Georges Méliès
Known For: Directing
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: December 9, 1861
Day of Death: January 21, 1938 (76 years old)
Place of Birth: Paris, France
Georges Méliès (December 9, 1861 - January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. One of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, tracking shots, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his work, Méliès pioneered effects that would define cinematic special effects for decades to come. A prolific innovator in the use of special effects, Méliès accidentally discovered the substitution stop trick in 1896, a method of creating seamless disappearing and/or appearing effects used throughout both films and television for decades to come. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the first "Cinemagician". Two of his best-known films are A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy. Méliès was also an early pioneer of horror cinema, which can be traced back to his Le Manoir du diable (1896). In early 1909 Méliès stopped making films to protest Thomas Edison's Motion Pictures Parents Company monopoly, and presided over the first meeting of the International Filmmakers Congress in Paris. Further financial hardships created by his opposition to Edison and diminishing influence, Méliès disappeared from public life. By the mid-1920s he made a meager living as a candy and toy salesma in Paris, with the assistance of funds collected by other filmmakers. Although he was recognized for his contributions in cinema, Méliès spent most of his later years in poverty before being accepted into La Maison du Retraite du Cinéma, the film industry's retirement home in Orly.
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1912
Actor Le professeur Mabouloff
The Conquest of the Pole
Actor Devil
The Knight of the Snow
Director
The Conquest of the Pole
Screenplay
The Conquest of the Pole
Director
The Knight of the Snow
Director
Cinderella or The Glass Slipper
Producer
The Conquest of the Pole
Director of Photography
The Conquest of the Pole
1911
1909
Actor Le locataire diabolique
The Diabolic Tenant
Actor The Magician
Whimsical Illusions
Actor
The Doctor's Secret
Actor Gnome
Fortune Favors the Brave
Producer
The Diabolic Tenant
Screenplay
The Diabolic Tenant
Production Design
The Diabolic Tenant
Producer
Whimsical Illusions
Screenplay
Whimsical Illusions
Production Design
Whimsical Illusions
Director
The Diabolic Tenant
Director
The Spider and the Butterfly
Director
Whimsical Illusions
Director
The Doctor's Secret
Director
Fortune Favors the Brave
1908
Actor The Fakir
The Indian Sorcerer
Actor
Long Distance Wireless Photography
Actor The Roman
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
Director
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
Director
The Indian Sorcerer
Director
Long Distance Wireless Photography
Director
Buncoed Stage Johnnie
Director
A Tricky Painter’s Fate
Director
The King and the Jester
Director
Not Guilty
Director
The Knight of Black Art
Director
The Good Shepherdess and the Evil Princess
Director
The Dream of an Opium Fiend
Director
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
Director
The Mischance of a Photographer
Director
The New Lord of the Village
Director
The Miser
Director
French Cops Learning English
Director
Justinian's Human Torches
Director
The Broken Violin
Director
The Genii of Fire
Director
Grandmother's Tale and Child's Dream
Director
Why That Actor Was Late
Director
The Woes of Roller Skaters
Director
In the Barber Shop
Director
His First Job
Director
Sideshow Wrestlers
Director
Pharmaceutical Hallucinations
Director
Mishaps of the New York-Paris Auto Race
Director
Humanity Through the Ages
Original Film Writer
Excursion to the Moon
Director
L'agent gelé
1907
Actor Ali Barbouyou
Ali Barbouyou and Ali Bouf, In Oil
Actor Satan
Satan in Prison
Actor
Good Glue Sticks
Actor Professor of Astronomy
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
Actor
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Actor
Tunneling the English Channel
Director
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
Director
Good Glue Sticks
Director
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Director
Tunneling the English Channel
Director
The Skipping Cheese
Director
Ali Barbouyou and Ali Bouf, In Oil
Director
Sightseeing Through Whisky
Director
Rogues' Tricks
Director
Satan in Prison
Director
How Bridget's Lover Escaped
Director
The Prophetess of Thebes
Director
In the Bogie Man's Cave
Director
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Producer
Tunneling the English Channel
Production Design
Tunneling the English Channel
1906
Actor
A Desperate Crime
Actor Satan
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Actor The Bill Poster
The Hilarious Posters
Actor
The Mysterious Retort
Actor The Fairy Carabosse
The Witch
Actor Drunk Traveler
A Roadside Inn
Screenplay
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Production Design
The Witch
Director
The Mysterious Retort
Director
The Hilarious Posters
Director
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Director
Punch and Judy
Director
Soap Bubbles
Director
A Roadside Inn
Director
A Mix-Up in the Gallery
Director
The Witch
Director
The Tramp and the Mattress Makers
Director
A Desperate Crime
Director
Jack the Chimney Sweep
Director
The Luny Musician
Director
Robert Macaire and Bertrand
Writer
The Witch
Producer
The Witch
Producer
The Hilarious Posters
Producer
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Production Design
The Merry Frolics of Satan
1905
Actor The Magician
The Living Playing Cards
Actor
The Black Imp
Actor
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Actor
A Mesmerian Experiment
Actor Rip Van Winkle
Rip's Dream
Actor The Sorcerer Khalafar (uncredited)
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Actor
The Lilliputian Minuet
Director
The Enchanted Sedan Chair
Director
The Scheming Gambler's Paradise
Director
The Living Playing Cards
Director
The Black Imp
Producer
Rip's Dream
Production Design
Rip's Dream
Screenplay
Rip's Dream
Producer
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Screenplay
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Production Design
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Director
A Mesmerian Experiment
Director
The Lilliputian Minuet
Director
The Magic Dice
Director
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Director
An Adventurous Automobile Trip
Director
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
Director
An Improvised Fireworks Display
Director
A Crazy Composer
Director
Rip's Dream
Director
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Director
STOP THIEF!
