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1-50 of 282
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Elegant, dark-haired Parisian Micheline Presle (billed in the U.S. as Micheline Prelle) was the daughter of a businessman whose surname was Chassagne. Taking acting classes as a teen, she was discovered by Georg Wilhelm Pabst and cast in Jeunes filles en détresse (1939) (portraying Jacqueline Presle, whose last name she chose as her own marquee name). Very early into her film career, she was awarded the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as the "most promising young actress" in French cinema.
While Micheline proceeded to make movies during the Occupation with such offerings as Four Flights to Love (1939) (dual role), La comédie du bonheur (1940), Foolish Husbands (1941), La nuit fantastique (1942), Twilight (1944), and Paris Frills (1945), she was regarded as an important young French star in the post-war years when she appeared in the classic films Angel and Sinner (1945) and, in particular, Devil in the Flesh (1947), both gaining her world-wide notice.
After a brief post-war marriage to Michel Lefort, Micheline's second marriage to US actor-turned-producer William Marshall in 1949 led her to attempt Hollywood pictures. Receiving a 20th Century-Fox contract, none of the those pictures, which included Under My Skin (1950), American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950) and Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951), the last one produced and directed by husband Marshall, captured the hearts of American audiences despite co-starring opposite Hollywood's top male superstars stars at the time -- John Garfield, Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn.
Divorced in 1954, Micheline never truly adjusted to the Hollywood way of life and returned quite willingly to Paris with her daughter, the future actress/director Tonie Marshall. She would, however, return briefly to the US in the early 1960s to appear in the Dee/Darin comedy fluff If a Man Answers (1962) and the spy drama The Prize (1963).
The supremely talented Micheline continued to reign supreme back in Europe and appeared frequently on the stage as well. Some of her post-Hollywood films (mid-1950's on) included House of Ricordi (1954), Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954) (as Madame de Pompadour), Her Bridal Night (1956), Demoniac (1957), Mistress of the World (1960), Imperial Venus (1962) (as Napoleon's Josephine), Dark Purpose (1964), The Nun (1966), King of Hearts (1966), Donkey Skin (1970), The Legend of Frenchie King (1971), A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973), A Young Emmanuelle (1976), Démons de midi (1979), Thieves After Dark (1983), Good Weather, But Stormy Late This Afternoon (1986), High Finance Woman (1990), Fanfan (1993), Les Misérables (1995) and Diary of a Seducer (1996).
Into the millennium, Micheline graced a large number of French films such as Le coeur à l'ouvrage (2000), Charmant garçon (2001), Le diable dans la boîte (1977), Transfixed (2001), France Boutique (2003) (directed by daughter Tonie), Grabuge! (2005), Plein sud (2009), Just Like Brothers (2012) and her last, an unbilled part in Sex, Love & Therapy (2014).
