Jacques Tourneur

Jacques Tourneur, born Jacques Thomas on November 12, 1904, in Paris, France, was a renowned French-American filmmaker who left a significant mark during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He acquired fame as an auteur of atmospheric genre films known for their style and substance. His work for RKO Pictures showcased this, including successful horror films such as Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and The Leopard Man, alongside classic film noir like Out of the Past. His remarkable direction of Night of the Demon, later released by Columbia Pictures, also stands out. The son of Fernande Petit and film director Maurice Tourneur, Jacques got his first taste of cinema while still in high school, working as an extra and script clerk in various silent films. He worked in various roles, including editor and assistant director, before making his directorial debut with French film Tout ça ne vaut pas l'amour in 1931. His career gained momentum after he was picked by film producer Val Lewton to direct a few acclaimed low-budget horror films for RKO Studios. He became a freelance director in the 1950s directing various genre films including Wichita, Anne of the Indies, Way of a Gaucho, and Nightfall among others. In the later years of his career, he directed television episodes for series like The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, and The Alaskans.