Léon Gaumont facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Léon Gaumont
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Gaumont in Jun 1920
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| Born |
Léon Ernest Gaumont
10 May 1864 Paris, France
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| Died | 10 August 1946 (aged 82) Sainte-Maxime, France
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| Resting place | Cimetière de Belleville |
| Occupation | Engineer, inventor, film maker |
| Years active | 1893–1945 |
| Spouse(s) | Camille Louise Maillard |
Léon Ernest Gaumont was a French inventor and engineer. He was a very important person in the early days of the motion picture (movie) industry. He started the Gaumont Film Company, which is one of the oldest movie studios in the world! He also worked with Solax Studios.
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Léon Gaumont's Life and Work
Léon Gaumont was born in Paris, France, on May 10, 1864. He was very good with machines and loved photography from a young age. In 1893, he got a job at a company that made photography equipment.
Starting the Gaumont Company
Just two years later, in 1895, Léon Gaumont had the chance to buy the business. He teamed up with an astronomer named Joseph Vallot, a famous engineer named Gustave Eiffel, and a financier named Alfred Besnier. Together, they bought the company.
They named their new company L. Gaumont et Cie. This company grew to become one of the oldest movie companies still around today! The company's logo was a special flower called a "Marguerite," named after Léon's mother. Gaumont had large studios in Paris and a smaller one in Nice, France.
Léon Gaumont married Camille Louise Maillard on June 4, 1888. They had five children: Charles, Jeanne, Raymond, Helene, and Louis.
Making Movies and New Inventions
At first, Gaumont's company sold cameras and film. But in 1897, they started making their own movies. They began by making short films for arcades, similar to those made by the Lumière brothers.
A woman named Alice Guy, who was Gaumont's secretary, became the first woman to direct films for the company. She started making short movies with stories. Later, Louis Feuillade took over as the studio director. He made famous films like Judex and Les Vampires.
Gaumont's company quickly became very successful. It was the second-largest film company in France, after Pathé Frères.
Léon Gaumont was also a great inventor. In 1903, he created the Chronophonographe. This was a system that allowed movies to have sound played at the same time, using a special loudspeaker. By 1910, he had made this sound system so good that up to 4,000 people in a theater could hear the movie's sound! In 1912, he even developed a way to add color to films.
In 1906, a new part of the company, Etablissements Gaumont, was created. This part focused on making and distributing films. It also ran a chain of movie theaters. One of these was the huge Gaumont Palace in Paris, which opened in 1912. It was the largest movie theater in the world at the time, with 6,000 seats!
Later Years and Retirement
Léon Gaumont's business faced challenges during World War I. Many of his employees joined the army, and it became harder to get film materials. However, he still managed to build one of the most important film companies in history. He retired in 1930.
Death and Legacy
Léon Gaumont passed away on August 10, 1946, in Sainte-Maxime, France. He was buried in Paris.
In 1995, France celebrated 100 years of French film. To honor Léon Gaumont's contributions, a special silver coin was made with his picture on it.
See also
In Spanish: Léon Gaumont para niños
