About

Known credits:
98
Birthday:
1895-02-28
Place of birth:
Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Website:
Click here

Marcel Pagnol

Overview

Marcel Paul Pagnol (28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable than it once was, Pagnol is still generally regarded as one of France's greatest 20th-century writers and is notable for the fact that he excelled in almost every medium—memoir, novel, drama and film.

Pagnol was born on 28 February 1895 in Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône department, in southern France near Marseille, the eldest son of schoolteacher Joseph PagnolA and seamstress Augustine Lansot. Marcel Pagnol grew up in Marseille with his younger brothers Paul and René, and younger sister Germaine.

In July 1904, the family rented the Bastide Neuve, – a house in the sleepy Provençal village of La Treille – for the summer holidays, the first of many spent in the hilly countryside between Aubagne and Marseille. About the same time, Augustine's health, which had never been robust, began to noticeably decline and on 16 June 1910 she succumbed to a chest infection ("mal de poitrine") and died, aged 36. Joseph remarried in 1912.

In 1913, at the age of 18, Marcel passed his baccalaureate in philosophy and started studying literature at the University in Aix-en-Provence. When World War I broke out, he was called up into the infantry at Nice but in January 1915 he was discharged because of his poor constitution ("faiblesse de constitution"). On 2 March 1916, he married Simone Colin in Marseille and in November graduated in English. He became an English teacher, teaching in various local colleges and at a lycée in Marseille.

In 1922, he moved to Paris, where he taught English until 1927, when he decided instead to devote his life to playwriting. During this time, he belonged to a group of young writers, in collaboration with one of whom, Paul Nivoix, he wrote the play, Merchants of Glory, which was produced in 1924. This was followed, in 1928, by Topaze, a satire based on ambition. Exiled in Paris, he returned nostalgically to his Provençal roots, taking this as his setting for his play Marius, which later became the first of his works to be adapted into a film in 1931.

Separated from Simone Collin since 1926 (though not divorced until 1941), he formed a relationship with the young English dancer Kitty Murphy. Their son Jacques Pagnol was born on 24 September 1930. (Jacques later became his father's assistant and subsequently a cameraman for France 3 Marseille.)

In 1929, on a visit to London, Pagnol attended a screening of one of the first talking films and he was so impressed that he decided to devote his efforts to cinema. He contacted Paramount Picture studios and suggested adapting his play Marius for cinema. This was directed by Alexander Korda and released on 10 October 1931. It became one of the first successful French-language talking films. ...

Source: Article "Marcel Pagnol" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known for

Acting
2023 Les rois de la comédie Actor Lui-même (archives) 59
Average
2019 Les Trésors de Marcel Pagnol Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1968 Marcel Pagnol Actor Self N/A
N/A

Directing
1968 Le Curé de Cucugnan Directing Director 59
Average
1954 Letters from My Windmill Directing Director 59
Average
1953 Ugolin Directing Director 58
Average
1952 Manon of the Spring Directing Director 59
Average
1951 Topaze Directing Director 59
Average
1950 The Ways of Love Directing Director N/A
N/A
1948 The Pretty Miller Girl Directing Director 59
Average
1941 La Prière aux étoiles Directing Director N/A
N/A
1940 The Well-Digger's Daughter Directing Director 59
Average
1938 The Baker's Wife Directing Director 60
Fair
1938 Heartbeat Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Harvest Directing Director 59
Average
1936 Topaze Directing Director 59
Average
1936 César Directing Director 60
Fair
1935 Cigalon Directing Director 59
Average
1935 Merlusse Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Angele Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Jofroi Directing Director 59
Average
1933 Mr Poirier's Son-in-Law Directing Director 59
Average

Writing
2025 The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol Writing Novel N/A
N/A
2022 The Time of Secrets Writing Novel 59
Average
2013 Fanny Writing Theatre Play 60
Fair
2013 Marius Writing Theatre Play 60
Fair
2011 The Well Digger's Daughter Writing Novel 61
Fair
2011 Jules et Marcel Writing Author N/A
N/A
2008 Fanny Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2007 The Time of Love Writing Novel 58
Average
2007 The Time of Secrets Writing Novel 58
Average
2001 Ohnsorg Theater - Der goldene Anker Writing Writer N/A
N/A
2000 La Trilogie marseillaise Writing Writer 70
Good
1999 La femme du boulanger Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1990 My Mother's Castle Writing Novel 63
Fair
1990 My Father's Glory Writing Novel 64
Fair
1986 Manon of the Spring Writing Novel 67
Fair
1986 Jean de Florette Writing Novel 68
Fair
1977 Fanny Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1977 Marius Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1977 César Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1975 Nagham Fi Hayaty Writing Story N/A
N/A
1967 Pekař a kočka Writing Theatre Play N/A
N/A
1965 Al-modeer Al-Fanni Writing Original Concept 59
Average
1963 Topaze Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1961 Fanny Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1961 Mr. Topaze Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1958 Fanny Writing Book N/A
N/A
1953 Carnival Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1953 Ugolin Writing Dialogue 58
Average
1953 Ugolin Writing Writer 58
Average
1952 Manon of the Spring Writing Writer 59
Average
1952 Manon of the Spring Writing Dialogue 59
Average
1951 Topaze Writing Writer 59
Average
1951 Topaze Writing Scenario Writer 59
Average
1950 The Prize Writing Writer 59
Average
1949 Flirtation in Spring Writing Theatre Play N/A
N/A
1948 The Pretty Miller Girl Writing Writer 59
Average
1945 Naïs Writing Writer 59
Average
1941 La Prière aux étoiles Writing Scenario Writer N/A
N/A
1941 La Prière aux étoiles Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1940 The Well-Digger's Daughter Writing Writer 59
Average
1938 The Baker's Wife Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1938 Port of Seven Seas Writing Novel N/A
N/A
1938 Heartbeat Writing Writer 59
Average
1936 César Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1936 Topaze Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1935 Cigalon Writing Writer 59
Average
1935 Merlusse Writing Writer 59
Average
1934 Tartarin of Tarascon Writing Scenario Writer 59
Average
1934 Angele Writing Writer 59
Average
1934 ياقوت Writing Story 59
Average
1934 Der schwarze Walfisch Writing Theatre Play N/A
N/A
1934 Jofroi Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1933 L'Agonie des aigles Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1933 L'Agonie des aigles Writing Dialogue 59
Average
1933 Topaze Writing Theatre Play 59
Average
1933 Direct au coeur Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1933 Direct au coeur Writing Theatre Play N/A
N/A
1933 Topaze Writing Writer 59
Average
1933 Mr Poirier's Son-in-Law Writing Writer 59
Average
1932 Fanny Writing Theatre Play 60
Fair
1932 Fanny Writing Screenplay 60
Fair
1931 Longing for the Sea Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1931 Marius Writing Theatre Play 60
Fair
1931 Marius Writing Screenplay 60
Fair

Production
1953 Carnival Production Producer 59
Average
1953 Ugolin Production Producer 58
Average
1952 Manon of the Spring Production Producer 59
Average
1950 L'île de lumière Production Co-Producer N/A
N/A
1949 Chansons de Marseille Production Co-Producer N/A
N/A
1938 The Baker's Wife Production Producer 60
Fair
1937 Harvest Production Producer 59
Average
1935 Toni Production Producer 60
Fair
1935 Marseille Production Producer 59
Average
1934 Tartarin of Tarascon Production Producer 59
Average
1932 Fanny Production Producer 60
Fair
1931 Marius Production Producer 60
Fair