Pierre Tchernia
Pierre Tchernia | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pierre Tcherniakowski January 29, 1928 Paris, France |
| Died | October 8, 2016 (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, screenwriter, presenter, animator, actor |
| Known for | French cinema and television; narrator and screenwriter for Asterix films; host of Monsieur Cinéma |
Pierre Tcherniakowski (29 January 1928 – 8 October 2016), widely recognized as Pierre Tchernia, was a distinguished figure in French cinema and television, known for his roles as a producer, screenwriter, presenter, animator, and actor. In France, he was affectionately dubbed "Magic" Tchernia and Monsieur Cinema.
Early life
Tchernia was born in Paris as the youngest sibling among four children to a Ukrainian immigrant father who worked as an engineer and a mother who was a seamstress. He spent his childhood in Courbevoie. At the age of 12, after viewing John Ford's 1939 film Stagecoach, he developed a passion for cinema. This interest led him to enroll in a technical school specializing in film and photography before advancing his studies at the Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies.
Career
In 1949, Tchernia played a role in launching France's inaugural televised news broadcast and was among its first presenters. By 1955, he had transitioned into producing animation, drawing inspiration from early works by Walt Disney. He became the host of the enduring French film quiz show Monsieur Cinéma and also presented an array of talk shows, variety programs, quizzes, and music broadcasts such as La Clé des champs. Between 1958 and 1974, he regularly served as the French commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest on fourteen occasions.
On 14 July 2011, he received the prestigious title of Commandeur of the Legion of Honor.
Asterix
Tchernia maintained a close friendship with Asterix creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, contributing as narrator to numerous original French Asterix films and scripting four of them. He was often depicted humorously within the series, appearing in various roles such as an interviewer, Roman officer, centurion, or legionary across multiple albums and adaptations, including the animated movie Asterix Versus Caesar. His caricature also features in the Lucky Luke animated film La Ballade des Dalton (1978).
Filmography (selected)
- 1949: participated in France's first television news broadcast
- 1961: hosted L'Ami Public n°1, a series focused on Walt Disney films
- 1963: wrote screenplay for Carom Shots
- 1965: appeared as actor in Pleins feux sur Stanislas
- 1966: awarded the Rose d'Or at Montreux festival; hosted TV quiz show Monsieur Cinéma
- 1968: adapted and wrote screenplay for Asterix and Cleopatra
- 1971: contributed lyrics for Daisy Town (Lucky Luke)
- 1976: served as screenwriter and narrator for The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
- 1978: wrote screenplay for The Ballad of the Dalton Gang (Lucky Luke)
- 1985–1986: scripted adaptations of Asterix Versus Caesar and Asterix in Britain
- 2002: acted and narrated in Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
- 2006: provided narration for Asterix and the Vikings