FILM DIRECTOR

Jean-Pierre Melville

1917 - 1973

Photo of Jean-Pierre Melville

Icon of person Jean-Pierre Melville

Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (French: [ʒɑ̃ pjɛʁ mɛlvil]), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmakers to achieve commercial and critical success. His works include the crime dramas Bob le flambeur (1956), Le Doulos (1962), Le Samouraï (1967), and Le Cercle Rouge (1970), and the war films Le Silence de la mer (1949) and Army of Shadows (1969). Melville's subject matter and approach to film making was influenced by his service in the French Resistance during World War II, during which he adopted the nom de guerre (pseudonym) 'Melville' as a tribute to his favorite American author Herman Melville. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Jean-Pierre Melville is the 133rd most popular film director (down from 103rd in 2019), the 980th most popular biography from France (down from 800th in 2019) and the 18th most popular French Film Director.

Jean-Pierre Melville is most famous for his films, including Army of Shadows, Le Samourai, and Le Doulos.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Jean-Pierre Melville by language

Loading...

Among FILM DIRECTORS

Among film directors, Jean-Pierre Melville ranks 133 out of 2,041. Before him are Max Reinhardt, James Gunn, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, David Fincher, Jesús Franco, and Michael Cimino. After him are Jerzy Grotowski, George A. Romero, Peter Greenaway, Terrence Malick, Jonathan Demme, and Jiří Menzel.

Most Popular Film Directors in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1917, Jean-Pierre Melville ranks 46. Before him are Rochus Misch, Ko Arima, Algirdas Julien Greimas, Yukio Tsuda, Tove Ditlevsen, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. After him are Fernando Rey, Bourvil, George Gaynes, Sven Hassel, Chung Il-kwon, and Danielle Darrieux. Among people deceased in 1973, Jean-Pierre Melville ranks 46. Before him are Lon Chaney Jr., Amílcar Cabral, Maurice René Fréchet, Frank Costello, Luis Carrero Blanco, and Dickinson W. Richards. After him are Emmy Göring, Elsa Schiaparelli, A. S. Neill, François Cevert, Taha Hussein, and Howard H. Aiken.

Others Born in 1917

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1973

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In France

Among people born in France, Jean-Pierre Melville ranks 980 out of 6,770. Before him are Jeanne d'Évreux (1310), Joseph Babinski (1857), Pierre Mignard (1612), Charles François Dumouriez (1739), Geneviève Page (1927), and Philipp Spener (1635). After him are Theodore Beza (1519), Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1889), René Girard (1923), Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu (1766), Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien (1772), and Alain-René Lesage (1668).

Others born in France

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among FILM DIRECTORS In France

Among film directors born in France, Jean-Pierre Melville ranks 18. Before him are Robert Bresson (1901), René Clair (1898), Jacques Audiard (1952), Jacques Tati (1907), Claude Lelouch (1937), and René Clément (1913). After him are Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (1953), Marcel Carné (1906), Abel Gance (1889), Louis Malle (1932), and Jean Vigo (1905).

French born Film Directors

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous