Born October 30, 1932, in Thumeries, France; died of lymphoma, November 23, 1995, in Beverly Hills, CA. Filmmaker, screenwriter, author. A noted directorof films classified as French New Wave Cinema, Malle crafted motion picturesthat addressed provocative themes--such as incest, child prostitution, suicide, organized crime, and assisting the enemy during wartime--without passing judgment. Malle is also acknowledged for making films dealing with deeply personal themes, such as the highly acclaimed Au Revoir les enfants, Murmur of the Heart, and the documentary series Phantom India. Malle began his work as afilmmaker in the early 1950s as an assistant to oceanographer and documentaryfilmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Le Monde de Silence, directed by Malle andCousteau, won numerous awards, including an Academy Award and the Cannes FilmFestival's Golden Palm. Before venturing off on his own as a director, Mallenext worked as an assistant to Robert Bresson and then as a cinematographerfor Jacques Tati. His first solo work as a director was 1957's Ascenseur pourl'Echafaud and received the Prix Delluc. During the 1960s, Malle worked as atelevision correspondent in Algeria, Vietnam, and Thailand. Later in the 1960s he ventured to India and ultimately created the documentary series PhantomIndia for the British Broadcasting Corporation. The work earned acclaim worldwide but was banned in India because of its depiction of the nation's poverty. In the 1970s, Malle directed films such as Murmur of the Heart, about a boy's incestuous affair with his mother, Lacombe, Lucien, featuring a bored, slow-witted French boy's efforts to aid the Nazis, and Pretty Baby, starring Brooke Shields as a twelve-year-old prostitute in New Orleans. Malle, who oftenwrote the screenplays for his films, received an Academy Award nomination for his script for Murmur of the Heart. His work in the 1980s included AtlanticCity, a look at a small- time gangster, My Dinner with Andre, a unique filmencompassing about two hours of a dinner conversation, and Au Revoir les enfants, a semi-autobiographical account of school life during his youth. The latter film centered on several Jewish children who are hidden in a boys schoolduring World War II, but who are later discovered by Nazis and sent to deathcamps. The work was honored by the Venice Film Festival and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. His films in the 1990s included Milov en Maiand Damage, starring Jeremy Irons. His last film was 1994's Vanya on 42nd Street, showing the staging of Anton Chekhov's play. In 1994, Malle made a guestappearance on the American television series Murphy Brown, which starred hisreal-life wife, Candice Bergen.
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