Biography
Michel Hazanavicius — director (the artist) with roots in the Russian Empire
Michel Hazanavicius, born 29 March 1967 in Paris, is a French film director. His silent film The Artist (2011) won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Hazanavicius, and he also won the César and BAFTA for Best Director. He directed the spy parodies OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009).
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — Lithuania; Poland
Born in Paris in 1967 into a Jewish family; his grandparents, of Lithuanian and Polish origin, settled in France in the 1920s. Their towns and birth years are not given in the sources consulted.
Family Tree
Subject
Michel Hazanavicius🇫🇷 France
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Grandparents
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Origin
Lithuania; Poland🇷🇺 Russian Empire
Historical context
Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917
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Lithuania; Poland. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
The Artist (2011) — 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Hazanavicius)
02
The Artist was the first non-American, non-British film to win Best Picture, and the first mainly silent winner since Wings
03
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)
04
César Award for Best Director — The Artist (2012)
05
BAFTA Award for Best Director — The Artist (2012)
Sources