Jean-Pierre Jeunet Biography
Born: September 03, 1953
Date of Birth: September 3, 1953
Starting his filmmaking career creating ads, music videos and shorts, internationally acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Jeunet was born in Roanne, France. The self-taught director, a passionate follower of comics and cartoons, was inspired by the works of Tex Avery, Marcel Carné and Jacques Prévert.
Jeunet started working on animated shorts with fellow director/writer Marc Caro. The two continued a partnership lasting over 15 years and produced such shorts as L'Evasion (1978), Le Manège (1980 and Pas de repos pour Billy Brakko (1984), all of which earned numerous awards from around the world.
In 1991 he and Caro released his feature film directorial and writing debut, the comedy, Delicatessen, which became an international art film sensation, and put Jeunet on the map. The film received multiple awards including the European Cinema Award and several César Awards (Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design).
Jeunet continued his success with the superbly dark and poetic critically-acclaimed film La Cité des Enfants Perdus (The City of Lost Children), nominated for Best Foreign Film by the Independent Spirit Awards.
During the mid-'90s, Jeunet crossed the pond to direct his first American film, Alien Resurrection (1997). Opening to mixed reviews from critics and fans, the film did not quite live up to its title promise for the series. With little to tempt Jeunet to stay in Hollywood, he returned to France to complete his next project, Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. Released in 2001 starring Audrey Tautou, the film, which follows the adventures of a imaginative waitress trying to secretly help others, was an international sensation breaking box office records in France and North America, and winning several North American and European Film awards.
His next film, A Very Long Engagement (2004), again starring Tautou, was nominated for two Oscars and won many awards, including five of 12 César nominations. His latest film, the comedy Micmacs (2010), has received three César nominations.
Jeunet is married to film editor Liza Sullivan.