Alain Corneau was a Cesar Award-winning French writer-director best
known for his multiple collaborations with French cinema superstars
Yves Montand,
Simone Signoret and Gérard Depardieu.
Born on August 7, 1943 in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret, Corneay trained as a
musician but switched his interest to film, becoming an assistant
director.
He was an assistant director on
Costa-Gavras's 1970 film
Das Geständnis (1970) ("The Confession"), which
co-starred Montand and Signoret. In 1974 he made the transition to the
director's chair, helming
Tödlicher Markt (1974),
a movie about drug dealers. His next policier starred Montand as a a
Dirty Harry-like dick in
Im tödlichen Kreis (1976)
(1976), which co-starred Montand's wife Signoret. He followed it up
with another crime drama starring Montand,
Lohn der Giganten (1977) (1977). Corneau
finished up his crime cycle with
Wahl der Waffen (1981)
(1981), which starred Montand, Depardieu and
Catherine Deneuve. The movie was
released in the United States as "Choice of Arms."
Shifting gears away from policiers, he directed the French Foreign
Legion drama 'Fort Saganne (1984)'
(1984). Set in 1911, the movie starred Depardieu and Deneuve. Depardieu
also headlined his lush costume drama _Tous les matins du monde (1991)- (1991), an international hit, for which Corneau won the Cesar
Award, the French equivalent of the Oscar, for direction.
At the age of 67, Alain Corneau died on August 30, 2010 in Paris from
cancer. His remains were interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
