About Pierre Chenal
Lived 1904 – 1990 (aged 86). Pierre Chenal was a French film director, screenwriter and director.
Pierre Chenal (; 5 December 1904 – 23 December 1990) was a French director and screenwriter who flourished in the 1930s. He was married to Czech-born French film actress Florence Marly from 1937 to 1955.
Work Chenal was best known for film noir thrillers such as the 1937 film L'Alibi, where he worked with Erich von Stroheim and Louis Jouvet. In 1939 he made Le Dernier Tournant, the first of many film treatments of James M. Cain's celebrated novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice.
Chenal was Jewish and was forced in 1942 to flee occupied France with his wife, Czech actress Florence Marly, for South America. He made a number of films while living in Argentina and more in France after the war; but his post-war work never achieved the success and popularity of his pre-war efforts.
Filmography
Fat Man's Worries (1933) Street Without a Name (1934) Crime and Punishment (1935) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1936) The Former Mattia Pascal (1937) The Man from Nowhere (1937) The Alibi (1937) The Lafarge Case (1938) Sirocco (1938) The Last Turning (1939) Todo un hombre (1943) The Corpse Breaks a Date (1944) The Abyss Opens (1945) Devil and the Angel (1946) Viaje sin regreso (1946) Clochemerle (1948) Native Son (1951) The Idol (1952) Confession at Dawn (1954) Missing Persons Section (1956) (1957) Dangerous Games (1958) Beast at Bay (1959) The Night They Killed Rasputin (1960) The Murderer Knows the Score (1963) Les belles au bois dormantes (1970)
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Important facts
Family & relationships
People in Pierre Chenal's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Pierre Chenal's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Pierre Chenal?
director (1904–1990)
When was Pierre Chenal born?
Pierre Chenal was born on 5 December 1904 in Brussels metropolitan area.
When did Pierre Chenal die?
Pierre Chenal died on 23 December 1990 in La Garenne-Colombes.
What was Pierre Chenal's occupation?
Pierre Chenal was a film director, screenwriter and director.
What nationality was Pierre Chenal?
Pierre Chenal was French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Pierre Chenal. https://biography.guide/pierre-chenal/
MLA: "Pierre Chenal." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/pierre-chenal/.
Chicago: "Pierre Chenal." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/pierre-chenal/.
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