Georges Méliès
Known for Directing · 150 credits
- Born
- 1861-12-08
- Died
- 1938-01-21
- Place of birth
- Paris, France
- Also known as
- Жорж Мельес · 조르주 멜리에스 · Marie Georges Jean Méliès · ジョルジュ・メリエス · マリー・ジョルジュ・ジャン・メリエス
Biography
Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 - January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. One of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, tracking shots, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his work, Méliès pioneered effects that would define cinematic special effects for decades to come. A prolific innovator in the use of special effects, Méliès accidentally discovered the substitution stop trick in 1896, a method of creating seamless disappearing and/or appearing effects used throughout both films and television for decades to come. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the first "Cinemagician".
Two of his best-known films are A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy. Méliès was also an early pioneer of horror cinema, which can be traced back to his Le Manoir du diable (1896).
In early 1909 Méliès stopped making films to protest Thomas Edison's Motion Pictures Parents Company monopoly, and presided over the first meeting of the International Filmmakers Congress in Paris. Further financial hardships created by his opposition to Edison and diminishing influence, Méliès disappeared from public life. By the mid-1920s he made a meager living as a candy and toy salesma in Paris, with the assistance of funds collected by other filmmakers. Although he was recognized for his contributions in cinema, Méliès spent most of his later years in poverty before being accepted into La Maison du Retraite du Cinéma, the film industry's retirement home in Orly.
Known For
A Trip to the Moon
1902
as Professeur Barbenfouillis / La Lune
Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma
1978
as Self (archive footage)
Cinderella
1899
as le gnome de la pendule / le suisse à l'entrée de l'église
The Extraordinary Voyage
2011
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The Impossible Voyage
1904
as Mabouloff
Gugusse and the Automaton
1897
as Gugusse
TV Shows (1)
Movies (149)
A Trip to the Moon
1902
as Professeur Barbenfouillis / La Lune
Cinderella
1899
as le gnome de la pendule / le suisse à l'entrée de l'église
The Extraordinary Voyage
2011
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The Impossible Voyage
1904
as Mabouloff
Gugusse and the Automaton
1897
as Gugusse
Le manoir du diable
1896
as Mephistopheles
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès
2012
as Self (archive footage)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1907
The One-Man Band
1900
as All the members of the orchestra
Naval Combat in Greece
1897
as The Captain
A Nightmare
1896
as Man
The Bewitched Inn
1897
as The Traveler
Joan of Arc
1900
as Père de Jeanne
The Untamable Whiskers
1904
as Man with whiskers
Playing Cards
1896
as Un joueur de cartes
The Four Troublesome Heads
1898
as Conjurer
Cleopatra's Tomb
1899
as un profanateur de la tombe de Cléopâtre
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
1907
as Professor of Astronomy
Long Distance Wireless Photography
1908
The Man with the Rubber Head
1901
as The Chemist / The India Rubber Head
The Mermaid
1904
The Dreyfus Affair
1899
as Fernand Labori
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
1905
as Ulysses (uncredited)
Jupiter's Thunderballs
1903
Bluebeard
1901
as Barbe-bleue
The Astronomer's Dream
1900
as Astronomer
A Terrible Night
1896
as L'homme qui essaie de dormir
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
1907
as Le commissaire de police
The Méliès Mystery
2021
as Self (archive footage)
The Christmas Angel
1904
as The Rag-and-Bone Man / Beggar on Crutches / Coal Seller
The Magician
1898
as Le Sculpteur
A Desperate Crime
1906
The Mysterious Retort
1906
The Merry Frolics of Satan
1906
as Satan
Robinson Crusoe
1902
as Robinson Crusoé
Between Calais and Dover
1897
as The Man in the Checked Suit
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
1904
The Devil and the Statue
1901
The Christmas Dream
1900
as Beggar
Satan in Prison
1907
as Satan
The Kingdom of the Fairies
1903
as Prince Bel-Azor
The Magic Lantern
1903
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
1905
as The Sorcerer Khalafar (uncredited)
The Mystical Flame
1903
The Clockmaker's Dream
1904
