Roland Moreno

Roland Moreno (11 June 1945 – 29 April 2012) was a French inventor, engineer, humorist and author who was the inventor of the smart card. on 11 June 1945. His original last name was Bahbout, but the family changed their surname to Moreno when they moved to France when he was very young. He attended the Montaigne and Condorcet schools in Paris and passed the baccalauréat, but dropped out early, and described his education as "self taught" for the rest of his life. Moreno worked in several smaller jobs after leaving school. He worked as a young reporter for Détective Magazine and a runner for the L'Express news magazine.

Other inventions Moreno was very interested in music, broadcasting and writing. He launched Radio Deliro, a now defunct Internet radio station. He was credited as the inventor of several unorthodox electronic devices, including devices called le pianok, calculette, and Pièce-o'matic. His additional inventions included the Matapof, which was able to electronically and numerically simulate the heads or tails game.

Writings, acting and other pursuits Moreno wrote several books, including Théorie du Bordel Ambiant, a collection of his ideas and reflections. He also authored books under the literary pseudonym Laure Dynateur, including a cookbook entitled L'Aide-Mémoire du Nouveau Cordon-bleu with more than 2,000 recipes. Moreno chose this pseudonym because, when pronounced, the name sounds like the French word for computer: l'ordinateur. Moreno also had several small acting and cameo roles in French cinema. He was cast in the 1982 comedic film Les Sous-doués en vacances, directed by Claude Zidi, as a "mad inventor" character who invents a "love computer."

Despite his recognitions in France, Moreno, who has been variously described as a "nutty professor", once told the France Soir newspaper that his greatest hypothetical honor would be a wax likeness of himself in the Musée Grévin.

Personal life and later years

Moreno married Stephany Stolin in December 1976; the couple had two daughters, Marianne and Julia, who survive him. He died in Paris on 29 April 2012, at the age of 66. He had previously suffered a pulmonary embolism in 2008.