Producer
The Black Imp
Producer
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Editor
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Production Design
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
1904
Actor Mabouloff
The Impossible Voyage
Actor
The Cook in Trouble
Actor Man with whiskers
The Untamable Whiskers
Actor
The Wandering Jew
Actor
The Wonderful Living Fan
Actor
The Mermaid
Actor
The Clockmaker's Dream
Actor
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
Actor
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
Actor
The Fugitive Apparitions
Actor
Tit for Tat
Actor
The Devilish Plank
Actor The Rag-and-Bone Man / Beggar on Crutches / Coal Seller
The Christmas Angel
Actor The Magician / The Double
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
Actor Satan
The Firefall
Director
The Impossible Voyage
Producer
The Impossible Voyage
Screenplay
The Impossible Voyage
Director
The Untamable Whiskers
Director
The Mermaid
Director
The Cook in Trouble
Director
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Director
The Wandering Jew
Director
The Firefall
Director
The Bewitched Trunk
Producer
The Wandering Jew
Director
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
Director
The Fugitive Apparitions
Director
The Devilish Plank
Director
A Miracle Under the Inquisition
Director
The Clockmaker's Dream
Director
Tit for Tat
Director
The Christmas Angel
Director
Faust and Marguerite
Director
The Wonderful Living Fan
Director
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
Producer
The Christmas Angel
Director
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
Production Design
The Impossible Voyage
Director
The Wonderful Rose Tree
Director
Benvenuto Cellini or A Curious Evasion
Director
The Mischances of a Drunkard
1903
Actor Devil
The Infernal Cauldron
Actor
The Monster
Actor Devil
The Infernal Cakewalk
Actor
The Melomaniac
Actor
Extraordinary Illusions
Actor
Jupiter's Thunderballs
Actor The Executioner
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
Actor
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
Actor
The Ballet Master's Dream
Actor
Apparitions
Actor
The Oracle of Delphi
Actor
A Moonlight Serenade
Actor Mephistopholes
Faust in the Underworld
Actor
The Mystical Flame
Actor Prince Bel-Azor
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Actor
The Magic Lantern
Actor
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Actor
The Mysterious Box
Actor Lamplighter
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
Actor Musketeer
The Marvellous Wreath
Actor
The Enchanted Basket
Actor
Beelzebub's Daughters
Director
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Director
The Monster
Production Design
The Infernal Cauldron
Screenplay
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Screenplay
The Infernal Cauldron
Director
The Infernal Cauldron
Producer
The Infernal Cauldron
Director
The Melomaniac
Director
The Infernal Cakewalk
Director
The Oracle of Delphi
Director
The Marvellous Wreath
Director
The Magic Lantern
Director
Apparitions
Director
The Enchanted Well
Director
Extraordinary Illusions
Director
The Inn Where No Man Rests
Director
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
Director
Faust in the Underworld
Director
Jupiter's Thunderballs
Director
Ten Ladies in an Umbrella
Director
The Mystical Flame
Director
A Moonlight Serenade
Director
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
Director
The Mysterious Box
Director
The Witch's Revenge
Director
The Ballet Master's Dream
Director
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Director
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
Director
Jack Jags and Dum Dum
Director
Comical Conjuring
Director
The Drawing Lesson
Director
A Spiritualist Photographer
Director
Les mousquetaires de la reine
Screenplay
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Producer
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Production Design
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Director
The Enchanted Basket
Director
Beelzebub's Daughters
1902
Actor Professor Barbenfouillis / The Moon
A Trip to the Moon
Actor
The Prolific Magical Egg
Actor
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Actor
The Treasures of Satan
Actor Gulliver
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Actor The Hindoo Magician
The Human Fly
Actor Robinson Crusoé
Robinson Crusoe