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
1900
as The Man
Le château hanté
1897
as Mephisto
The Magic of Méliès
1997
as Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
The Witch
1906
as The Fairy Carabosse
Whimsical Illusions
1909
as The Magician
Pygmalion and Galatea
1898
as Pygmalion
Dancing in a Harem
1897
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
1900
as Wrestler
The Vanishing Lady
1896
as Le magicien
The Treasures of Satan
1902
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
1902
as Gulliver
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
1899
as Magician
The Temptation of St. Anthony
1898
as Saint Antoine
The Ballet Master's Dream
1903
The Devil in a Convent
1899
as The Devil
The Infernal Cauldron
1903
as Devil
Cinematógrafo 1900
1979
as Self (archive footage)
Faust and Marguerite
1897
as Méphistophélès
Up-to-Date Spiritualism
1900
as Le comique excentrique
The Melomaniac
1903
The Pillar of Fire
1899
The Fortune Favors the Brave
1908
as Gnome
Apparitions
1903
Alcoléa & cie Documentary
2024
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
1908
as The Roman
The Prince of Magicians
1901
as Excelsior
The Magic Book
1900
as The Magician
Tunneling the English Channel
1907
Rip's Dream
1905
as Rip Van Winkle
The Diabolic Tenant
1909
as Le locataire diabolique
Hat of Many Surprises
1901
Faust and Marguerite
1904
as Méphistophélès
In the Barber Shop
1908
The Hilarious Posters
1906
as The Bill Poster
The Cook in Trouble
1904
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
1898
as Le marié
El hombre que quiso ser Segundo
2014
as Self (archive footage)
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
1904
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
1905
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
1903
as The Executioner
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
1901
as The brahmin
Not Guilty
1908
as The Old Farmer
The Infernal Cake-Walk
1903
as Devil
Extraordinary Illusions
1903
The Indian Sorcerer
1908
as The Fakir
The Black Imp
1905
The Famous Box Trick
1898
as The Magician
The Marvellous Wreath
1903
Sure Cure for Indigestion
1902
as Doctor
The King and the Jester
1907
as Tribolet
French Cops Learning English
1908
as The Police Inspector
A Midnight Episode
1899
as The Sleeping Man (uncredited)
Faust in the Underworld
1903
as Mephistopholes
The Living Playing Cards
1905
as The Magician
The New Lord of the Village
1908
as Le fantôme de César
The Monster
1903
as The priest
Delirium in a Studio
1907
as Ali Barbouyou
The Oracle of Delphi
1903
Summoning the Spirits
1899
An Impossible Balancing Feat
1902
as The Magician
The Fugitive Apparitions
1904
The Triple Headed Lady
1901
A Moonlight Serenade
1903
The Imperceptible Transmutations
1904
as Prince
Violons d'Ingres
1939
as Himself (archive footage)
Tit for Tat
1904
Conjuring
1896
as Himself
The Mysterious Portrait
1899
as L'illusioniste
The Wandering Jew
1904
The Prolific Magical Egg
1902
The Dwarf and the Giant
1901
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
1903
as Lamplighter
The Conquest of the Pole
1912
as Le professeur Mabouloff
The Enchanted Basket
1903
Good Glue Sticks
1907
About Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 - January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. One of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, tracking shots, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his work, Méliès pioneered effects that would define cinematic special effects for decades to come. A prolific innovator in the use of special effects, Méliès accidentally discovered the substit… With 150 credits spanning from 1896 to 2025, Georges Méliès has appeared in 149 films and 1 TV show.
Fans searching for Georges Méliès movies, Georges Méliès filmography, or the latest projects starring Georges Méliès can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Georges Méliès Movies
- A Trip to the Moon (1902) — as Professeur Barbenfouillis / La Lune
- Cinderella (1899) — as le gnome de la pendule / le suisse à l'entrée de l'église
- The Extraordinary Voyage (2011) — as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- The Impossible Voyage (1904) — as Mabouloff
- Gugusse and the Automaton (1897) — as Gugusse
Where to Watch Georges Méliès Films
Most Georges Méliès 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 Georges Méliès, check our movies catalogue and browse page.