Patrice Leconte
About
Biography
Biography
A much-heralded French director, Patrice Leconte has been making feature films since 1975, although it was not until the late 80s and 90s that his work received international attention. His star rose considerably with the release of "Ridicule" (1996), the Oscar-nominated story of a small-time civil engineer who must learn the ins and outs of the court of Louis XVI in order to secure royal financing to drain a swamp. Ironically perhaps, it was one of the few of his 20-plus films that Leconte had not also written, but its cinematically style was all his: brisk and satiric, a soupcon of sentiment with a depth of subject matter that creeps up on the viewer.
Although Leconte attended IDHEC, France's most distinguished film school, he went to work as a writer, cartoonist and draftsman for the French humor magazine PILOTE. Leconte had made a few short films, but it was his work with comics that inspired his first motion picture, "Les Veces etaient fermes d' l'interieur" (1975). He honed his craft helming TV productions and commercials for a few years before being asked by the comedy troupe "Le Splendid" to direct a film which would star its members. The result, "Les Bronzes/ Sun Tan" (1978), was a sleeper hit and marked his initial collaboration with French comic actor and writer Michel Blanc. The inevitable sequel, "Les Bronzes font du ski" (1979) followed. In 1980, Leconte directed Blanc in "Viens chez moi, habite chez une copine/Come to My Place, I'm Living at My Girlfriends," which Blanc also wrote. Leconte and Blanc co-wrote the screenplay for "Les Specialistes" (1984).
Blanc played the title role in "Monsieur Hire" (1989), Leconte's first film to receive distribution in the USA which focused on an older man framed for murder by a younger woman. The director followed with the idiosyncratic "The Hairdresser's Husband" (1990), which featured a strong central performance by Anna Galiena. "Tango" (1993) remained in Leconte's familiar territory of exploring romance by focusing on an elegant womanizer who plots the murder of his long-suffering wife when she begins to philander as well. That same year, Leconte also wrote and directed "Yvonne's Perfume," about a man haunted by a 1958 romance. The prolific filmmaker also completed "Les Grands ducs" (1996), a comedy about a two-bit theater troupe traveling the French provinces.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Life Events
1970
Worked for magazine Pilote as writer and draftsman
1975
Directed and wrote first feature, "Les veces etaient fermes de l'interieurs"
1978
Scored first hit with "Les Bronzes/Sun Tan"; also marked first collaboration with actor Michel Blanc
1979
Had second hit film with sequel "Les Bronzes font du ski"
1982
Collborated with Blanc on "Ma femme s'appelle reviens/Singles"
1989
Had first US release with "Monsieur Hier", starring Blanc
1996
Won international acclaim with "Ridicule"; nominated for a 1997 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar
1999
Helmed "The Girl on the Bridge", teaming Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis
2000
Directed Juliette Binoche and Auteuil in "La Veuve de Saint Pierre/The Widow of St Pierre"
2001
Helmed "Felix et Lola"
2002
Directed the romance "Rue des Plaisirs"
2004
Directed the documentary "Dogora: Ouvrons les yeux"
2005
Helmed "Les Bronzes 3: Friends Forever," the sequel to the classic box-office hits Les Bronzes and Les Bronzes Font du Ski
2007
Co-wrote and directed "My Best Friend"
Family
