1932-1984. French New Wave film director
whose gently comic films include Jules et Jim
1961 and La Nuit americaine/Day for Night
1973 (Academy Award). His prize-winning
(Cannes) The 400 Blows 1959 was the first in
a series of semi-autobiographical films. His
later work includes The Story of Adele H 1975
and The Last Metro 1980. He was influenced by
Alfred Hitchcock, and also drew on Surrealist
and comic traditions. He played one of the
leading roles in Steven Spielberg's Close
Encounters of a Third Kind 1977. His interest
in cinema led to a job as film critic for
Cahiers du Cinema during the 1950s before
embarking on his career as director.