1879-1955
French born director Étienne Arnaud was born on this day in Villeneuve-les-Béziers--his birth name was Chiaffredo Arnaud. Arnaud started directing films in 1905 in France; his first film was Arrêtez mon chapeau! He directed dozens of films between 1905 and 1907--later getting involved with fellow French director and animation artist Émile Cohl. He co-directed a number of animated shorts with Cohl in 1909; after which, he continued to direct most of his--almost all of them short subjects--solo. By 1910, he was a sometimes directorial collaborator of Louis Feuillade. In 1912, he was lured away to the United States and signed a contract with Eclair. His first film for them was The Guardian Angel (1912). Arnaud worked for them under contract for two years; probably the film that he is best known for is the short Saved From The Titanic in 1912-premiering just 29 days after the disaster (the film is now lost). Though he lived well into the 20th century, he did not make any more films past the year 1914. His last film The Dancer and the King (1914) was made outside the umbrella of Eclair for Charles E. Blaney Productions. Arnaud died in the U.S.--San Francisco--on the 11th of May 1955 at the age of 79. There is no information as to his burial or cremation.
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