Gérard Oury

Gérard Oury (April 29, 1919 – July 20, 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. His real name was Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum.

A commercially successful French filmmaker

The son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist, and Marcelle Houry, a journalist, Oury studied at Lycée Janson de Sailly and at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art. He became a member of the Comédie-Française just one year before World War II, but fled to Switzerland to escape the anti-Jewish laws decreed by the Vichy government.

After 1945 he restarted his career as an actor, performing in the theatre and in supporting roles in the cinema. Oury became a movie director in 1959 (The Itchy Palm) and gained his first success in 1961 with Crime Does Not Pay (Le crime ne paie pas).

Joining André Bourvil and Louis de Funès as a comic duo, he burst into commercial filmmaking with 1965's The Sucker (Le corniaud). The film was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. The following year, Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (La Grande Vadrouille) was even more successful, attracting the largest audiences ever in France (17.27 million admissions). This box-office record stood for decades, only surpassed in 1997 by Titanic from James Cameron.

Oury shot the 1969 comedy Le Cerveau (The Brain) in English, starring David Niven in the lead role as a criminal mastermind.

Living together with the French actress Michèle Morgan, he was the father of French writer Danièle Thompson and grandfather of actor/writer Christopher Thompson. He died aged 87 in Saint-Tropez on 20 July 2006.

Selected filmography

Actor Year Title Role Director

1947 Antoine and Antoinette a customer Jacques Becker

1948 Du Guesclin Charles V of France Bernard Delatour

1949 La Belle que voilà Bruno Jean-Paul Le Chanois

1950 Mr. Peek-a-Boo Maurice Jean Boyer

1951 ...Sans laisser d'adresse a journalist Jean-Paul Le Chanois

1953 Sea Devils Napoleon Raoul Walsh

1953 The Sword and the Rose the Dauphin Ken Annakin

1953 The Heart of the Matter Yusef George More O'Ferrall

1954 They Who Dare Captain George Two Lewis Milestone

1954 Father Brown Inspector Dubois Robert Hamer

1955 The River Girl Enzo Cinti Mario Soldati

1956 House of Secrets Julius Pindar Guy Green

1958 Le Miroir à deux faces Doctor Bosc André Cayatte

1959 The Journey Teklel Hafouli Anatole Litvak

1963 The Prize Doctor Claude Marceau Mark Robson

1986 A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later cameo appearance Claude Lelouch Director Year Title Cast Notes

1962 Crime Does Not Pay Danielle Darrieux, Michèle Morgan, Edwige Feuillère, Gino Cervi, Gabriele Ferzetti, Annie Girardot, Pierre Brasseur, and others also credited as writer

1965 The Sucker starring Bourvil and Louis de Funès also credited as writer

1966 La Grande Vadrouille starring Bourvil, Louis de Funès and Terry-Thomas also credited as writer

1969 The Brain Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bourvil, David Niven, Eli Wallach and others also credited as writer

1971 Delusions of Grandeur starring Louis de Funès and Yves Montand also credited as writer

1973 The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob starring Louis de Funès also credited as writer

1980 The Umbrella Coup starring Pierre Richard also credited as writer

1982 The Ace of Aces/The Super Ace) starring Jean-Paul Belmondo also credited as writer

1999 Le schpountz with Smaïn, Sabine Azéma and others also credited as writer Writer only Year Title Cast Notes

1960 Come Dance with Me! starring Brigitte Bardot adaptation

1996 The Mirror Has Two Faces with Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan and others Remake of Le Miroir à deux faces (1958)