Nominated for a supporting actress Cesar Award for her role as in the Venice Film Festival winner I Want to Go Home (1989), Micheline received an honorary César Award in 2004.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Christian Marquand was born on 15 March 1927 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was an actor and director, known for Apocalypse Now (1979), The Longest Day (1962) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). He was married to Tina Aumont. He died on 22 November 2000 in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
The son of a sausage-maker, Michel Simon was conscripted into the Swiss Army at the start of World War I, but was thrown out through a combination of tuberculosis and general insubordination. He was variously a boxer, photographer, general handyman and right-wing anarchist, finally becoming a stage actor in Geneva in 1920. His reputation soon grew, and he moved to Paris in 1923, appearing in his first film in 1925 (the same year he played Boudu for the first time on stage). With the coming of sound, Simon became firmly established as one of France's outstanding character actors, doing unforgettable work for Jean Renoir (La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)), Jean Vigo (L'Atalante (1934)) and Marcel Carné (Port of Shadows (1938), Bizarre, Bizarre (1937)). In the 1950s he worked less frequently, partly thanks to an accident involving makeup dye that paralyzed part of his body and face. Despite this, he still managed to appear in films right up to his death in 1975.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Georges Poujouly was born on 20 January 1940 in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was an actor, known for Elevator to the Gallows (1958), Diabolique (1955) and Forbidden Games (1952). He died on 28 October 2000 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Antonin Artaud was born on 4 September 1896 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was an actor and writer, known for The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Lucrezia Borgia (1935) and Napoleon (1927). He died on 4 March 1948 in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, France.- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Although his name nowadays means very little except to animation buffs (and even they have to be pretty well informed), Wladyslaw Starewicz ranks alongside Walt Disney, as one of the great animation pioneers, and his career started nearly a decade before Disney's. He became an animator by accident - fascinated by insects, he bought a camera and attempted to film them, but they kept dying under the hot lights. Stop-motion animation provided an instant (if slow) solution, and Starewicz discovered that he had a natural talent for it. He subsequently made dozens of short films, mostly featuring his trademark stop-motion puppets, but also live action films (some blending live action and animation), moving to France after the Russian Revolution to continue his career. His longest and most ambitious film was the feature-length 'Tale of the Fox', which took ten years to plan and eighteen months to shoot. Starewicz' films were virtually one-man shows (writer/director/cameraman/designer/animator), though other important contributions (in front of and behind the camera) were made by his daughters.- Director
- Animation Department
- Producer
Émile Reynaud was a French inventor born in Montreuil, Paris to Brutus Reynaud, an engineer who moved to Paris from Le Puy-en-Velay in 1842, and Marie-Caroline Bellanger, a former schoolteacher who educated Émile at home and taught him drawing and painting techniques. By 1862 he started his own career as a photographer in Paris. When his father died, him and mother both left Paris for Le Puy-en-Velay. He was taught Latin, Greek, physics, chemistry, mechanics, and natural sciences by his uncle, a doctor in the area. After reading a series of 1876 articles about optical illusion devices, he created the praxinoscope (an animation device) out of a cookie box and patented it in 1877. He started production on the device in Paris and was a financial success. He perfected the praxinoscope and invented Théâtre Optique (Optical Theatre), an animated moving picture system, which is also notable for the first known use of film perforations, and patented it in 1888. Its first regular public screenings started on 28 October 1892 with his series of animated films called Pantomimes Lumineuses. In 1895 he created the photo-scénographe, a version of the théâtre optique that could take photographs, but it was overshadowed by the cinematograph of Auguste Lumière and Louis Lumière. Later, due to the success of other filmmakers the popularity of Reynaud's showings was reduced and they ended on 1 March 1900. He destroyed the théâtre optique during a fit of despair and years later he threw most of his films into the Siene. On 16 October 1902 he patented the stéréo-cinéma, a stereo camera that could take 3D film. He made several films with the camera, but was unable to find financial backing. During World War I he lived in hospitals and nursing homes before dying on 9 January 1918.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Charles Trenet was born on 18 May 1913 in Narbonne, Aude, France. He was a composer and actor, known for Skyfall (2012), Automata (2014) and Sea of Love (1989). He died on 19 February 2001 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Daniel Ceccaldi was born on 25 July 1927 in Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Bed & Board (1970), To Kill a Cop (1981) and Frou-Frou (1955). He died on 27 March 2003 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jean Rougerie was born on 9 March 1929 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was an actor and writer, known for A View to a Kill (1985), Les enquêtes Caméléon (1987) and The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak (1984). He died on 25 January 1998 in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
André Bazin was born on 8 April 1918 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France. He was an actor and writer, known for The Kreutzer Sonata (1956), Portrait d'Henri Goetz (1947) and Le film de Bazin (2017). He was married to Janine Bazin. He died on 11 November 1958 in Nogent-sur-Marne, Seine [now Val-de-Marne], France.- Guy Delorme was born on 23 May 1929 in Mary-sur-Marne, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was an actor, known for The Three Musketeers: Part I - The Queen's Diamonds (1961), Les corsaires (1966) and Vengeance of the Three Musketeers (1961). He died on 26 December 2005 in Bry-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Bleuette Bernon was born on 6 June 1878 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903), Bluebeard (1901) and Cinderella (1899). She died on 15 June 1937 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Eric Tavitian was born on 11 September 1976 in Paris, France. He was a producer, known for Barbarian (2022), Swallow (2019) and Fratricide (2005). He died on 14 April 2021 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Anne-Marie Coffinet was born on 16 May 1933 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Les Misérables (1972), Riff Raff Girls (1959) and La caméra explore le temps (1957). She was married to François Maistre. She died on 26 March 1984 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Hector Malot was born on 20 May 1830 in La Bouille, Seine-Inférieure [now Seine-Maritime], France. He was a writer, known for Ai no machi (1928), Sans famille (1914) and Sans famille (1925). He was married to Marthe Oudinot de la Faverie and Anna Dariès. He died on 17 July 1907 in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Seine [now Val-de-Marne], France.
- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Pioneering animator Emile Cohl was born Emile Eugène Jean Louis Courtet in Paris, France, in 1857. He began his career as a caricaturist, cartoonist and writer in his 20s, and in 1908 he was hired by the Gaumont film company as a writer. He soon also became a director, turning out comedies and fantasies, but animated films--which were just starting to come into their own--fascinated him and he began experimenting with them. He worked with line drawings, silhouettes and puppets, and in 1908 he turned out A Fantasy (1908), generally considered to be the first fully animated film (it consisted of 700 drawings of a character he created, "Fantoche", each separately photographed). He made more than 250 animated films between 1908 and 1923 for a variety of studios, including Eclair and Pathe.
Unfortunately, Cohl was financially ruined by the Great Depression of the early 1930s, and he died in poverty in France in 1938 after having caught pneumonia.- Costume Designer
- Director
- Actor
Thierry Mugler was born on 21 December 1948 in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. He was a costume designer and director, known for Mutant Action (1993), Z Chromozome (2012) and The Man Who Wasn't There (1987). He died on 23 January 2022 in Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, France.- Vanna Urbino was born on 18 March 1929 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. She was an actress, known for Jules and Jim (1962), La chatte (1958) and On ne triche pas avec la vie (1949). She died on 2 February 2023 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Polaire was born on 17 May 1874 in Agha, Alger, France. She was an actress, known for The Sparrow (1914), Le dernier pardon (1913) and Zouza (1911). She died on 14 October 1939 in Champigny-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Gaston Roudès was born on 24 March 1878 in Béziers, Hérault, France. He was a director and writer, known for Féliana l'espionne (1924), L'âme de Pierre (1929) and L'éveil (1924). He died on 5 November 1958 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Adrienne Servantie was born on 25 May 1907 in Tulle, France. She was an actress, known for My Uncle (1958), Three Murderesses (1959) and Enigme aux Folies-Bergère (1959). She died on 21 March 2000 in Bry-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Romanian-born, Paris-based avant-garde composer and conductor, a student of Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen. His "Étrange No. 3" and "Milieu No. 2" (for electric guitar, bongo, saxophone and French horns) were famously spliced together to create the iconic theme for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone (1959). The pieces were originally commissioned by CBS orchestrator Lud Gluskin in the late 1950's. They remained unused until the second season of the "Twilight Zone" when they were employed as a replacement for Bernard Herrmann's rather more subtle original theme, a combination of strings, harp, flute and brass (which CBS considered as 'too downbeat'). Since the company had acquired all rights to Constant's work, he received neither screen credit nor royalties. It was not until much later that he came to realize the amazing popular success of the pieces he had sold 'for a few hundred dollars' to the CBS Music Library.
Constant's other compositions include "24 Preludes for Orchestra" (1959), a Piano Concerto (1957), a "Symphony for Winds" (1978), ballets, jazz, and improvisational music. Also a noted conductor, he served as musical director for Roland Petit's Paris Ballet (1956-66) and the Paris Opera Ballet (1973-78). He was awarded the title of Commandeur Légion d'honneur and inducted into the Académie des beaux-arts in December 1992.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Georges Perec grew up with his uncle and aunt because his father and mother died during World War II. He stopped studying to become a writer. In 1965, he wrote his first book, Les Choses. In 1967, he became a OuLiPo member. Then he wrote La Disparition, a novel written without using the letter E (!) and Les Revenentes, a novel written without using the letters A, I, O, U (!!!) He adapted one of his novels, The Man Who Sleeps (1974) with Bernard Queysanne. He's regarded as one of the most important French writer of the 20th century.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Georges Guéret was born on 1 April 1925 in Paris, France. He was an actor and producer. He died on 21 May 2018 in Chevilly-Larue, Val-de-Marne, France.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Was a cafe concert entertainer before Charles Pathe noticed him during the Universal Exhibition, where Zecca had been assigned to Pathe's stand. After a few daysPathe asked Zecca if he would like to work in cinematography. Zecca immediately accepted the offer and rapidly became Pathe's right hand man and head of production.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Alexandre Rignault was born on 14 February 1901 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for Eyes Without a Face (1960), Liliom (1934) and A Man's Head (1933). He was married to Eugénie Gayet. He died on 31 March 1985 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
Jacques Penot was born in Strasbourg, Haut-Rhin, France. He is 20 when Robert Hossein discovers it. Jacques Penot was then a photographer for the magazine "Voile et voiliers". Robert Hossein decided to make him his hero at the theater in "Les Hauts de Hurlevent". Very quickly the press and the world of spectacle are racing. Jacques Penot becomes an inescapable actor. In 1983, he played under the direction of Robert Enrico in the film "Au nom de tous les miens" starring Michael York and Brigitte Fossey, based on Martin Gray's novel. The following year he was named the best male hopeful for the César. He then gave a reply to Annie Girardot, Claude Brasseur, Philippe Léotard and Bruno Crémer. In 1991, he met on the set of "Catorce Estaciones", the actress Geraldine Danon who became his companion for a few years. Television is also interested in him. He plays in the series "Sandra, princesse rebelle", "Les Cordier, juge et flic", or "Quai N ° 1". But Jacques Penot is fragile, and does not support celebrity. In 1999, he directed his last film at the "Fait d'hiver" film directed by Robert Enrico. He continued to shoot for television until 2004, when he decided to stop working as an actor to devote himself to painting and navigation. At that moment, he married Isabelle Bich, one of the children of Baron Bic, inventor of the famous black pen. The actor will share his time between Paris and Ibiza. Degraded by the premature death of his wife Isabelle Bich in 2014 and his great friend, ex-navigator Florence Arthaud, in 2015, he died of a heart attack on December 17, 2016, at the age of 57 years. However his death will be announced only a month later, by his ex-companion, Geraldine Danon.- Writer
- Director
Thomas Luntz was born on 7 July 1969 in Paris, France. Thomas was a writer and director, known for Thanatos salsa picante (2001), Candice Renoir (2013) and Duel au soleil (2014). Thomas died on 24 July 2021 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Cécile Magnet was born on 9 September 1958 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines, France. She was an actress, known for Joan of Arc, the Power and the Innocence (1989), Tom et Lola (1990) and Hôtel de police (1985). She died on 4 September 2021 in Cachan, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Writer
- Director
- Editor
André Malraux was born on 3 November 1901 in Paris, France. He was a writer and director, known for Days of Hope (1940), Piège pour une fille seule (1974) and Film socialisme (2010). He was married to Madeleine Lioux and Clara Goldsmidt. He died on 23 November 1976 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Roland Blanche was born on 31 December 1943 in Choisy-le-Roi, Val-de-Marne, France. He was an actor, known for La Femme Nikita (1990), Jeniec Europy (1989) and Too Beautiful for You (1989). He died on 13 September 1999 in Thiais, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Marcel Hanoun was born on 26 October 1929 in Tunis, Tunisia. He was a director and writer, known for L'été (1968), L'hiver (1969) and Une simple histoire (1959). He died on 29 September 2012 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Pierre Repp was born on 5 November 1909 in Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, Pas-de-Calais, France. He was an actor, known for The 400 Blows (1959), M'sieur la Caille (1955) and Cartouche (1962). He was married to Ferdinande Bouclet. He died on 1 November 1986 in Le Plessis-Trévise, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jean-Pierre Darras was born on 26 November 1927 in Paris, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Le braconnier de Dieu (1983), Les fourberies de Scapin (1981) and The bourgeois gentleman (1982). He was married to Corinne Lahaye and Catherine Bauche. He died on 5 July 1999 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Script and Continuity Department
- Actress
- Writer
Laurence Lemaire was born on 23 March 1954 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. She was an actress and writer, known for Le Dîner de Cons (1998), Arsène Lupin (2004) and He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2002). She died on 28 August 2016 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Sylvain Joubert was born on 24 July 1944 in Saint-Philibert-de-Grand-Lieu, Loire-Atlantique, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Rioda (1981), Le cascadeur (1994) and Commissaire Moulin (1976). He was married to Anne-Marie Besse. He died on 7 February 2000 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle was born on 10 May 1760 in Lons-le-Saunier, Jura, France. Claude Joseph is known for Allied (2016), The Words (2012) and Stalker (1979). Claude Joseph died on 26 June 1836 in Choisy-le-Roi, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Patrick Aurignac was born on 13 January 1965 in Maisons-Laffitte, Yvelines, France. He was an actor and director, known for Mémoires d'un jeune con (1996), Six Days, Six Nights (1994) and Sale comme un ange (1991). He died on 17 May 1997 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Harry-Max was born on 23 November 1901 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for La belle et son fantôme (1962), Stolen Kisses (1968) and Hibernatus (1969). He died on 13 March 1979 in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, France.- Editor
- Director
- Sound Department
Jean Mamy was born on 8 July 1902 in Chambéry, Savoie, France. He was an editor and director, known for Le client du numéro 16 (1933), L'empreinte sanglante (1934) and Deux blondes (1934). He died on 29 March 1949 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Pierre Miquel was born on 22 January 1937 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was an actor, known for Z (1969), Auntie Danielle (1990) and Tout feu tout flamme (1982). He died on 21 February 2003 in Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, France.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Armand Gatti was born on 25 January 1924 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He was a writer and director, known for L'enclos (1961), The Other Christopher (1963) and The Writing on the Wall (1983). He died on 6 April 2017 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Richard Balducci was born on 10 February 1922 in Paris, France. He was a writer and director. He was married to ??? and Gisèle Sandré. He died on 8 December 2015 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.- Yvette Dolvia was born on 23 June 1922 in Grenoble, Isère, France. She was an actress, known for La patronne (1950), Branquignol (1949) and La gueule de l'emploi (1974). She was married to Gérard Calvi. She died on 18 February 2014 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pascal Jardin was born on 14 May 1934 in Paris, France. He was a writer and assistant director, known for The Old Gun (1975), The Widow Couderc (1971) and Hécate (1982). He died on 30 July 1980 in Villejuif, Val-de-Marne, France.- Jacqueline Delubac was born on 27 May 1907 in Lyon, Rhône, France. She was an actress, known for Let's Make a Dream (1936), The Pearls of the Crown (1937) and The New Testament (1936). She was married to Myran Eknayan and Sacha Guitry. She died on 14 October 1997 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Born in Auvergnac, France, on June 28, 1883, Pierre Laval graduated college with a law degree and went into business. He was elected to the French parliament as a Socialist in 1903, and when war broke out in 1914 he enlisted in the French army. The war had apparently changed his political beliefs, however, as after the war he was re-elected to the French Chamber of Deputies but this time as a hardline right-wing conservative. He was at one point the French foreign minister and was prime minister twice, from 1931 to 1932 and from 1935 to 1936. As prime minister in 1935, he and the British foreign secretary worked out an agreement to try to end the crisis begun by Italy's invasion of Ethiopia. However, when details of the pact, which gave Italy almost everything it wanted and gave Ethiopia virtually nothing, were leaked to the press, the resulting public outrage resulted in both men resigning their posts.
Laval left government service and began to amass a fortune as a media mogul, controlling newspapers, magazines, publishing companies and radio stations (although in interviews he often referred to himself as "just a poor peasant from Auvergnac", in reality he was a multi-millionaire and had been for quite a while). When the German army attacked and occupied France in 1940, Laval used all the influence at his disposal to support aging and somewhat senile World War I hero Philippe Pétain as head of the French collaborationist government, which was based in the town of Vichy and was tasked by the Germans with ruling that part of France not occupied by the German army, although the Germans had final say over the Vichy government's actions and policies. Not only was Laval instrumental in installing Pétain as head of the Vichy government, but he used his money and influence to persuade the National Assembly to give the old general absolute power. Two days after Pétain was granted those powers, Laval--who had long been suspect in France as a Nazi sympathizer--was named head of the government and first in line as Pétain's legal successor, and soon afterward he met with Adolf Hitler, proposing that the two governments should work together even more closely than they were. He later met with Nazi Air Force commander Hermann Göring and proposed a military alliance between the two countries. Laval's actions soon became too much for even many Vichy collaborationists to stomach, and in December of 1940 Pétain was persuaded to order Laval's firing and arrest. However, the Nazis speedily sent German troops to rescue him and Laval was rushed to Paris under German protection. Even that, however, didn't stop a young French student from pumping four bullets into Laval during an assassination attempt. Although gravely wounded, he eventually recovered, and Pétain, under heavy pressure from the Germans, re-installed Laval as head of the Vichy government.
Back in power and firmly under the protection of the German occupation authorities, Laval began a program of "cleansing" France of Jews, and ordered French police to round up all the Jews without French citizenship they could find and turn them over to the German authorities. He also came up with a program--widely hated in France--in 1942 that sent skilled French laborers such as carpenters, machinists, etc., to Germany in exchange for German repatriation of French POWs captured in the 1940 invasion. He also granted the Nazi Gestapo--the dreaded secret police--the authority to hunt down French resistance fighters in occupied France and, in addition, ordered his own Vichy police to help them. To that end he created the Milice, a police agency charged with hunting down and capturing Jews without French citizenship and "leftist" activists and deporting them to Nazi Germany. The Milice eventually grew to more than 30,000 men and gained a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness that alienated even many Vichy supporters.
The Vichy government's fortunes, along with Laval's, changed drastically after the June 1944 invasion of Europe by Allied armies. In May 1945 Laval saw the writing on the wall and fled to Spain. He was caught by Spanish authorities, who interned him in Barcelona and on July 30th turned him over to the new French government of Gen. Charles de Gaulle.
Tried for treason, aiding the enemy, violating state security and a host of other crimes, Laval was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad in a prison yard in Paris on October 15, 1945. - Paul Belmondo was born on 8 August 1898 in Algiers, Alger, France [now Algeria]. He was an actor, known for La sculpture et les sculpteurs (1951) and Samedi soir (1971). He was married to Sarah Madeleine Rainaud-Richard. He died on 1 January 1982 in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, France.
- Denise Péron was born on 12 February 1925 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, France. She was an actress, known for Love and Death (1975), The Swashbuckler (1971) and The Middle of the World (1974). She died on 19 July 1996 in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France.