Paris - French director Jean Delannoy, who made more than 50 films in a career spanning over 60 years, has died at age 100, his family said Thursday. Born near Paris on January 12, 1908, Delannoy began his movie career in the 1920s as an actor. He soon became a film editor and then directed short films, before becoming a full-fledged director in 1934.
Delannoy is best known outside of France for his 1956 version of Victor Hugo's classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which starred Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo and Gina Lollobrigida as Esmeralda.
He also directed several movies featuring the popular sleuth Inspector Maigret, created by Georges Simenon. The most successful of these films was Maigret Sets a Trap, starring French film idol Jean Gabin.
Delannoy was roundly criticized by the French New Wave directors, such as Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, who accused him of being too academic.
But French President Nicolas Sarkozy was apparently a fan of his. In a statement, Sarkozy called Delannoy "a great director who successfully devoted his life to his passion for art and thereby contributed to our country's prestige."
