Francis Veber

Francis Paul Veber (born 28 July 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, and playwright. 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 films: Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire (as The Man with One Red Shoe), L'emmerdeur (as Buddy Buddy), La Cage aux Folles (as The Birdcage), (as The Toy), (as Fathers' Day), La chèvre (as Pure Luck), (as Three Fugitives), Le dîner de cons (as Dinner for Schmucks) and La Doublure (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.

Some of his screenplays started as theater plays (for instance, Le dîner de cons). 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, Hauts-de-Seine, 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. 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 Year Title Director Writer Producer 1969 Appelez-moi Mathilde 1972 The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe 1973 L'Emmerdeur Le Magnifique 1974 The Return of the Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe 1975 The Pink Telephone The French Detective 1976 On aura tout vu The Toy 1978 La Cage aux Folles 1979 Cause toujours... tu m'intéresses Coup de tête 1980 La cage aux folles II Sunday Lovers 1981 Buddy Buddy La Chèvre 1982 Partners The Toy 1983 1985 The Man with One Red Shoe Hold-Up 1986 Les Fugitifs 1989 Three Fugitives 1991 Pure Luck 1992 Out on a Limb 1994 My Father the Hero 1995 1996 The Birdcage Le Jaguar 1997 Fathers' Day 1998 The Dinner Game 2000 The Closet 2003 Ruby & Quentin 2006 The Valet 2008 L'emmerdeur 2010 Dinner for Schmucks

Honors He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur on 21 September 1996, He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite in 2001.