Maurice Tourneur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maurice Tourneur
Tourneur in 1916
Born	Maurice Félix Thomas (1876-02-02)2 February 1876 Épinettes, Paris, France
Died	4 August 1961(1961-08-04) (aged 85) Paris, France
Resting place	Père Lachaise Cemetery
Spouse(s)	Fernande Petit ​ ​ (m. 1904, divorced)​ Louise Lagrange
Children	Jacques Tourneur

Maurice Félix Thomas, known as Maurice Tourneur, was a famous French film director and screenwriter. He was born on February 2, 1876, and passed away on August 4, 1961. He is remembered for his creative silent films and for helping shape early American cinema.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Maurice Félix Thomas was born in Paris, France. His father was a businessman. When he was young, Maurice first trained as an artist, drawing for magazines. But soon, he became very interested in the theater.

In 1904, he married an actress named Fernande Petit. They had a son, Jacques Tourneur, who also became a well-known film director in America.

Maurice started his career in entertainment as an actor, using the stage name Maurice Tourneur. He performed in small roles and even toured England and South America with a famous actress named Gabrielle Réjane.

Becoming a Film Director

In 1911, Maurice Tourneur became interested in the new world of filmmaking. He started working as an assistant director for the Éclair film company. He learned very quickly and soon began directing his own films. He worked with big French stars of that time.

The Velvet Paw (1916)

In 1914, French film companies started to grow in the United States. So, Tourneur moved to New York City to direct silent films for Éclair's American studio. He then moved to another company, World Film Corporation. There, he directed important early American movies like The Wishing Ring and Alias Jimmy Valentine.

Maurice Tourneur quickly became a respected director in American cinema. He was also a founding member of the Motion Picture Directors Association on the East Coast. He and his team were very skilled. They used new technology and unique visual styles in their films. This made his movies look very special and critics loved them.

Tourneur admired another famous director, D.W. Griffith. He also thought American actors were more skilled than those in Europe at the time. He called Mary Pickford the best screen actress in the world. However, he didn't like the idea of the "star system," where actors became very famous and were advertised a lot.

An advertisement for Maurice Tourneur (1919)

Maurice Tourneur in 1920, photographed by Fred Hartsook

Later Career and Return to France

After directing several creative films for Artcraft Pictures Corporation, Tourneur started his own film company in 1918. In 1921, he became a citizen of the United States. By 1922, he believed that the future of movies was in Hollywood. He was hired by Samuel Goldwyn to make a film called The Christian.

However, Tourneur's career in the U.S. faced challenges in the 1920s. His focus on beautiful visuals sometimes made his stories harder to follow. He also separated from his wife Fernande in 1923. In 1928, he was removed from directing a film called The Mysterious Island. This marked the end of his career in America.

After this, Tourneur decided to move back to France. He continued to make films there and in Germany. He easily adapted to making talkies, which were movies with sound. In 1933, he met his second wife, actress Louise Lagrange, while working on a film.

Tourneur directed about two dozen more films, including several crime thrillers. In 1949, he was seriously injured in a car accident and lost a leg. Because of his health and age, he could no longer direct films. But he loved to read and was a skilled artist. He kept busy by painting and translating detective novels from English into French.

Legacy and Recognition

Maurice Tourneur passed away in 1961 and was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California.

Some of his films are considered very important. His 1917 film The Poor Little Rich Girl, his 1918 film The Blue Bird, and his 1920 film The Last of the Mohicans have been chosen by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. This means they are saved because they are culturally significant. Also, his 1915 film The Cub is being restored by film preservation groups.

Partial Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Maurice Tourneur para niños