Louis Malle
(born Oct. 30, 1932, Thumeries, France — died Nov. 23, 1995, Beverly Hills, Calif., U.S.) French film director. He made his first feature film,
Frantic, in 1957. Malle gained commercial success with
The Lovers (1958), starring
Jeanne Moreau, and he became a leading figure in the French
New Wave. In
The Fire Within (1963),
Thief of Paris (1967),
Murmur of the Heart (1971), and
Lacombe, Lucien (1973), he achieved emotional realism and stylistic simplicity. In 1975 he moved to the U.S., where he directed films such as
Pretty Baby (1978),
Atlantic City (1980),
My Dinner with André (1981),
Au revoir les enfants (1987), and
Vanya on 42nd Street (1994).
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