Eugène Lourié

Russian-born French art director and director who gained a significant reputation, particularly as a collaborator with director Jean Renoir. At the age of sixteen, Lourié went to Paris where he studied painting and stage design. He designed sets and costumes for various ballet companies before turning his attention to film. After working as co-art director on a few films, including two for Renoir, Lourié took over as sole art director for Renoir's La Grande Illusion (1937). Lourié worked steadily with Renoir, and went to America with him in 1941. He also was art director for Charles Chaplin's last American film, Limelight (1952). He branched into directing, specializing in, of all things, giant-monster films, often art directing and doing special effects on them as well. He continued as a respected art director into the 1980's. Following a series of strokes, Lourié died of heart failure at the reported age of 89, although most reference works list a birth year of 1905, which would have made him approximately 86. He was survived by his wife Laure and a daughter.