Leconte, Patrice

(1947- )

   Director and screenwriter. Patrice Leconte studied at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC), worked as a cartoonist for the magazine Pilote, and directed shorts before making feature-length films. His first feature films were comedies, beginning with Les vécés étaient fermés de l'interieur (1976), which starred Jean Rochefort and Coluche. He worked with actors from the Troupe du Splendid— among them Josiane Balasko, Michel Blanc, Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, and Thierry Lhermitte—to make Les bronzés (1978) and Les bronzés font du ski (1979), two comedies about the French Club Med. He won Césars for Best Film and Best Director for his costume drama, Ridicule, in 1997. His feauture Tandem (1987), the thriller Monsieur Hire (1987), and Le mari de la coiffeuse (1990) were nominated for Césars for Best Director and Best Film. He was nominated for a Golden Palm at Cannes for Monsieur Hire and for a Golden Palm and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film for Ridicule. His other features include Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine (1981), Ma femme s'appelle reviens (1982), Circulez, y'a rien à voir (1983), Les spécialistes (1985), Tango (1993), Le parfum d'Yvonne (1994), Les grands ducs (1996), 1 chance sur 2 (1998), La fille sur le pont (1999), La veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000), Félix et Lola (2001), Rue des plaisirs (2002), L'homme du train (2002), Confidences trop intimes (2004), and Dogora-ouvrons les yeux (2004), a musical documentary. He revisits his "Bronzés" motif with Les Bronzés 3: amis pour la vie (2005).