DEMY, JACQUES

(1931-1990)

Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Jacques Demy got his start in film assisting director Georges Rouquier. He went on to direct his first short,Les sabotiers du Val de Loire(1955), shortly thereafter. He gained acclaim with his first feature film,Lola(1961), which was followed by the classicLa Baie des anges(1963), a rather dark film about compulsive gambling on the sunny French Riviera. Demy is most famous for his musicals, most notablyLes parapluies de Cherbourg(1964) andLes Demoi-selles de Rochefort(1967), both of which helped to launch the career of megastarCatherine Denueve.Les parapluies de Cherbourgwon the Golden Palm atCannesand thePrix Louis-Delluc. It was restored by his wife, the ground-breaking directorAgnès Varda. Demy's musicalUne chambre en ville(1982) also receivedCésarnominations for Best Director and Best Film.

Demy's other films includeThe Model Shop(1969),Peau d'ane(1970),The Pied Piper(1972),L'événement le plus important depuis que l'homme a marché sur la lune(1973),Lady Oscar(1979),Parking(1985), and the animated filmLa table tournante(1987), codirected with Paul Grimault. His last musical wasTrois places sur le 26(1988). Varda's filmsJacquot de Nantes(1991) andL'Univers de Jacques Demy(1995) are both about Demy.