Savary, Jérôme

(June 27, 1942, Buenos Aires, Argentina-)

   His father was a writer and his mother the daugh­ter of Frank Higgins, a New York State governor. In France since 1947, he moved to Paris to study music before enrolling in the Ecole of Art Décoratifs. At age nineteen, he went to New York, where he dedicated himself to his passion, jazz music, and met Count Ba-sie, Thelonious Monk, and stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce. Having returned to France, he created a theat­rical company, La Compagnie Jérôme Savary, and co-founded Le Grand Théâtre Panique with Arrabal and Copi. In 1968, he formed a new troupe that soon be­came famous, Le Grand Magic Circus et ses Animaux tristes. After the dissolution of the group, he directed many plays and operas, wrote the music for two films (1972 Ça va, ça vient, Pierre Barouh; 1973 La Vie facile, also co-screenwriter, actor, Francis Warin, shot in 1971), and managed several theaters. He authored the following books: 1974 Le Grand Magic Circus et ses Animaux tristes (Editions Belfond); 1985 La Vie privée d'un Magicien ordinaire (Editions Ramsay); 1991 Ma Vie commence à 20h30 (Editions Stock); Marilyn Montreuil (novel, Editions de l'Archipel); 1996 Jérôme Savary, un Enfant dans la Tête (by Colette Godard, Editions du Rocher); Magic Circus, 1966-1996, 30 Ans d'Aventures et d'Amour (Editions Bernard Chevry); 2000 Habana Blues (novel, Editions Grasset); 2004 Dictionnaire amoureux du Spectacle (Editions Plon).

 Filmography

1975 ◘ Le Boucher, la Star et l'Orpheline (also co-screenwriter, actor, co-lyricist; shot in 1973)

        ◘ La Fille du Garde-Barrière / UK: The Gatekeeper's Daughter (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, actor)