Léo Joannon

Léo Joannon
Born	21 August 1904 France
Died	28 March 1969 (aged 64) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1930–1967

Léo Joannon (21 August 1904 – 28 March 1969) was a French writer and film director. Born in Aix-en-Provence,^[1] Joannon was originally a law student who became a novelist and journalist before entering the film industry in the 1920s as a cameraman.^[2]

Joannon first attracted international attention in early 1939 during the production of S.O.S. Mediterranean, when his attempts to include shots of a German naval ship docked in the port of Tangier created a diplomatic incident between the pre-World War II French and German governments. The film later won the Grand Prix du Cinema Français.^[3]

Joannon is best known to international audiences as the director of the comedy film Atoll K (1951), which was the final motion picture starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Among his other films were Le Defroque (1954) and Fort du Fou/Outpost in Indochina (1962).^[2]

Joannon died in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Selected filmography

• The Voice of Happiness (1931)
• Suzanne (1932)
• 600,000 Francs a Month (1933)
• Excursion Train (1936)

See also

• Amour de poche (1957)

References

1. Turner Classic Movies profile
2. New York Times/Allmovie profile
3. New York Times review, 31 December 1939 (fee required for access)

External links

• Léo Joannon in the Internet Movie Database