Francis Paul Veber (born 28 July 1937) is a French

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and producer, and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. He has written and directed both French and American films. Nine French-language films with which he has been involved, as either writer or director or both, have been remade as English-language

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

films: '' Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire'' (as '' The Man with One Red Shoe''), ''

L'emmerdeur ''L'emmerdeur'' (literally ''The Troublemaker'', with the English title of ''A Pain in the Ass'', often promoted as ''A Pain in the A__'') is a 1973 French-Italian black comedy film starring Jacques Brel, appearing in his tenth and final feature ...

'' (as ''

Buddy Buddy ''Buddy Buddy'' is a 1981 American comedy film based on Francis Veber's play ''Le contrat'' and Édouard Molinaro's film '' L'emmerdeur''. It was the final film directed and written by Billy Wilder. Plot Hitman Trabucco eliminates two witnesses a ...

''), '' La Cage aux Folles'' (as '' The Birdcage''), '' Le Jouet'' (as '' The Toy''), '' Les Compères'' (as '' Fathers' Day''), ''

La chèvre ''La Chèvre'' (English title: ''Knock on Wood'', literal translation: ''The She-goat'') is a 1981 French buddy cop comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber, starring Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu. It is the first of three films fea ...

'' (as ''

Pure Luck ''Pure Luck'' is a 1991 American comedy film starring Martin Short and Danny Glover. It is a remake of the popular French comedy film '' La Chèvre'' (1981). Plot The film opens as the klutzy Valerie Highsmith arrives at an airport in Puerto V ...

''), ''

Les Fugitifs ''Les Fugitifs'' is a French 1986 comedy film, directed by Francis Veber. It was remade in 1989 as ''Three Fugitives,'' also directed by Veber. Plot After serving a five-year sentence for 14 bank robberies, Jean Lucas (Depardieu) is released fr ...

'' (as '' Three Fugitives''), ''

Le dîner de cons ''Le Dîner de Cons'' () is a French comedy play by Francis Veber. Story Pierre Brochant, a Parisian publisher, attends a weekly "idiots' dinner", where guests, who are prominent Parisian businessmen, must bring along an "idiot" whom the other ...

'' (as '' Dinner for Schmucks'') and ''

La Doublure ''The Valet'' (french: La Doublure, lit=The Stand-In) is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber and starring Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film is about a parking valet who is enlist ...

'' (as '' The Valet''). He also wrote the screenplay for '' My Father the Hero'', the 1994 American remake of the French-language film ''

Mon père, ce héros ''My Father the Hero'' (original French title: '' Mon père, ce héros'') is a 1991 French film directed by Gérard Lauzier and starring Gérard Depardieu. An English language remake of the movie was made in 1994 with Gérard Depardieu reprisi ...

''. Some of his screenplays started as theater plays (for instance, ''

''). This theatrical experience contributes to his films' tight structure, resulting in what has been called "marvels of economy". Many of his French comedies feature recurring types of characters, named François Pignon (a bungler) and François Perrin (a bully).

Biography

Veber was born in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a Departments of France, département in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, Northern France. It covers Paris's western inner Banlieue, suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the e ...

, the son of a writer mother and Pierre-Gilles Veber, a screenwriter. Veber's father was Jewish and his mother was Armenian-Russian (Veber was baptized at birth). His grand-uncle was writer Tristan Bernard. His parents were both authors: his father writer and journalist Pierre-Gilles Véber and his mother novelist Catherine Agadjanian, who wrote under the name Georgette Paul (1901-1990). He is the great-nephew of playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer Tristan Bernard, grandson of playwright Pierre Véber and nephew of screenwriter, director and hit songwriter

Serge Veber Serge may refer to: *Serge (fabric), a type of twill fabric *Serge (llama) (born 2005), a llama in the Cirque Franco-Italien and internet meme *Serge (name), a masculine given name (includes a list of people with this name) *Serge (post), a hitchi ...

. He is the uncle of Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian, young adult author of the Tara Duncan series. His son, Jean Véber, is also a screenwriter.

Filmography

As director

*1976 : '' Le Jouet'' (The Toy), starring Pierre Richard, Michel Bouquet,

Fabrice Greco Fabrice is a French masculine given name from the Roman name ''Fabricius'', which is itself derived from the Latin ''faber'' meaning blacksmith or craftsman. Notable people with the name include: * Fabrice Balanche (born 1969), French geographer * ...

*1981 : ''

La Chèvre ''La Chèvre'' (English title: ''Knock on Wood'', literal translation: ''The She-goat'') is a 1981 French buddy cop comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber, starring Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu. It is the first of three films fea ...

'' (Knock on Wood), starring Pierre Richard,

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

*1983 : '' Les Compères'' (ComDads), starring Pierre Richard,

*1986 : ''

'', starring Pierre Richard,

*1989 : '' Three Fugitives'', starring Nick Nolte,

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada. He ...

*1992 : '' Out on a Limb'', starring Matthew Broderick, Jeffrey Jones *1996 : ''

Le Jaguar ''Le Jaguar'' is a 1996 French film directed by Francis Veber starring Jean Reno, Patrick Bruel, Harrison Lowe, and Patricia Velásquez. A shaman from the South American rain forest visits Paris for a public relations campaign along with a Fre ...

'', starring Jean Reno,

Patrick Bruel Patrick Benguigui (; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (), is a French singer-songwriter, actor and professional poker player. Biography Early life Patrick is the son of Pierre Benguigui and Augusta Kammoun, d ...

