Henri Verneuil (Ashod Malakian) (1920-2002)

Henri Verneuil (Ashod Malakian) (1920-2002)

Henri Verneuil (née Ashod Malakian) was born October 15, 1920, in Rodosto, Turkey. After escaping the Armenian Genocide, he settled in Marseille in 1924 together with his family. After working as a journalist for a short period, in 1947 Henri Verneuil devoted himself to cinema. He directed more than 30 films in 45 years, the more famous of which are “Melodie en sous-sol,” “Le clan des Siciliens,” “La vache et le Prisonnier,” and “Mayrig,” to mention some. Throughout his long career Henri Verneuil worked with Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Lino Ventura, and other famous cinema names. In 1992, Henri Verneuil received a French Academy of Cinema Award for his complete works, and in 1996 was awarded with an Honorary Cesar. The famous filmmaker of Armenian origin passed away January 11, 2002, in Paris.