Goscinny, René

(August 4, 1926, Paris, France - November 5, 1977, Paris, France)

   Born to a family of Jewish Polish-Ukrainian parents, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his fam­ily in 1928. After the death of his father in 1943, he had to find a job, and he earned his living as an assistant accountant in a tire recovery factory. He made his debut as an illustrator in an advertising agency. In 1945, he went to New York. After several difficult years, he became a drawer for a studio and befriended the future great names of Mad magazine (Jack Davis, Will Elder, and Harvey Kurtzman) and two young Belgians, Joseph Gillain and Maurice de Bevere, who were known as two masters of Euro­pean comics under the pseudonyms of Gigé and Morris. Having returned to Paris in 1951, he was chief of the local office of the World Press Agency for several years and soon thereafter began a fruitful col­laboration as a screenwriter with one of his employ­ees, Albert Uderzo, a drawer of Italian descent who had started his career after World War II, creating such comic strips as "Flamberge", "Clopinard", "Bell­boy", and "Arys Buck." He co-created with his new friend several comic strips: "Bill Blanchart", "Jehan Pistolet", "Benjamin et Benjamine", "Oumpah-pah", and the internationally famous "Astérix and Obélix", who lived their first adventures in the cult comics magazine Pilote in 1959. From 1961 (Astérix le Gaulois, Editions Dargaud) to 1979 (Astérix chez les Belges, Editions Dargaud), twenty-four albums would follow (Uderzo carried on the publication of "Astérix and Obélix" as screenwriter, drawer, and publisher until today). In 1959, he wrote the first volume of Le Petit Nicolas, including nineteen stories illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé. Reedited with a constant success for fifty years, Le Petit Nicolas (Editions Denoël, 1960), Les Récrés du petit Nicolas (seventeen stories, Editions Denoël, 1961), Les Vacances du petit Nicolas (eighteen stories, Editions Denoël, 1962), Le Petit Nicolas et ses Copains (Editions Denoël, 1963), and Joachim a des Ennuis / reedited under the title Le Petit Nicolas a des Ennuis (Editions Denoël, 1964) are regarded as clas­sics by French readers and literary critics. Parallel to his activities as editor in chief of Pilote (1960-1977), he invented new characters and series (Iznogoud with Tabary as drawer, 1961; Les Dingodossiers, 1967-1972). He also co-wrote screenplays for films (1964 Tous les Enfants du Monde, also co-author of original characters, André Michel; Tintin et les Oranges bleues / El misterio de las naranjas azules / Tintin y el misterio de las naranjas azules, Philippe Condroyer, France / Spain; 1972 Le Viager, also co-producer, Pierre Tchernia; 1974 Les Gaspards / De rare snuiters / UK: The Holes / USA: The Down-in-the-Hole Gang, Pierre Tchernia, France / Belgium) and TV (1967 Deux Romains en Gaule, short, Pierre Tchernia; 1972 Aujourd'hui à ParisF Pierre Tchernia; 1976 Mini-Chroniques, 26 X 13', Jean-Marie Coldefy). Several movies and TV series were based on his works and the characters he created (1971 Le Juge / AllOvest di Sacramento / USA: Judge Roy Bean / Trouble in Sacramento, Richard Owens = Jean Girault, France / Italy, shot in 1969; 1974 Atini seven kovboy / Red kit daltonlara karsi, Aram Gulyuz, Turkey; 1983 Les Dalton en Cavale / Les Dalton en balade / Lucky Luke—Das grosse Abenteuer, animation, Joseph Barbera, William Hanna, Morris, Ray Pat­terson, France / West Germany / USA; 1984 Lucky Luke, 26 X 25', animation, France / USA; 1985 Astérix et le Surprise de César / USA: Asterix Versus Caesar, animation, Gaëtan and Paul Brizzi; 1986 Astérix chez les Bretons, animation, Pino Van Lamsweerde; 1989 Astérix et le Coup du Menhir / Asterix—Operation Hinkelstein, Philippe Grimond, France / West Germany; 1991 Lucky Luke, TV series, Terence Hill, Italy / USA; 1992 Lucky Luke, animation TV series, Philippe Landrot, France / Belgium; 1993 Lucky Luke, 8 X 60', Terence Hill, Ted Nicolaou, Italy / USA; 1994 Asterix et les Indiens / Asterix erobert Amerika / UK: Asterix Conquers America / USA: Asterix in America, animation, Gerhard Hahn, France / Germany; 1995 Iznogoud, ani­mated TV series, Bruno Bianchi; 1999 Astérix et Obélix contre César / Asterix e Obelix contro Cesare / Asterix & Obelix gegen Caesar / UK: Asterix and Obelix Take On CaesarF Claude Zidi, France / Italy / Germany; 2002 Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre / Asterix & Obelix / Mission Kleopatra / UK and USA: Asterix & Obelix: Mis­sion Cleopatra / USA: Asterix and Obelix Meet CleopatraF Alain Chabat, France / West Germany; 2005 Iznogoud, Patrick Braoudé; 2006 Astérix et les Vikings / Asterix og Vikingerne, animation, Stefan Fjeldmark, Jesper Moller, France / Denmark; Rantanplan, animated TV series, Hugo Gittard; 2008 Astérix aux Jeux olympiques / As­térix alle Olimpidi / Asterix bi den Olympischen Spielen / Asterix en los juegos olimpicos / UK: Asterix and the Ol­ympic Games, Frédéric Forestier, Thomas Langmann, France / Italy / Germany / Spain / Belgium; 2009 Lucky Luke, James Huth, France / Argentina). He appeared in a TV movie (1974 Bons Baisers d'Astérix) and in ar­chives used for a documentary (1998 René Goscinny: Profession Humoriste, as himself, Michel Viotte).

 Filmography

        ◘ Astérix le Gaulois / UK: Asterix and the Gaul (animation; co-director with Ray Goossens, Albert Uderzo; also co-author of original comic book)

        ◘ Astérix et Cléopâtre / UK: Asterix and Cleopatra (animation; co-director with Lee Payant, Al­bert Uderzo; also co-author of original book, voice; France / Belgium)

1971 ◘ Lucky Luke / Daisy Town (animation; co-director with Morris; also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer; France / Belgium)

1976 ◘ Les Douze Travaux d'Astérix / Canada: The Twelve

        ◘ Tasks of Asterix (animation; co-director with Henri Gruel, Albert Uderzo, Pierre Watrin; also co-author of original comic book, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer)

1978 ◘ La Ballade des Dalton (animation; co-director with Henri Gruel, Morris; also co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, voice)