Frédéric Back facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frédéric Back
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| Born | April 8, 1924 |
| Died | December 24, 2013 (aged 89) |
| Occupation | Animator Illustrator Film director Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1946–1993 |
| Awards | Order of Canada National Order of Quebec Governor General's Performing Arts Award |
Frédéric Back OC CQ (April 8, 1924 – December 24, 2013) was a talented Canadian artist and film director. He was especially known for his amazing animated short films. He worked for a long time at Radio-Canada, which is the French-language part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. During his career, he was nominated for four Academy Awards, and he won two of them! His winning films were Crac (from 1981) and The Man Who Planted Trees (from 1987).
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About Frédéric Back
Frédéric Back was born in Saarbrücken, which is now part of Germany. He grew up in Strasbourg, France. When World War II started, his family moved to Paris. Frédéric loved art and studied it at special schools in France. His first art show was in 1946.
Moving to Canada
In 1948, Frédéric moved to Canada. He was invited by a pen pal named Ghylaine Paquin. The next year, they got married! Before working for the CBC, he taught art at the École des beaux-arts in Montreal.
Working at Radio-Canada
In 1952, Radio-Canada hired Frédéric. He stayed there for the rest of his career. He created titles for TV shows. He also made artwork for a short film about Samuel de Champlain in 1964.
Frédéric Back created a huge stained glass mural. It is called L’histoire de la musique à Montréal, which means "history of music in Montreal." You can see it at the Place-des-Arts Metro station in Montreal. This beautiful artwork was put up on December 20, 1967. It was the very first piece of art made for the Montreal metro system!
Awards and Recognition
Frédéric Back received many important awards for his work.
- In 1989, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec.
- In 1990, he became an Officer of the Order of Canada.
- In 1994, he won a Governor General's Performing Arts Award. This is a very important award in Canada for artists.
- In 2004, he received the Eco-Hero Media Award.
- In 2010, he got a Lifetime Achievement Award at a big animated film festival.
Animal Rights Activism
Frédéric Back was a vegetarian and cared deeply about animals. He often said, "Animals are my friends and I do not eat my friends." He gave talks and joined protests to support animal rights. He even started a group called "Société Québécoise pour la Défense des Animaux" to help protect animals.
Frédéric Back passed away from cancer in Montreal on December 24, 2013.
His Animated Films
Frédéric Back was famous for his animated short films.
- In 1980, his film All Nothing (Tout rien) was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short Film.
- He won two Academy Awards for Animated Short Film! He won for his film Crac! in 1982. He also won for The Man Who Planted Trees (L'homme qui plantait des arbres) in 1987.
- In 1994, his film Mighty River (Le fleuve aux grandes eaux) was nominated for an Academy Award again.
The Academy Film Archive keeps a collection of Frédéric Back's moving images.
Legacy
In 2017, a large park in Montreal was named after him. It is called Frédéric-Back Park.
See also
In Spanish: Frédéric Back para niños
