Claude Renoir facts for kids

Claude Renoir (born December 4, 1913 – died September 5, 1993) was a famous French cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of the camera and lighting on a film set. They make sure every shot looks amazing! Claude came from a very artistic family. His father, Pierre Renoir, was an actor, and his grandfather, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, was a world-famous painter. He was also the nephew of the well-known film director Jean Renoir.

Working in Film

Claude Renoir was born in Paris. His mother was the actress Véra Sergine. He learned a lot about filmmaking from Boris Kaufman, who later worked on famous movies like On the Waterfront (1954) in the United States.

Claude was the main camera person for many important films. These include Monsieur Vincent (1947) and his uncle Jean Renoir's film The River (1951). He also worked on big Hollywood movies like Cleopatra (1963) and the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Other notable films he worked on were Roger Vadim's Barbarella (1968) and John Frankenheimer's French Connection II (1975).

When Claude Renoir passed away, a newspaper called The Times wrote about The River. They said its beautiful way of showing India helped start a new time in movies. It showed that color could be used for truly great films.

Claude also helped make The Mystery of Picasso (1956). This was a documentary about the famous painter Pablo Picasso, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. He was also the cinematographer for The Crucible (1957). He lived in East Germany while filming this movie. Claude Renoir stopped working in the late 1970s because he was quickly losing his eyesight. In his last years, he was mostly blind.

Family Life

Claude Renoir was married twice. He had two children, a son and a daughter. His daughter, Sophie Renoir, became an actress. Claude Renoir died at 79 years old in Troyes, France. This town is about 55 miles east of Paris, near a village called Essoyes where he had a home.

Filmography Highlights

Here are some of the films Claude Renoir worked on: