Jacques Besnard

Jacques Besnard was born on 15 July 1929 in Le Petit-Quevilly, Seine-Maritime, France. He began his career in 1962 as the first assistant to director André Hunebelle, after having had some previous experience as an actor in 1955 and as an assistant director under Maurice Régamey, Yves Robert and Alberto Lattuada between 1956 and 1961. Besnard worked alongside Hunebelle on movies such as: Les Mystères de Paris (1962), Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117 (1964), Fantômas (1964), Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117 (1965) and Fantômas se déchaîne (1965). It was during this time that Besnard met actor Louis de Funès when they worked together on the two Fantômas movies.[4][5]

The Pavillon Ledoyen restaurant in Paris which was masked as Septime for the exterior shots of Le Grand Restaurant.

Besnard would go on to direct his own movie titled Le Grand Restaurant in 1966, which he co-wrote with Jean Halain and Louis de Funès. It starred de Funès and Bernard Blier as the main characters of the comedy film, and ranked as the eighth-most-popular film at the French box office that year. In 1967 Besnard would go on to direct the comedy film Le Fou du labo 4 starring Jean Lefebvre and Bernard Blier, from which he attainted much acclaim and public popularity. Besnard directed a few Boulevard comedies in the 1970s with varying degrees of success. He most notably worked as assistant director under Gérard Oury in the 1973 comedy Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob, starring Louis de Funès. However, by the 1980s, Besnard left the silver screen to focus on directing opportunities for television shows and movies.[6][7] [8]

Jacques Besnard died on 9 November 2013 in Boutigny-Prouais, Eure-et-Loir, France, aged 84. He is the father of French director Éric Besnard.[9][10]