Actor Doctor
Sure Cure for Indigestion
Director
A Trip to the Moon
Screenplay
A Trip to the Moon
Producer
A Trip to the Moon
Production Design
A Trip to the Moon
Producer
Robinson Crusoe
Production Design
Robinson Crusoe
Screenplay
Robinson Crusoe
Director
The Colonel's Shower Bath
Director
The Microscopic Dancer
Director
The Magician and the Imp
Director
The Treasures of Satan
Director
The Human Fly
Director
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Director
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Director
The Coronation of Edward VII
Director
Robinson Crusoe
Director
The Terrible Eruption of Mount Pelee and Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique
Director
The Prolific Magical Egg
Editor
A Trip to the Moon
Director
Sure Cure for Indigestion
Director
The Catastrophe of the Balloon "Le Pax"
Director
Cabinet Trick of the Davenport Brothers
Director
Wine Cellar Burglars
Director
Drunkard and Inventor
Director
Coronation of Their Majesties King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria
Director
Marvelous Suspension
Writer
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Producer
The Human Fly
1901
Actor The Chemist / The India Rubber Head
The Man with the Rubber Head
Actor
Hat of Many Surprises
Actor
The Dwarf and the Giant
Actor
The Magician's Cavern
Actor Barbe-bleue
Bluebeard
Actor
The Devil and the Statue
Actor The brahmin
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
Actor The Wizard
A Maiden's Paradise
Actor
The Temple of the Sun
Actor Excelsior
The Prince of Magicians
Actor
The Triple Headed Lady
Adaptation
Bluebeard
Producer
Bluebeard
Production Design
Bluebeard
Director
Bluebeard
Director
The Man with the Rubber Head
Director
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
Director
An Extraordinary Dislocation
Director
The Magician's Cavern
Director
The Bachelor's Paradise
Director
The Prince of Magicians
Director
Hat of Many Surprises
Director
The Dwarf and the Giant
Director
The Devil and the Statue
Director
Off to Bedlam
Director
The Triple Headed Lady
Director
Little Red Riding Hood
Special Effects
The Man with the Rubber Head
Producer
The Man with the Rubber Head
Director
A Maiden's Paradise
Director
The Temple of the Sun
Director
Painless Dentistry
Director
Fun in Court
Director
A Good Trick
Director
The Sacred Fountain
Producer
The Prince of Magicians
1900
Actor All the members of the orchestra
The One-Man Band
Actor Père de Jeanne
Joan of Arc
Actor Wrestler
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
Actor The Man
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
Actor Le comique excentrique
Up-to-Date Spiritualism
Actor Artiste
The Artist and the Dummy
Actor Beggar
The Christmas Dream
Actor Prince
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Actor The Man
A Fantastical Meal
Actor Conjurer
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
Actor The Magician
The Magic Book
Writer
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Producer
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Director
Crying and Laughing
Producer
Joan of Arc
Production Design
Joan of Arc
Screenplay
Joan of Arc
Director
The One-Man Band
Director
Addition and Subtraction
Director
The Cook's Revenge
Director
Joan of Arc
Director
The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood
Director
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Director
The Magic Book
Director
Up-to-Date Spiritualism
Director
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
Director
The Christmas Dream
Director
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
Director
A Fantastical Meal
Director
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
Director
Eight Girls in a Barrel
Director
The Doctor and the Monkey
Director
How He Missed His Train
Director
What Is Home Without the Boarder
Director
The Two Blind Men
Director
The Misfortunes of an Explorer
Director
The Artist and the Dummy
Director
L'homme aux cent trucs
Writer
L'homme aux cent trucs
Director
China Versus Allied Powers
Director
Les miracles du Brahmine
1899
Actor The Sleeping Man (uncredited)
A Midnight Episode
Actor The Gnome of the Clock / The Swiss at the Entrance to the Church
Cinderella
Actor The Devil
The Devil in a Convent
Actor Magician
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
Actor Fernand Labori
The Dreyfus Affair
Actor
Summoning the Spirits
Actor
The Human Pyramid