*1998 : ''

Le Dîner de Cons ''Le Dîner de Cons'' () is a French comedy play by Francis Veber. Story Pierre Brochant, a Parisian publisher, attends a weekly "idiots' dinner", where guests, who are prominent Parisian businessmen, must bring along an "idiot" whom the other ...

'' (The Dinner Game), starring Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret *2000 : ''

Le placard ''The Closet'' (french: Le placard) is a 2001 French comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber. It is about a man who pretends to be homosexual to keep his job, with absurd and unexpected consequences. Plot François Pignon, an unassuming ...

'' (The Closet), starring Daniel Auteuil,

*2003 : ''

Tais-toi ! ''Ruby & Quentin'' (French: ''Tais-toi !'' (, ''Shut up!'') is a 2003 French comedy-crime caper film, directed by Francis Veber. Cast * Jean Reno as Ruby * Gérard Depardieu as Quentin * Richard Berry as Vernet * André Dussollier as The psych ...

'', starring Jean Reno,

*2006 : ''

'' (The Valet), starring Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil, Dany Boon, Virginie Ledoyen,

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Award and Laurence Olivier Award, Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best ...

*2008 : ''

'' (A Pain in the Ass), starring Richard Berry, Patrick Timsit, Virginie Ledoyen

As screenwriter

*1969 : '' Appelez-moi Mathilde'', directed by

Pierre Mondy Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

*1972 : ', directed by Georges Lautner *1972 : '' Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire'', directed by Yves Robert *1973 : ', directed by Georges Lautner *1973 : ''

L'Emmerdeur ''L'emmerdeur'' (literally ''The Troublemaker'', with the English title of ''A Pain in the Ass'', often promoted as ''A Pain in the A__'') is a 1973 French-Italian black comedy film starring Jacques Brel, appearing in his tenth and final feature ...

'', directed by Édouard Molinaro *1973 : '' Le Magnifique'', directed by Philippe de Broca *1974 : '' Peur sur la ville'', directed by Henri Verneuil *1974 : '' Le retour du grand blond'', directed by Yves Robert *1975 : ', directed by Édouard Molinaro *1975 : '' Adieu poulet'', directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre *1976 : ''

On aura tout vu ''On aura tout vu'' is a French comedy film directed by Georges Lautner and released in 1976. Plot François Perrin (Pierre Richard), a photographer desirous to get into filming, wrote with his friend Henri, a script titled ''Le miroir de l'â ...

'', directed by Georges Lautner *1976 : '' Le Jouet'' *1978 : '' La Cage aux Folles'', directed by Édouard Molinaro *1979 : '' Cause toujours... tu m'intéresses'', directed by Édouard Molinaro *1979 : '' Coup de tête'', directed by

Jean-Jacques Annaud Jean-Jacques Annaud (; born 1 October 1943) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for directing ''Quest for Fire'' (1981), ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), '' The Bear'' (1988), '' The Lover'' (1992), '' Seven Years in ...

*1980 : '' La cage aux folles II'', directed by Édouard Molinaro *1980 : '' Sunday Lovers / Les séducteurs'', directed by Bryan Forbes, Gene Wilder, Dino Risi and Édouard Molinaro *1981 : ''

'', directed by Billy Wilder *1981 : ''

'' *1982 : ''

Partners Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

'', directed by

James Burrows James Edward Burrows (born December 30, 1940), sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director who has been working in television since the 1970s.Stated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' Burrows has direct ...

*1982 : '' The Toy'', directed by Richard Donner *1983 : '' Les Compères'' *1985 : '' The Man with One Red Shoe'', directed by Stan Dragoti *1985 : '' Hold-Up'', directed by Alexandre Arcady *1986 : ''

'' *1989 : '' Three Fugitives'' *1991 : ''

'', directed by

Nadia Tass Nadia Tass is an Australian theatre director and film director and producer. She is known for the films ''Malcolm'' (1986) and '' The Big Steal'' (1990), as well as an extensive body of work in the theatre, both in Australia and internationa ...

*1994 : '' My Father the Hero'', directed by

Steve Miner Stephen C. Miner (born June 18, 1951) is an American director of film and television, film producer, and a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is notable for his work in the horror genre, including ''Friday the 13th Part ...

*1995 : ', directed by

Gérard Oury Gérard Oury (born Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum; 29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. Life and career Max-Gérard Houry-Tannenbaum was the only son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist of Russian-Jewish orig ...

*1996 : '' The Birdcage'', directed by Mike Nichols *1996 : ''

'' *1997 : '' Fathers' Day'', directed by Ivan Reitman *1997 : ''

'' *1998 : '' Dead Letter Office'', directed by

John Ruane John Vincent Ruane (October 4, 1936 – September 3, 2006) was an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. Ruane began his career in 1957, competing on the New York State racing circuit where he rode for noted U.S. Racing Hall of Fame ...

*2000 : ''

'' *2002 : ''

'' *2006 : ''

La doublure ''The Valet'' (french: La Doublure, lit=The Stand-In) is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber and starring Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film is about a parking valet who is enlist ...

'' *2008 : ''

As producer

*1982 : ''

'', directed by

*1989 : '' Three Fugitives'' *1991 : ''

'', directed by

*1997 : '' Fathers' Day'', directed by Ivan Reitman *2006 : '' The Valet'' *2010 : '' Dinner for Schmucks''

Honors

* He was made ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur on 21 September 1996, and promoted to ''Officier'' (Officer) in 2008. * He was made ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite in 2001.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veber, Francis 1937 births Living people Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite French people of Armenian descent French people of Jewish descent French film directors French male screenwriters French screenwriters Officiers of the Légion d'honneur People from Neuilly-sur-Seine