Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1909), which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, notably the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, and

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

's 1986 musical. His 1907 novel '' The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' is one of the most celebrated locked room mysteries.

Life and career

Leroux was born in Paris in 1868, the illegitimate child of Marie Bidaut and Dominique Leroux, who married a month after his birth. He claimed an illustrious pedigree, including descent from William II of England (in French, Guillaume le Roux, son of William the Conqueror), and social connections such as having been the official playmate of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris at the College d'Eu in Normany. After schooling in Normandy and studying as a lawyer in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,court reporter A court reporter, court stenographer, or shorthand reporter is a person whose occupation is to capture the live testimony in proceedings using a stenographic machine, thereby transforming the proceedings into an official certified transcript b ...

and theater critic for '' L'Écho de Paris''. His most important journalism came when he began working as an international correspondent for the Paris newspaper '' Le Matin'' in 1893. He was present at, and covered, the

1905 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

. Another case at which he was present involved the investigation and in-depth coverage of the former

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

(presently housing the Paris Ballet). The basement contained a cell that held prisoners of the Paris Commune. He left journalism in 1907, after returning from covering a volcanic eruption and being immediately sent on another assignment without vacation time, and began writing fiction. In 1919, he and Arthur Bernède formed their own film company, Société des Cinéromans, publishing novels and turning them into films. He first wrote a mystery novel titled ''Le mystère de la chambre jaune'' (1907; English title: '' The Mystery of the Yellow Room''), starring the amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille. Leroux's contribution to French detective fiction is considered a parallel to those of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the United Kingdom and Edgar Allan Poe in the United States. Leroux published his most famous work, ''The Phantom of the Opera'', as a serial in 1909 and 1910, and as a book in 1910 (with an English translation appearing in 1911). ''Balaoo'' followed in 1911, which was made into a film several times (in 1913, 1927 and 1942). Leroux was made a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in 1909. He died at age 58 in Nice, France in 1927.

Personal life

Leroux married twice, first to Marie Lefranc from whom he separated in 1902. Following his separation, he then lived with Jeanne Cayatte from Lorraine, with whom he had a son, Gaston, nicknamed Milinkij, and daughter Madeleine; they married in 1917 after Lefranc's death. In 1918, he founded a film production company, Société des Cinéromans with René Navarre and debuted two films ''Tue-la-Mort'' and ''Il etait deux petits enfants'', in which his daughter played the lead role.

Novels

The Adventures of Rouletabille

*1907 - ''Le mystère de la chambre jaune'' (English translation: '' The Mystery of the Yellow Room'', 1907; ''Rouletabille and The Mystery of the Yellow Room'', 2009, translated by Jean-Marc Lofficier & Randy Lofficier, ) *1908 - ''Le parfum de la dame en noir'' (English translation: '' The Perfume of the Lady in Black'', 1908) *1913 - ''Rouletabille chez le Tsar'' (Rouletabille and the Tsar; English translation: '' The Secret of the Night'', 1914) *1914 - ''Rouletabille à la guerre'' (Rouletabille at War) consisting of ** ''Le château noir'' (The Black Castle) ** ''Les étranges noces de Rouletabille'' (The Strange Wedding of Rouletabille;) *1917 - ''Rouletabille chez Krupp'' (English translation: '' Rouletabille at Krupp's'', 2013, by Brian Stableford, ) *1921 - ''Le crime de Rouletabille'' ('' The Crime of Rouletabille''; English translation: ''The Slave Bangle'', 1925; ''The Phantom Clue'', 1926, translated by Hannaford Bennett) *1922 - ''Rouletabille chez les Bohémiens'' (Rouletabille and the Gypsies; English translation: ''The Sleuth Hound'' K 1926; ''The Octopus of Paris'' S 1927, translated by Hannaford Bennett)

Chéri Bibi

* ''Première Aventures de Chéri-Bibi'' (1913, English translations: ''The Floating Prison'' Kand ''Wolves of the Sea'' S Translated by Hannaford Bennett in 1923) * ''Chéri-Bibi et Cécily'' (1916, English translations: ''Missing Men: The Return of Cheri-Bibi'' S ''Cheri-Bibi and Cecily'' K 1923, translated by Hannaford Bennett) * ''Nouvelles Aventures de Chéri-Bibi'' (1921, English translations: Part I - ''The Dark Road'', 1924; Part II - ''The Dancing Girl'' K ''Nomads of the Night'' S Translated by Hannaford Bennett 1925) * ''Le Coup d'État de Chéri-Bibi'' (1926, English translation: ''The New Idol'', Translated by Hannaford Bennett 1928)

