Alain Corneau

Alain Corneau was a Cesar Award-winning French writer-director best known for his multiple collaborations with French cinema superstars Yves Montand, Simone Signoret and Gérard Depardieu. Born on August 7, 1943 in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret, Corneay trained as a musician but switched his interest to film, becoming an assistant director. He was an assistant director on Costa-Gavras's 1970 film The Confession (1970) ("The Confession"), which co-starred Montand and Signoret. In 1974 he made the transition to the director's chair, helming France Inc. (1974), a movie about drug dealers. His next policier starred Montand as a a Dirty Harry-like dick in Police Python 357 (1976) (1976), which co-starred Montand's wife Signoret. He followed it up with another crime drama starring Montand, La menace (1977) (1977). Corneau finished up his crime cycle with Choice of Arms (1981) (1981), which starred Montand, Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve. The movie was released in the United States as "Choice of A