04.22 pm, Monday November 23 2009

French filmmaker Claude Berri dies at 74

07:18 AEST Tue Jan 13 2009
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far
Claude Berri
French filmmaker Claude Berri has died in a Paris hospital where he was admitted on Saturday night.

French filmmaker and producer Claude Berri, whose works included the two-part saga on life in Provence Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, died Monday aged 74, his agent said.

A pillar of the French film industry who produced a string of successes including last year's surprise hit Bienvenue Chez les Ch'tis, Berri passed away in a Paris hospital, where he was admitted on Saturday night.

"Claude Berri left us this morning as a result of a stroke suffered Saturday night," his agency Moteur! said in a statement.

Berri, who won an Oscar for his 1963 short film Le Poulet, went on to direct the hit Provencal saga based on the novels of Marcel Pagnol, following in 1993 with a screen adaptation of Emile Zola's 19th-century novel Germinal.

Nicknamed the "godfather" of French film, Berri worked with generations of top French actors from Yves Montand to Gerard Depardieu and Emmanuelle Beart and was currently directing his 20th film, a comedy called Tresor.

He also produced a string of hit movies, from Roman Polanski's Oscar-winning film Tess, to the critically-acclaimed 2007 movie La Graine and Le Mulet (The Secret of the Grain).

Last year, he produced the record-breaking comedy Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, which takes aim at prejudices about the bleak post-industrial north of France.

The film became the highest-grossing home-grown film in French box-office history, clocking up more than 20 million entries, and is set to be remade in Hollywood under the title Welcome to the Sticks.

The father of three children, Berri was also a leading collector of abstract art, with his own gallery in Paris, and in later years served as head of France's main film archive, the Cinematheque.

Berri had suffered a stroke once before in 2006.

 
SHARE:
MESSENGER
FACEBOOK
MORE
Blog on Spaces
Add to delicious
Add to Digg
Share on MySpace
?
Share, bookmark, and save your favourite ninemsn articles and features.  Learn more.

Most popular

 Fed Square 'one of world's ugliest buildings'Melbourne's Federation Square has been labelled one of the world's biggest eyesores in a new list compiled by a popular travel website.
 Man learns father is Charles MansonA US man has revealed his anguish over learning that his father is serial killer Charles Manson.
 Rann used me to stroke his ego: barmaidThe married woman who says she had a sexual affair with South Australian Premier Mike Rann says the politician "used me to stroke his own ego".
 Grieving family urges Scientology probeFor three days leading up to soldier Edward McBride's suicide, his family say he was bombarded by telephone calls and texts from Church of Scientology members.
 Girlfriend lunged at me with glass: BirdGreg Bird's girlfriend, whom he has been convicted of glassing in the face, had been "lunging" at him with the glass before it smashed, the ex-NRL star says.
 Demi Moore photoshop: snapper hits backThe fashion photographer at the centre of a photoshopping row over a missing chunk of Demi Moore's hips has hit back at the actresses claims her thighs were not digitally altered.
 Girl, 15, puts rat poison in school waterUp to 30 people at a school in Brazil were rushed to hospital after a 15-year-old girl allegedly put rat poison in a staff room water tank.
 Rann denies sex claims, threatens lawsuitSouth Australian premier Mike Rann has come out fighting against allegations of sexual impropriety made against him by an alleged former lover.
 Rann denies having sex with ex-waitressSouth Australian Premier Mike Rann has denied having sex with a former Parliament House waitress.
 One dead as Miley Cyrus tour bus crashesThe driver of a Miley Cyrus tour bus has died and one passenger has been injured after the vehicle veered off the road and flipped over in Virginia.
ninemsn newsroom reader Wendy Kingston. (Nine News)Newsroom latest A quick hit of the top stories making news online today. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has tied the knot. (Getty)Bollywood bashIndian actress Shilpa Shetty marries in lavish ceremony. Michelle Chantelois says she had an affair with Mike Rann. (Seven Network)Sex claimsBarmaid says she got intimate with premier 'on parliament desk'. AAPWild Lily Lily Allen shocks Ray Martin with her plans for the future. ACASolo manHero from classic 80s TV ads tells of his latest adventures. Canadian woman Nathalie Blanchard's benefits were cut.Bikini bustWoman loses insurance benefits over Facebook photos.
advertisement
Top model mourned Fashion star found dead in apartment was full of creativity, friends say ... read more Movie monster Twilight sequel has highest-grossing opening day of all time ... read more Entourage death Miley Cyrus's driver killed, another injured after tour bus overturns ... read more Zoo bear attacks A man has been mauled after climbing a zoo wall and falling into a bear enclosure ... read more Snapper hits back The photographer at the centre of the Demi Moore photoshop scandal speaks out ... read more Ride from hell Commuters get trapped in a train carriage with an alleged killer and body ... read more Become a Nine News breaker Seen or heard something? Send tip-offs, images and video from your mobile or PC ... contact us
'My dad is Manson'US man's 12-year hunt for biological father ends with disturbing surprise
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete
Other ninemsn businesses: iSelect RateCity
© 1997-2009 ninemsn Pty Ltd - All rights reserved