Mitterrand, Frédéric

(August 21, 1947, Paris, France - )

   The nephew of French President François Mitterrand (1916-1996), he had his first professional contact with cinema as an actor (under the pseudonym of Frédéric Robert) in Fortunat / S.S. operazione Fortunat (Alex Joffé, France / Italy, 1960). Having graduated with a bachelor's degree in history and geography from the faculty of Nanterre and a diploma from the Paris Political Studies Institute, he taught economics, history, and geography from 1968 to 1971. Then he ran art house movie theaters (Olympic Entrepôt, En­trepôt, Olympic Olympic Palace, 1971-1986). Known only by movie buffs until the mid-1980s, he won huge fame with French TV audiences thanks to programs he hosted and sometimes produced (1981-1986 Etoiles, Etoiles; 1986-1987 Acteur Studio; 1987-1988 Permis­sion de Minuit; 1987-1992 Etoiles; 1987-1988 Destins; 1990 Etoile Palace; 1988-1991 Du Côté de chez Fred). He authored a dozen books (novels, essays), including a much-debated autobiographical account (2005 La Mauvaise Vie, Editions Robert Laffont), and produced movies (1975 Né, as associate producer, Jacques Richard; 1987 Avril brisé, as delegate producer, Liria Bégéja). Other credits (as actor): 1974 Dites-le avec des Fleurs / Diselo con flores (Pierre Grimblat, France / Spain); 1975 Le Triangle écorché (Pierre Kalfon); 1976 Les Conquistadores (Marco Pauly); L'Assassin musicien / USA: The Musician Killer (Benoît Jacquot, shot in 1974); 1979 Roberte (Pierre Zucca); La Mémoire courte (Eduardo de Gregorio); 1981 Merry-Go-Round (Jacques Rivette, shot in 1977); 1983 Cinématon (short, as him­self, Gérard Courant); 1987 Jeux d'Artifices (Virginie Thévenet); 1988 Sueurs froides (episode "La Sublime Aventure", René Manzor); 1997 Mon Copain Rachid (short, as narrator, Philippe Barassat); 1998 Que la Lumière soit! / USA: Let There Be Light (Arthur Joffé, shot in 1996-1997); 2001 Folle de Rachid en Transit sur Mars (segment "Mon Copain Rachid", Philippe Barassat); Bécassine—Le Trésor Viking (animation, voice only, Philippe Vidal); 2003 Les Clefs de Bagnole (voice only, Laurent Baffie); 2004 Le Fantôme d'Henri Langlois / UK: Henri Langlois: The Phantom of the Cinemathèque (documentary, as himself, Jacques Richard).

 Filmography

1982 ◘ Lettres d'Amour en Somalie (documentary; also screenwriter)

1984 ◘ Paris vu par . . . (segment "Rue du Bac"; also screenwriter)

1995 ◘ Madame Butterfly (also screenwriter, adapter; France / UK / Japan)

 Television Filmography

2001 ◘ Je suis la Folle de Brejnev (also screenwriter)

2003 ◘ La Délivrance de Tolstoï (documentary)