Actor Le chevalier mystère
The Mysterious Knight
Actor L'illusioniste
The Mysterious Portrait
Actor un profanateur de la tombe de Cléopâtre
Cleopatra's Tomb
Actor
The Pillar of Fire
Producer
Cinderella
Production Design
Cinderella
Director
The Degradation of Dreyfus
Director
Dreyfus Leaving the Lycée for Jail
Production Design
The Pillar of Fire
Screenplay
The Pillar of Fire
Producer
The Pillar of Fire
Director
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
Director
The Devil in a Convent
Director
The Pillar of Fire
Director
The Mysterious Portrait
Director
Dreyfus Court Martial - Arrest Of Dreyfus
Director
Dreyfus Put in Irons
Director
Suicide of Colonel Henry
Director
Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon
Director
Dreyfus Meets His Wife at Rennes
Director
The Attempt Against the Life of Maitre Labori
Director
The Fight of Reporters
Director
The Court Martial at Rennes
Director
The Mysterious Knight
Director
Cinderella
Director
The Dreyfus Affair
Director
Summoning the Spirits
Director
The Human Pyramid
Director
Cleopatra's Tomb
Director
Fantastic Dining Room
Producer
A Midnight Episode
Director
A Midnight Episode
Director
Lightning Change Artist
Director
Extravagant Struggles
Director
Devil's Island - Within the Palisade
Director
Christ Walking on Water
Director
Murder Will Out
Director
The Clown and Automobile
Director
Le conférencier distrait
1898
Actor Conjurer
The Four Troublesome Heads
Actor Astronomer
The Astronomer's Dream
Actor
The Temptation of St. Anthony
Actor Pygmalion
Pygmalion and Galatea
Actor The Magician
The Famous Box Trick
Actor Le Sculpteur
The Magician
Director
The Four Troublesome Heads
Director
Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
Director
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Director
The Famous Box Trick
Director
Adventures of William Tell
Director
The Astronomer's Dream
Director
The Temptation of St. Anthony
Director
The Magician
Director
The Damnation of Faust
Director
Guerre de Cuba et l'explosion du Maine à La Havane
Director
Pygmalion and Galatea
Producer
The Four Troublesome Heads
Special Effects
The Four Troublesome Heads
Director
Visite de l'épave du Maine
Director
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
Director
A Woman Surprised
Director
The Cave of the Demons
Director
Carrefour de l'opéra
Director of Photography
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Producer
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
1897
Actor Méphistophélès
Faust and Marguerite
Actor
The Haunted Castle
Actor The Traveler
The Bewitched Inn
Actor The Captain
Naval Combat in Greece
Actor The Man in the Checked Suit
Between Calais and Dover
Director
The Surrender of Tournavos
Director
Between Calais and Dover
Director
The Bewitched Inn
Director
After the Ball
Director
On the Roof
Director
Naval Combat in Greece
Director
The Last Cartridges
Screenplay
The Bewitched Inn
Producer
The Bewitched Inn
Production Design
The Bewitched Inn
Editor
The Bewitched Inn
Director
The Hallucinated Alchemist
Director
The Devil's Laboratory
Director
Faust and Marguerite
Director
An Irritable Model
Director
Boxing Match
Director
Fencing at the Joinville School
Director
The Grasshopper and the Ant
Director
A Terrible Night (Remake)
Director
D. Devant, Conjurer
Director
The Haunted Castle
1896
Actor L'homme qui essaie de dormir
A Terrible Night
Actor Magician
The Vanishing Lady
Actor Mephistopheles
The Haunted Castle
Actor Un joueur de cartes
Playing Cards
Actor Man
A Nightmare
Actor Himself
Conjuring
Director
Playing Cards
Director
A Terrible Night
Writer
A Terrible Night
Producer
A Terrible Night
Production Design
A Terrible Night
Director
The Vanishing Lady
Director
A Nightmare
Director
Post No Bills
Director
The Haunted Castle
Writer
The Haunted Castle
Producer
The Haunted Castle
Production Design
The Haunted Castle
Writer
Playing Cards
Director
Arrival of a Train at Vincennes Station
Director
Les forgerons
Producer
A Nightmare
Editor
A Nightmare
Production Design
A Nightmare
Director
Arrival of a Train (Joinville Station)
Director
A Serpentine Dance
Director
Watering the Flowers
Director
Conjuring
Director
Les tribulations d'un concierge
Producer
The Vanishing Lady
Editor
The Vanishing Lady
Production Design
The Vanishing Lady
Director
Miss de Vère - English Jig
Director
Conjurer Making Ten Hats in Sixty Seconds
Director
A Soldier's Unlucky Salutation