Other novels

* ''La double vie de Théophraste Longuet'' (1903, English translations: ''The Double Life'', 1909, translated by John E. Kearney; ''The Man with the Black Feather'', 1912, translated by Edgar Jepson) * ''Le roi mystère'' (1908) * ''Le fauteuil hanté'' (1909, English translation: ''The Haunted Chair'', 1931) * ''Un homme dans la nuit'' (1910) * ''La reine de Sabbat'' (1910, English translations: Part I as ''The Midnight Lady'' K 1930; Part II as ''The Missing Archduke'' K 1931) * ''Le fantôme de l'Opéra'' (1910, English translation: '' The Phantom of the Opera'', 1911) * ''Balaoo'' (1911, English translation: ''Balaoo'', 1913) * ''L' épouse du soleil'' (1912, English translation: ''The Bride of the Sun'', 1915) * ''La colonne infernale'' (1916) * ''Confitou'' (1916) * ''L' homme qui revient de loin'' (1916, English translation: ''The Man who Came Back from the Dead'', 1916) * ''Le capitaine Hyx'' (1917, English translation: ''The Amazing Adventures of Carolus Herbert'', 1922, translated by Hannaford Bennett) * ''La bataille invisible'' (1917, English translation: ''The Veiled Prisoner'' K 1923, translated by Hannaford Bennett) * ''Tue-la-mort'' (1920, English translation: ''The Masked Man'', 1929) * ''Le coeur cambriolé'' (1920, English translation: ''The Burgled Heart'', 1925; ''The New Terror'', 1926) * ''Le sept de trèfle'' (1921) * ''La poupée sanglante'' (1923, English translations: ''The Kiss That Killed'', 1934, translated by Hannaford Bennett) * ''La machine à assassiner'' (1923, English translation: ''The Machine to Kill'', 1934) * ''Les ténébreuses: La fin d'un monde & du sang sur la Néva'' (1924) * ''Hardis-Gras ou le fils des trois pères'' (1924, English translation: ''The Son of 3 Fathers'', 1927, translated by Hannaford Bennett) * ''La Farouche Aventure'' (serialized in "Le Journal" as ''La Coquette punie'', 1924; English translation: ''The Adventures of a Coquette'', 1926, translated by Hannaford Bennett) * ''La Mansarde en or'' (1925) * ''Les Mohicans de Babel'' (1926) * ''Mister Flow'' (1927, English translation: Part I as ''The Man of a Hundred Faces'' SAand ''The Queen of Crime'' K 1930; Part II as ''Lady Helena, or The Mysterious Lady'' SA 1931) * ''Les Chasseurs de danses'' (1927) * ''Pouloulou'' (1990, posthumous)

Short stories

*1887 - "Le petit marchand de pommes de terre frites" *1902 - "Les trois souhaits" *1907 - "Baïouchki baïou" *1908 - "L'homme qui a vu le diable" (English translation: "In Letters of Fire", 1908) *1911 - "Le dîner des bustes" (English translation: "A Terrible Tale", 1925) *1912 - "La hache d'or" (English translation: "The Gold Axe", 1925) *1924 - "Le Noël du petit Vincent-Vincent" (English translation: "The Crime on Christmas Night", 1930) *1924 - "La femme au collier de velours" (English translation: "The Woman with the Velvet Collar", first English publication in ''Weird Tales'', October 1929) *1924 - "Not'olympe" (English translation: "The Mystery of the Four Husbands", first English publication in ''Weird Tales'', December 1929) *1925 - "L'Auberge épouvantable" (English translation: "The Inn of Terror", first English publication In ''Weird Tales'', August 1929, Translated by Mildred Gleason prochet)

Plays

*1908 - ''Le Lys'' (co-author: Pierre Wolff) *1913 - ''Alsace'' (co-author: Lucien Camille)

Filmography

** Films based on ''The Phantom of the Opera'' ** Films based on the ''Rouletabille'' novels *', directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset (1913, short film, based on the novel ''Balaoo'') *''Chéri-Bibi'', directed by (1914, short film, based on the novel ''Chéri-Bibi'') *'' Alsace'', directed by Henri Pouctal (1916, based on the play ''Alsace'') *''L'Homme qui revient de loin'', directed by Gaston Ravel (1917, based on the novel ''L'Homme qui revient de loin'') *''La Nouvelle aurore'', directed by (1919, serial with 16 episodes, based on the novel ''Nouvelles aventures de Chéri-Bibi'') *''A halál után'', directed by Alfréd Deésy (Hungary, 1920, based on the novel ''L'Homme qui revient de loin'') *''The Lily'', directed by Victor Schertzinger (1926, based on the play ''Le Lys'') *'' The Wizard'', directed by Richard Rosson (1927, based on the novel ''Balaoo'') *'' The Phantom of Paris'', directed by

John S. Robertson John Stuart Robertson (14 June 1878 – 5 November 1964) was a Canadian born actor and later film director perhaps best known for his 1920 screen adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', starring John Barrymore. Biography Robertson was born ...

