Ferdinand Zecca (19 February 1864 â€" 23 March 1947) was a pioneer
French film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He worked
primarily for the Pathé company, first in artistic endeavors then in
administration of the internationally based company..mw-parser-output
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ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-7 .toclevel-6 ul{display:none}Ferdinand
Louis Zecca was born in Paris on 19 February 1864 into a family
steeped in the entertainment world. His father was the stage manager
at the Paris Théâtre de l'Ambigu while his brothers were actors.
[Note 1] Zecca also became a stage manager and then an actor, before
working as an entertainer, playing the cornet and singing in Parisian
cafés. He was playing the cornet at the Foire au Pain d'épices, when
he encountered filmmaker Léon Gaumont.From 1891, Zecca had worked
occasionally recording voice-overs for phonograph records for the
Pathé Frères company, a pioneer in the cinema and audio recording
industries. After 1895, Pathé became more involved in cinema. Gaumont
first hired Zecca as an actor in 1898 but Zecca directed his first
film for Pathé, an experimental sound production, Le Muet mélomane
(1899) based on a musical Zecca and another artist, Charlus, were
performing. At the request of entrepreneur Georges Dufayel, owner of
the Grands Magasins Dufayel, they acted the piece before a ciné
camera. His next film, Les Méfaits d'une tête de veau (1899) was for
Gaumont.In 1900, unable to personally do the work, Charles Pathé had
Zecca set up the Pathé pavilion in the Paris World Fair (Exposition
Universelle). After seeing his work, Pathé offered Zecca a position
in his film company in Vincennes, first as an assistant to a director.
Engaging Zecca "for a few weeks", he quickly became Pathé's
right-hand man and was soon creating and directing his own films.
French film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He worked
primarily for the Pathé company, first in artistic endeavors then in
administration of the internationally based company..mw-parser-output
.toclimit-2 .toclevel-1 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-3 .toclevel-2
ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-4 .toclevel-3 ul,.mw-parser-output
.toclimit-5 .toclevel-4 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-6 .toclevel-5
ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-7 .toclevel-6 ul{display:none}Ferdinand
Louis Zecca was born in Paris on 19 February 1864 into a family
steeped in the entertainment world. His father was the stage manager
at the Paris Théâtre de l'Ambigu while his brothers were actors.
[Note 1] Zecca also became a stage manager and then an actor, before
working as an entertainer, playing the cornet and singing in Parisian
cafés. He was playing the cornet at the Foire au Pain d'épices, when
he encountered filmmaker Léon Gaumont.From 1891, Zecca had worked
occasionally recording voice-overs for phonograph records for the
Pathé Frères company, a pioneer in the cinema and audio recording
industries. After 1895, Pathé became more involved in cinema. Gaumont
first hired Zecca as an actor in 1898 but Zecca directed his first
film for Pathé, an experimental sound production, Le Muet mélomane
(1899) based on a musical Zecca and another artist, Charlus, were
performing. At the request of entrepreneur Georges Dufayel, owner of
the Grands Magasins Dufayel, they acted the piece before a ciné
camera. His next film, Les Méfaits d'une tête de veau (1899) was for
Gaumont.In 1900, unable to personally do the work, Charles Pathé had
Zecca set up the Pathé pavilion in the Paris World Fair (Exposition
Universelle). After seeing his work, Pathé offered Zecca a position
in his film company in Vincennes, first as an assistant to a director.
Engaging Zecca "for a few weeks", he quickly became Pathé's
right-hand man and was soon creating and directing his own films.
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