Frédéric Rossif

Director & actor · born 14 August 1922 · Cetinje, Yugoslavia [now Serbia and Montenegro]

Frédéric Rossif (February 16, 1922 – April 18, 1990) was a French film and television director who specialized primarily in documentaries, frequently using archive footage. Rossif's common themes included wildlife, 20th-century history and contemporary artists. He frequently collaborated with notable composers Maurice Jarre and Vangelis.

Rossif was born in Cetinje, Montenegro, Yugoslavia. His family was killed during the Second World War. He studied in Rome in late 1930s and early 1940s before joining the French Foreign Legion's 13th Demi-Brigade in 1944. After the war, in 1945 Rossif established himself in Paris and worked at Club Saint-Germain. During those years he got acquainted with Jean-Paul Sartre, Boris Vian, Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway and Malcolm Lowry among others.

Where to start: Auntie Danielle (1990).