(1931, based on the novel ''Chéri-Bibi et Cécily'') **'' Cheri-Bibi'', directed by

Carlos F. Borcosque Carlos Francisco Borcosque Sánchez (9 September 1894 – 5 September 1965) was a Chilean film director and screenwriter involved in the production of the Cinema of Argentina. Borcosque was born in Valparaíso. He established Estudios Cinem ...

(1931), alternative Spanish-language version of ''The Phantom of Paris'' *'' Compliments of Mister Flow'', directed by Robert Siodmak (1936, based on the novel ''Mister Flow'') *', directed by Léon Mathot (1938, based on the novel ''Chéri-Bibi'') *''

Dr. Renault's Secret ''Dr. Renault's Secret'' is a 1942 American horror mystery film. The story was written by William Bruckner and Robert Metzler. It is loosely based on the 1911 novel ''Balaoo'' by Gaston Leroux. The production was directed by Harry Lachman and is ...

'', directed by

Harry Lachman Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 – March 19, 1975) was an American artist, set designer, and film director. He was born in La Salle, Illinois on June 29, 1886. Lachman was educated at the University of Michigan before becoming a magazine and bo ...

(1942, based on the novel ''Balaoo''), uncredited * '' The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' (1949) *''

The Man Who Returns from Afar ''The Man Who Returns from Afar'' (French: ''L'homme qui revient de loin'') is a 1950 French thriller film directed by Jean Castanier and starring Annabella, Paul Bernard and María Casares.Goble p.282 It is based on the 1916 novel of the same t ...

'', directed by (1950, based on the novel ''L'Homme qui revient de loin'') *''Chéri-Bibi'', directed by Marcello Pagliero (1955, based on the novel ''Chéri-Bibi'') * ''

Il profumo della signora in nero ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' ( it, Il profumo della signora in nero) is a 1974 giallo-horror film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film had nothing to do with the similarly-titled novel by Gaston Leroux. Plot Silvia (Mimsy Farmer) is ...

''/ ''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' (1974) Italian giallo *''La Poupée sanglante'', directed by Marcel Cravenne (1976, miniseries, based on the novel ''La poupée sanglante'' and its sequel, ''La machine à assassiner'') * '' The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' (2005)

Screenwriter

*', directed by René Navarre (1920, serial with 12 episodes) *', directed by René Navarre (1921, serial with 12 episodes) *''Il était deux petits enfants'', directed by Lino Manzoni (1922)

Misattributions

''The Gaston Leroux Bedside Companion'', an anthology published in 1980 and edited by Peter Haining, as well as the Haining-edited ''The Real Opera Ghost and Other Tales By Gaston Leroux'' (Sutton, 1994), include a story attributed to Leroux entitled ''The Waxwork Museum''. A foreword alleges that the translation by Alexander Peters first appeared in ''Fantasy Book'' in 1969 (but no original French publication date is given). Neither "Alexander Peters" nor ''"Fantasy Book"'' appear to exist, and the text of the story is, in fact, a word-for-word copy of the story ''Figures de cire'' by Andre de Lorde which was published as ''Waxworks'' in the 1933 anthology ''Terrors: A Collection of Uneasy Tales,'' edited (anonymously) by Charles Birkin. The confusion has sometimes caused Leroux to be erroneously credited with the stories from the 1933 film '' Mystery of the Wax Museum'', the 1953 film '' House of Wax'' (both of which were based on a story by

Charles S. Belden Charles Spencer Belden (April 21, 1904 – November 3, 1954) was an American screenwriter and journalist, known for writing screenplays to several Charlie Chan films in the 1930s, notably ''Charlie Chan at the Opera'' (1936). His 1932 short story ...

) or, particularly, the 1997 Italian film '' Wax Mask'' (for example, in Troy Howarth's ''Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films''). No such story by Leroux exists, though some confusion may have been the result of chapter IX in Leroux's novel ''La double vie de Théophraste Longuet,'' which is entitled, ''Le masque de cire'' (translated as ''The Wax Mask'').