Gérard Oury
Known for Directing · 55 credits
- Born
- 1919-04-29
- Died
- 2006-07-19
- Place of birth
- Paris, France
- Also known as
- Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum · Gerard Oury · Жерар Ури · Max-Gérard Houry Tenenbaum
Biography
Gérard Oury (born Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum; 29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. He is best known for a number of comedies he directed and co-wrote between the 1960s and 1980s, most notably The Sucker (1965), Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (1966), The Brain (1969), The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973), and Ace of Aces (1982).
Max-Gérard Houry-Tannenbaum was the only son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist of Russian-Jewish origin, and French Jewish Marcelle Houry, a journalist and art critic. Tannenbaum was absent from the life of Oury and he was raised in an unobservant house of his mother and maternal grandmother Berthe Goldner. Oury studied at the Lycée Janson de Sailly and then at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art. He became a member of the Comédie-Française before World War II, but fled with all his family (mother, grandmother and unofficial wife, actress Jacqueline Roman) to Switzerland to escape the anti-Jewish persecutions by the Vichy government. When in 1942 his daughter Danièle Thompson was born, his fatherhood was concealed, to avoid her classification as a Jew.
After 1945 he returned to the liberated Paris and restarted his career as an actor, performing in the theatre and in supporting roles in the cinema. Oury became a movie director in 1959 (The Itchy Palm) and gained his first success in 1961 with Crime Does Not Pay (Le crime ne paie pas).
Pairing André Bourvil and Louis de Funès as a comic duo, he burst into commercial filmmaking with 1965's The Sucker (Le corniaud). The film was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. The following year, Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (La Grande Vadrouille) was even more successful, attracting the largest audiences ever in France (17.27 million admissions). This box-office record stood for decades, only surpassed in 1997 by Titanic from James Cameron.
Oury shot the 1969 comedy Le Cerveau (The Brain) in English, starring David Niven in the lead role as a criminal mastermind.
Known For
TV Shows (14)
Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self
Apostrophes
1975
as Self
Vivement dimanche
1998
as Self
Champs-Elysées
1982
as Self
Sacrée soirée
1987
as Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
as Self
Nulle part ailleurs
1987
as Self
Le Grand Échiquier
1972
as Self / Self - Main Guest
Ciné regards
1978
as Self
Cinépanorama
1956
as Self
Samedi soir
1971
as Self
À bout portant
1968
as Self
Matin Bonheur
1987
as Self
Système 2
1975
as Self
Movies (41)
Seventh Heaven
1958
as Maurice Portal
Sur la route de la grande vadrouille
2016
as Self (archive footage)
Belmondo: The Incorrigible
2022
They Who Dare
1954
as Captain George Two
Without Leaving an Address
1951
as Un journaliste
The Journey
1959
as Teklel Hafouli
Endless Horizons
1953
as (voice)
The Sword and the Rose
1953
as Dauphin of France
Jo la Romance
1949
as Roland Grenier
The Marines
1957
as Récitant (voice)
Little Nothings
1941
as Philinte
The Prize
1963
as Claude Marceau
Sea Devils
1953
as Napoleon
A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later
1986
as Un spectateur de '40 ans déjà'
Loves of Three Queens
1954
as Napoleon Bonaparte (segment: Napoleon and Josephine)
The Heart of the Matter
1953
as Yusef
Woman of the River
1954
as Enzo Cinti
Antoine & Antoinette
1947
as Le client galant
La Folle Heure des grandis
2002
as Self
The Mirror Has Two Faces
1958
as docteur Bosc
The Four of Moana
1959
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Mr. Peek-a-Boo
1951
as Maurice
Louis de Funès, l'homme qui a passé le mur du son
2013
as Self (archive footage)
Du Guesclin
1949
as Le Dauphin
Back to the Wall
1958
as Jacques Decrey
The Fate of Two Queens
1954
as Napoleon Bonaparte
House of Secrets
1956
as Julius Pindar
Sorceror
1950
as (uncredited)
À la recherche de... Pierre Richard
2017
as Self - Actor, director, producer (archive footage)
Father Brown
1954
as Inspector Dubois
Heroes and Sinners
1955
as Villeterre
Young Girls Beware
1957
as Marcel Palmer
The Night Is My Kingdom
1951
as Lionel Moreau
L'homme au parapluie
1956
as Grégory Black
The Menace
1961
as The Doctor
The Best Part
1955
as Gérard Bailly
The Itchy Palm
1960
as Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
Here Is the Beauty
1950
as Bruno
Les Rois de la comédie
2023
as Self (archive footage)
Le Costaud des Batignolles
1952
as Narrator (voice)
The Secret of Mayerling
1949
as (uncredited)
About Gérard Oury
Gérard Oury (born Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum; 29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. He is best known for a number of comedies he directed and co-wrote between the 1960s and 1980s, most notably The Sucker (1965), Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (1966), The Brain (1969), The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973), and Ace of Aces (1982). Max-Gérard Houry-Tannenbaum was the only son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist of Russian-Jewish origin, and French Jewish Marcelle Houry, a journalist and art critic.… With 55 credits spanning from 1941 to 2023, Gérard Oury has appeared in 41 films and 14 TV shows.
Fans searching for Gérard Oury movies, Gérard Oury filmography, or the latest projects starring Gérard Oury can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Gérard Oury Movies
- Seventh Heaven (1958) — as Maurice Portal
- Sur la route de la grande vadrouille (2016) — as Self (archive footage)
- Belmondo: The Incorrigible (2022)
- They Who Dare (1954) — as Captain George Two
- Without Leaving an Address (1951) — as Un journaliste
Where to Watch Gérard Oury Films
Most Gérard Oury movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Gérard Oury, check our movies catalogue and browse page.