Jacques-yves Cousteau
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Jacques Cousteau's name has become synonymous with underwater photography. He pioneered the development of waterproof cameras in the mid-1930s and continued to produce documentaries into the 90s.
The French-born Cousteau attended the Ecole Navale in Brest with the intention of becoming a Naval pilot. He served tours in Asia before an automobile accident ended his naval career. Cousteau began experimenting with underwater filming in the mid-1930s and following WWII he established the Group for Undersea Research. He won the CIDALC Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival for his short "Epaves/Wrecks." By 1950, he had refitted a WWII minesweeper as a floating oceanographic institute and rechristened the ship the 'Calypso'.
Cousteau and Louis Malle co-directed the 1956 feature documentary "Le mode du silence/The Silent World" which earned the Palme d'Or at Cannes and a Best Documentary Oscar. Subsequently, Cousteau won two more Academy Awards for 1959's short "The Golden Fish" and 1965's documentary "Le monde sans soleil/World Without Sun." He also co-directed and wrote the 1976 feature documentary "Le voyage au bout du monde/Voyage to the End of the World" (1976).
In 1954, the year he co-developed the first automatic deep-undersea photographic equipment, Cousteau made his American television debut on the January 17 episode of "Omnibus" (CBS). Ten years later, he began an affiliation with ABC and produced numerous award-winning specials under the umbrella title of "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau." In the mid-80s, Cousteau shifted allegiance to the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), for whom he continued to provide original programming until shortly before his death in June 1997.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Film Production - Main (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (Special)
Life Events
1935
Injured in automobile accident; abandoned plans to be a pilot
1936
Developed waterproof shield for motion picture camera; shoots first underwater film
1942
Began recording his explorations on film with an underwater camera of his own design
1945
Founded the Group for Undersea Research
1950
Christened oceanographic ship 'Calypso', a refitted WWII minesweeper
1954
First network telecast of a Cousteau undersea special on "Omnibus" (CBS) on January 17
1956
First feature film as co-director (with Louis Malle), "Le monde du silence/The Silent World"
1957
Named director of Oceanographic Museum in Monaco
1968
Began broadcasting series of specials "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" on ABC
1973
Founded the Cousteau Society
1982
First TBS show "Calypso Countdown: Rigging for the Amazon" aired
1996
Ship "Calypso" sank in Singapore harbor
Family
Companions
