Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Born: April 8 1932

Where: Bougogne, France

The filmaker is best known for his 1990 adaptation of Cyrano De Bergerac starring Gerard Depardieu.

The film received five Oscar nominations and won the award for best costume design and also took home 10 Cesars (French Oscars), including best film and director.

After directing shorts in the late 1950s, Rappeneau broke into mainstream movies as Louis Malle's screenplay collaborator on Zazie in the Underground in 1960.

The pair collaborated again on A Very Private Affair and then Rappeneau co-wrote the 007 spoof That Man From Rio, which earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.

He made his directorial debut in 1967 with A Matter of Resistance, the story of a housewife who welcomes German soldiers into her town prior to D-Day.

However, it was Cyrano De Bergerac, which he also co-wrote, that established his reputation as a premier film-maker.

He followed this five years later in 1995 (he takes up to five years out between movies) with The Horseman on the Roof with Juliette Binoche.

Recent work includes the brisk Second World War-set farce Bon Voyage with Isabelle Adjani and Depardieu.