Bertrand Tavernier

Bertrand Tavernier (25 April 1941 – 25 March 2021) was a French director, screenwriter, actor and producer.

Life and career

Tavernier was born in Lyon, France, the son of Geneviève (née Dumond) and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. He said his father's publishing of a wartime resistance journal and aid to anti-Nazi intellectuals shaped his moral outlook as an artist. According to Tavernier, his father believed that words were "as important and as lethal as bullets". Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker from the age of 13 or 14 years. He said that his cinematic influences included filmmakers John Ford, William Wellman, Jean Renoir, Jean Vigo and Jacques Becker. Tavernier was influenced by the 1968 general strike in France. He associated with the OCI between 1973 and 1975, and was particularly struck by the writing of Leon Trotsky. The first film director with whom he worked was Jean-Pierre Melville. Later, his first film (The Clockmaker, 1974) won the Prix Louis Delluc and the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize award at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.

His early work was dominated by mysteries, but his later work is characterized by a more overt social commentary, highlighting his left-wing views (Life and Nothing But, Capitaine Conan) and presenting a critical picture of contemporary French society (Ça commence aujourd'hui, Histoires de vies brisées : les double-peine de Lyon).

In 1986, his film Round Midnight won two César Awards (Best Original Music and Best Sound), the Best Film Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Music (Original Score) at the 1987 Academy Awards.

He won the BAFTA for best film in a language other than English in 1990 for Life and Nothing But and a total of four César Awards and was joint winner of another.

In 1995, his film L'Appât won the Golden Bear Award at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. Four years later, his film It All Starts Today won an Honourable Mention at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.

His film The Princess of Montpensier competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Tavernier was married to screenwriter Claudine (Colo) O'Hagan from 1965 to 1981. They had two children. Their son, Nils Tavernier (born 1 September 1965), works as both a director and actor. Their daughter, Tiffany Tavernier (born in 1967), is a novelist, screenwriter and assistant director.

Tavernier was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd International Film Festival of India in Goa for his outstanding achievements and work in the film industry. He died on 25 March 2021 at age 79, a month before on his 80th birthday.