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Marcel Camus (21 April 1912 – 13 January 1982) was a French film director. He is best known for Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus), which won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival[1] and the 1960 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.[2]
Marcel Camus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 April 1912 Chappes, France |
| Died | 13 January 1982 (aged 69) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1957–1982 |
| Spouse(s) | Marpessa Dawn (divorced) Lourdes de Oliveira |
| Children | 2 |
Camus was born in Chappes,[3] in the Ardennes département of France. He studied art and intended to become an art teacher. However, World War II interrupted his plans. He spent part of the war in a German prisoner-of-war camp.[4]
Prior to directing films, Camus assisted filmmakers in France, including Jacques Feyder, Luis Buñuel, and Jacques Becker.[5][6] He directed nearly a dozen films, including Orfeu Negro (also known as Black Orpheus), which won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival[1] and the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film[2]
In 1960, Camus made a second Brazilian-themed film, Os bandeirantes.[6] Twenty years after Orfeu Negro, Camus returned to Brazilian themes for what would prove to be his last film, Bahia (also known as Otalia da Bahia and Os pastores da noite), based on a novel by Brazilian novelist Jorge Amado.[7][8] These films, however, failed to recapture the success of Orfeu Negro. In 1970, Camus had a moderate success with a World War II comedy, Le Mur de l'Atlantique (The Atlantic Wall), starring the well-known French comedian Bourvil.[6] Camus ended his career working primarily in television.[6]
Camus married one of the stars of Orfeu Negro, Marpessa Dawn, but they divorced shortly thereafter. He then married another actress from Orfeu Negro, Lourdes de Oliveira.[9] Camus and de Oliveira have two children, including the writer Jean-Christophe Camus.[9][10]
Camus died in Paris and is buried there in Père Lachaise Cemetery.
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- Champions Juniors (1951) – writer
- Fugitive in Saigon (1957) – director
- Orfeu Negro (1959) - director
- The Pioneers (1961) - writer and director
- Bird of Paradise (1962) - co-writer and director
- Le Chant du monde (1965) - director
- Love in the Night (1968) - director
- Atlantic Wall (1970) - director
- The Bread Peddler (1973, TV miniseries) - director
- Bahia (1978) - writer and director
- Le Roi qui vient du sud (co-director: Heinz Schirk, 1979, TV miniseries) - director
- Mein Freund Winnetou (1980, TV miniseries) - director
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