Léo Joannon (21 August 1904 – 28 March 1969) was a French writer and film director. Born in Aix-en-Provence,[1] Joannon was originally a law student who became a novelist and journalist before entering the film industry in the 1920s as a cameraman.[2] He was married to the Vietnamese actress Foun-Sen.
Léo Joannon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 August 1904 France |
| Died | 28 March 1969 (aged 64) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1930–1967 |
Career
editJoannon first attracted international attention in early 1939 during the production of S.O.S. Mediterranean, when his attempts to include shots of a German naval ship docked in the port of Tangier created a diplomatic incident between the pre-World War II French and German governments. The film later won the Grand Prix du Cinema Français.[3]
Joannon is best known to international audiences as the director of the comedy film Atoll K (1951), which was the final motion picture starring the legendary comedic double act Laurel and Hardy. Among his other better-known films were Le Defroqué (1954) and Fort du Fou (Outpost in Indochina) (1962).[2]
Joannon died in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Selected filmography
edit- Five Anxious Days (1928)
- The Woman and the Puppet (1929)
- Durand Versus Durand (1931)
- The Voice of Happiness (1931)
- Suzanne (1932)
- 600,000 Francs a Month (1933)
- Excursion Train (1936)
- When Midnight Strikes (1936)
- Alert in the Mediterranean (1938)
- The Emigrant (1940)
- The White Truck (1943)
- Lucrèce (1943)
- The Ménard Collection (1944)
- Secret Documents (1945)
- Atoll K (1951)
- Le Defroque (1954)
- L'Homme aux clés d'or (1956)
- Fort du Fou (1962)
See also
edit- Amour de poche (1957)
References
editExternal links
edit- Léo Joannon at IMDb
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