1904-1977
Born in Paris France to a silent film director father, Maurice Tourneur, this great director's silent work actually came in the form of an actor in the 1920's, starting with a film as uncredited extra in the year 1923. With his father being a director of silent film, it goes without saying that he would be lured into the world of the motion picture himself--starting with acting jobs--kind of like odd jobs really (he had been in the US since the age of 10). Of course, he is most well known for directing some wonderful 1940's Val Lewton produced horror, such as I Walked With A Zombie (1943) and The Leopard Man (also 1943); with his most famous Lewton produced directing job coming in 1942 with Cat People. In Hollywood he was often just called "Jack." For us die hard horror fans, it's worth mentioning that the last film he directed, War Gods Of The Deep or City In The Sea starred Vincent Price himself in 1965. He was also a fine director of films noir. He passed away on 19 December 1977 (a very personal date for me, my father passed on that same day in 2009) at the age of 73 in Bergerac, Dordogne, France. He was obviously buried on a private family owned land of some sort, his burial is listed at "non-cemetery burial" (though his father in buried in a family plot at Pére Lachaise, it is possible that Jacques wound up there to??) Happy 111 Mon. Tourneur!
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| Have to love those Paris gargoyles! |
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