisher, specialising in art and photography books. Areas covered by Trolley include social reportage, photojournalism/current affairs and contemporary art and architecture. Founded in September 2001 by Gigi ...

publication featuring a wide variety of photographer's water-related imagery and interviews with prominent world personalities on the problems facing our

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

. Cousteau is also Chairman of Green Cross France. Cousteau advocates for a world free of

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

, and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Cousteau is working on a documentary highlighting the epic and disastrous 2010 Gulf Oil Spill in which 11 workers were killed during an explosion of deepwater rig off the coast of Louisiana, United States. In 2012, he published the book ''My Father, The Captain: My Life with Jacques Cousteau''. Jean-Michel Cousteau is the President of Green Cross France & Territoires, a NGO proposing keys for actions towards a better environment for an unburdened future.

Film production and appearances

He has produced over 70 films. He appears in the 2003

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme ...

documentary film ''

Coral Reef Adventure ''Coral Reef Adventure'' is a documentary film released in 2003 to IMAX theaters. It was directed by Greg MacGillivray and narrated by Liam Neeson. Embarking on a 10-month expedition through the islands of the South Pacific, husband and wife u ...

''. He appeared on a documentary-type special feature, ''Case of the Sponge "Bob"'', on the DVD version of '' The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' (2004) in which he and Stephen Hillenburg talk about all of the real-life counterparts to the sea creatures seen in the cartoon series and movie. He did a similar feature for the DVD of the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

/ Pixar movie ''

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was wr ...

'': ''

Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau ''Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau'' (also simply referred to as ''Exploring the Reef'') is a live-action/CGI animated short documentary film included on the fullscreen version of disc 2 of the ''Finding Nemo'' 2-Disc Collector's Ed ...

''. In Disney's DVD release of ''

'', Cousteau makes an appearance interacting with the characters from the film, Marlin, Nemo and Dory, and touting the need for better pollution control, showing videos of polluted

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

. Jean-Michel Cousteau made a new documentary series ''Ocean Adventures'' released in 2006. Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, KQED and PBS are continuing production on the ''Ocean Adventures'' series for 2007 and 2008. In October 2006, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and an expedition team that includes his son Fabien and daughter Céline, began filming along the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

. Twenty years ago scientists predicted devastation and irreversible environmental damage here, and 25 years ago Jean-Michel Cousteau and his legendary father traveled with their teams the entire length of the Amazon to document, learn, and see for themselves. In 2006, Cousteau's documentary ''Voyage to Kure'' inspired then U.S. President George W. Bush to protect the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, making it—with its of ocean waters, islands, and

atolls An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gro ...

—one of the largest

Marine Protected Area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a con ...

s in the world.

Filmography

Unless noted otherwise, all are appearances as himself. * '' The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau'' (1968) (Associate Producer) ** "Search in the Deep" ** "Savage Worlds of the Coral Jungle" * ''

The Alan Thicke Show ''The Alan Thicke Show'' was a Canadian daytime talk show hosted by Alan Thicke. A replacement for '' The Alan Hamel Show'', which ran from 1976 to 1980, it aired on CTV between 1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Car ...

'' (17 October 1980) * '' Les Pièges de la mer'' aka Cries from the Deep (1982) (Delegate Producer) * '' Cousteau: Alaska: Outrage at Valdez'' (1989) (also Executive Producer & Director) *''

The Sacred Mirror of Kofun ''The Sacred Mirror of Kofun'' is a 1996 puzzle video game/ multimedia encyclopedia co-produced by Jean-Michel Cousteau with the cooperation of the National Center of Cinematography and the moving image and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance ...

'' (1996) (

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals ** Digital camera, which captures and stores digital ...

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...

encyclopedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

) * '' Stories of the Sea'' (1996) * ''

'' (2003) (short film featuring the ''

'' characters Marlin, Nemo and Dory) * ''MacGillivray Freeman's

'' (2003) * '' Hollywood's Magical Island: Catalina'' (2003) (also thanked by the Ocean Futures Society) * '' Deadly Sounds in the Silent World'' (2003) * ''

Sharks 3D Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a Chondrichthyes#Skeleton, cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified with ...

'' (2004) (Presenter) * '' Tout le monde en parle'' (10 April 2004) * '' The 100 Greatest Family Films'' (2005) (films about ocean) * '' Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures'' (2006—) (also Executive Producer) ** " America's Underwater Treasures" (two parts, 20 & 27 September 2006)

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Cec ...

** "

Shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s at Risk" (12 July 2006) (narrated by Pierce Brosnan) ** "The

Gray Whale The gray whale (''Eschrichtius robustus''), also known as the grey whale,Britannica Micro.: v. IV, p. 693. gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, or California gray whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and bre ...

Obstacle Course" (19 July 2006) (narrated by Pierce Brosnan) ** "Voyage to Kure" (two parts, 5 & 12 April 2006) (narrated by Pierce Brosnan) (ASIN B000CSUNL6) ** "Return to the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

" (two parts, 2 & 9 April 2008) (narrated by Delroy Lindo) ** " Sea Ghosts" (8 April 2009) (narrated by

Anne Heche Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...

) ** "Call of the

Killer Whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...

" (22 April 2009)( narrated by

Chris Noth Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–95), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...

; two parts, focusing on New Zealand, reintroducing Keiko of Free Willy fame to the wild, and Norway) * ''Slater Meets Her Hero Jean-Micheal Cousteau'' (2006) * ''Voxtours'': "Karibische Jungferninseln – Die British Virgin Islands" (19 August 2006) * '' Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean'' (2008) (Presenter) * ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing ...

'' (1 April 2008, 31 July 2008, 25 June 2010, 11 February 2011 and 4 August 2011, 11 September 2013) * ''

Wonders of the Sea 3D ''Wonders of the Sea 3D'' is a 2017 American documentary film co-directed by Jean-Michel Cousteau and narrated by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Background Schwarzenegger expressed the hope that the film would do for marine conservation what the film ''S ...

'' (21 December 2017)

References

External links

*
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures
at PBS.org
Ocean Futures

Public School Insights' interview with Jean-Michel Cousteau
posted 21 April 2009
Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures (TV Series 2006)
at imdb.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Cousteau, Jean-Michel 1938 births Living people French environmentalists French explorers French underwater divers Sustainability advocates Jean-Michel Sportspeople from Toulon Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur