Francis Veber
Francis Veber | |
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![]() Veber in 2012 | |
Born | Francis Paul Veber (1937-07-28) 28 July 1937 (age 87) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, producer; theater playwright |
Spouse | Francoise Veber |
Awards | Academy Award nominee, La cage aux folles César Award winner, Le dîner de cons, and four-time nominee Lumière Film Award winner, Le dîner de cons |
Francis Paul Veber (born 28 July 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, and playwright.[1] He has written and directed both French and American films. Nine French-language films with which he has been involved, as either writer or director or both, have been remade as English-language Hollywood films: Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire (as The Man with One Red Shoe), L'emmerdeur (as Buddy Buddy), La Cage aux Folles (as The Birdcage), Le Jouet (as The Toy), Les Compères (as Fathers' Day), La chèvre (as Pure Luck), Les Fugitifs (as Three Fugitives), Le dîner de cons (as Dinner for Schmucks) and La Doublure (as The Valet). He also wrote the screenplay for My Father the Hero, the 1994 American remake of the French-language film Mon père, ce héros.
Some of his screenplays started as theater plays (for instance, Le dîner de cons). This theatrical experience contributes to his films' tight structure, resulting in what has been called "marvels of economy".[2]
Many of his French comedies feature recurring types of characters, named François Pignon (a bungler) and François Perrin (a bully).
Biography
Veber was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine,[3] the son of a writer mother and Pierre-Gilles Veber, a screenwriter. Veber's father was Jewish and his mother was Armenian-Russian (Veber was baptized at birth).[4][5] His grand-uncle was writer Tristan Bernard.[6]
His parents were both authors: his father writer and journalist Pierre-Gilles Véber and his mother novelist Catherine Agadjanian, who wrote under the name Georgette Paul (1901-1990). He is the great-nephew of playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer Tristan Bernard, grandson of playwright Pierre Véber and nephew of screenwriter, director and hit songwriter Serge Veber. He is the uncle of Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian, young adult author of the Tara Duncan series. His son, Jean Véber, is also a screenwriter.
Filmography
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | Appelez-moi Mathilde | No | Yes | No |
1972 | Il était une fois un flic [fr] | No | Yes | No |
The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe | No | Yes | No | |
1973 | La Valise [fr] | No | Yes | No |
L'Emmerdeur | No | Yes | No | |
Le Magnifique | No | Yes | No | |
1974 | Fear Over the City | No | Yes | No |
The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe | No | Yes | No | |
1975 | Le Téléphone rose [fr] | No | Yes | No |
The French Detective | No | Yes | No | |
1976 | On aura tout vu | No | Yes | No |
The Toy | Yes | Yes | No | |
1978 | La Cage aux Folles | No | Yes | No |
1979 | Cause toujours... tu m'intéresses | No | Yes | No |
Coup de tête | No | Yes | No | |
1980 | La cage aux folles II | No | Yes | No |
Sunday Lovers | No | Yes | No | |
1981 | Buddy Buddy | No | Yes | No |
La Chèvre | Yes | Yes | No | |
1982 | Partners | No | Yes | Executive |
The Toy | No | Yes | No | |
1983 | Les Compères | Yes | Yes | Uncredited |
1985 | The Man with One Red Shoe | No | Yes | No |
Hold-Up | No | Yes | No | |
1986 | Les Fugitifs | Yes | No | No |
1989 | Three Fugitives | Yes | Yes | Executive |
1991 | Pure Luck | No | Yes | Executive |
1992 | Out on a Limb | Yes | Yes | No |
1994 | My Father the Hero | No | Yes | No |
1995 | Fantôme avec chauffeur [fr] | No | Yes | No |
1996 | The Birdcage | No | Yes | No |
Le Jaguar | Yes | Yes | No | |
1997 | Fathers' Day | No | Yes | Executive |
1998 | The Dinner Game | Yes | Yes | No |
2000 | The Closet | Yes | Yes | No |
2003 | Ruby & Quentin | Yes | Yes | No |
2006 | The Valet | Yes | Yes | Associate |
2008 | L'emmerdeur | Yes | Yes | No |
2010 | Dinner for Schmucks | No | No | Executive |
Honors
- He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur[7] on 21 September 1996,[8] and promoted to Officier (Officer) in 2008.[8]
- He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite in 2001.[9]
References
- ^ New York Times
- ^ Terry Keefe (2008-01-19). "Francis Veber: The Hollywood Interview". The Hollywood Interview. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007). 501 Movie Directors. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 402. ISBN 9781844035731. OCLC 1347156402.
- ^ Insdorf, Annette (1985-07-28). "French Films, American Style". The New York Times.
- ^ "Humour with a trademark French twist".
- ^ "INTERVIEW: The Cruel Comedy of Francis Veber's "The Dinner Game"". IndieWire. July 9, 1999. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "ORDRE DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR Décret du 3 avril 1996 portant promotion et nomination". JORF. 1996 (84): 5438. 1996-04-07. PREX9610753D. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ a b "Décret du 21 mars 2008 portant promotion et nomination". JORF. 2008 (71): 5024. 2008-03-23. PREX0804596D. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ "Décret du 14 mai 2001 portant promotion et nomination". JORF. 2001 (112): 7695. 2001-05-15. PREX0104833D. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
External links
- Francis Veber at IMDb
- Francis Veber at AllMovie
- v
- t
- e
- The Toy (1976)
- Knock on Wood (1981)
- Les Compères (1983)
- Les Fugitifs (1986)
- Three Fugitives (1989)
- Out on a Limb (1992)
- Le Jaguar (1996)
- The Dinner Game (1998)
- The Closet (2001)
- Ruby & Quentin (2003)
- The Valet (2006)
- L'emmerdeur (2008)
- Partners (1982)
- Pure Luck (1991)
- Films based on works by Francis Veber