Georges Méliès
Directing
🎂 1861-12-09
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.
Cast credits(147)
Magician (archive footage from "The Vanishing Lady")
2019
Professor Barbenfouillis / The Moon
1902
Mephisto
1897
Self (archive footage)
1979
Self (archive footage)
1978
1904
Lamplighter
1903
Archivo de imagen
2023
Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
1997
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
2011
le gnome de la pendule / le suisse à l'entrée de l'église
1899
The Melomaniac
2021
Le professeur Mabouloff
1912
Le locataire diabolique
1909
Robinson Crusoé
1902
The Chemist / The India Rubber Head
1901
Satan
1904
1901
Mabouloff
1904
Drunk Traveler
1906
1907
1901
Self (archive footage)
2014
Magician
1899
Satan
1906
Devil
1903
Astronomer
1898
Le chevalier mystère
1899
Barbe-bleue
1901
Conjurer
1898
Satan
1907
1902
1899
1903
un profanateur de la tombe de Cléopâtre
1899
Ulysses (uncredited)
1905
1908
Mephistopheles
1896
Self (archive footage)
2012
The Fakir
1908
The Police Inspector
1908
Passerby
1908
Musketeer
1903
Mephistopholes
1903
Gulliver
1902
1909
1897
1904
Beggar
1900
Ali Barbouyou
1907
1904
1911
Père de Jeanne
1900
Professor of Astronomy
1907
The Traveler
1897
The Man
1900
1903
1904
Prince Bel-Azor
1903
Man
1896
1901
The Magician
1909
Artiste
1900
L'illusioniste
1899
Pygmalion
1898
1903
Devil
1912
Himself
1929
Self (archive footage)
2021
The Sorcerer Khalafar (uncredited)
1905
1903
The Magician
1898
All the members of the orchestra
1900
The Executioner
1903
The Magician
1905
The Sleeping Man (uncredited)
1899
1903
1905
The Rag-and-Bone Man / Beggar on Crutches / Coal Seller
1904
1902
1902
1904
The Captain
1897
Devil
1903
1901
L'homme qui essaie de dormir
1896
Prince
1900
1899
1905
1904
1903
Excelsior
1901
1903
The Fairy Carabosse
1906
Le fantôme de César
1908
1903
The Bill Poster
1906
Un joueur de cartes
1896
Man with whiskers
1904
1904
The Wizard
1901
The Funny Mahometan
1897
Fernand Labori
1899
Tribolet
1907
1903
The brahmin
1901
Le comique excentrique
1900
The Magician
1900
The Old Farmer
1908
Doctor
1902
1903
The Devil
1899
The Hindoo Magician
1902
Gnome
1908
1901
1906
1906
Le magicien
1896
1908
Himself (archive footage)
1939
Le commissaire de police
1907
1903
1903
1898
The Man
1900
1903
Himself
1896
2024
1903
1903
1905
Méphistophélès
1897
Le Sculpteur
1898
The Magician / The Double
1904
1905
Rip Van Winkle
1905
Conjurer
1900
The Man in the Checked Suit
1897
1904
1904
Wrestler
1900
1907
1899
1904
1901
The Roman
1908
1907
Directing (346)
Director
1900
Director
1902
Director
1897
Director
1908
Director
1896
Director
1908
Director
1907
Director
1902
Director
1896
Director
1904
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1897
Director
1906
Director
1897
Director
1898
Director
1899
Director
2021
Director
1905
Director
1912
Director
1909
Director
1902
Director
1901
Director
1904
Director
1901
Director
1904
Director
1902
Director
1897
Director
1906
Director
1906
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1901
Director
1909
Director
1899
Director
1899
Director
1906
Director
1900
Director
1903
Director
1898
Director
1899
Director
1901
Director
1897
Director
1903
Director
1899
Director
1898
Director
1907
Director
1902
Director
1904
Director
1899
Director
1897
Director
1903
Director
1899
Director
1905
Director
1908
Director
1896
Director
1898
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1900
Director
1912
Director
1903
Director
1901
Director
1903
Director
1902
Director
1909
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1898
Director
1908
Director
1897
Director
1896
Director
1906
Director
1904
Director
1900
Director
1907
Director
1904
Director
1911
Director
1900
Director
1913
Director
1903
Director
1908
Director
1901
Director
1907
Director
1897
Director
1900
Director
1900
Director
1905
Director
1905
Director
1908
Director
1907
Director
1898
Director
1908
Director
1904
Director
1899
Director
1907
Director
1904
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1897
Director
1900
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1907
Director
1904
Director
1903
Director
1900
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1908
Director
1896
Director
1901
Director
1909
Director
1900
Director
1899
Director
1898
Director
1904
Director
1908
Director
1905
Director
1903
Director
1897
Director
1905
Director
1912
Director
1929
Director
1908
Director
1896
Director
1898
Director
1900
Director
1902
Director
1905
Director
1903
Director
1908
Director
1898
Director
1900
Director
1903
Director
Director
1899
Director
1905
Director
1900
Director
1899
Director
1899
Director
1897
Director
1903
Director
1905
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1904
Director
1902
Director
1902
Director
1902
Director
1904
Director
1905
Director
1900
Director
1897
Director
1903
Director
1901
Director
1896
Director
1900
Director
1903
Director
1901
Director
1908
Director
1899
Director
1905
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1904
Director
1899
Director
1904
Director
1906
Director
1903
Director
1899
Director
1904
Director
1901
Director
1900
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1906
Director
1899
Director
1908
Director
1906
Director
1906
Director
1900
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1903
Director
1906
Director
1903
Director
1896
Director
1906
Director
1904
Director
1904
Director
1900
Director
1901
Director
1905
Director
1905
Director
1906
Director
1908
Director
1897
Director
1900
Director
1904
Director
1896
Director
1902
Director
Director
1904
Director
1899
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1904
Director
1901
Director
1908
Director
1901
Director
1902
Director
1904
Director
1900
Director
1900
Director
1907
Director
1907
Director
1903
Director
1901
Director
1908
Director
1907
Director
1898
Director
1911
Director
1908
Director
1902
Director
1906
Director
1904
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1903
Director
1899
Director
1901
Director
1896
Director
1902
Director
1906
Director
1908
Director
1901
Director
1899
Director
1906
Director
1905
Director
1896
Director
1906
Director
1900
Director
1896
Director
1901
Director
1900
Director
1896
Director
1902
Director
1900
Director
1908
Director
1897
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1899
Director
1905
Director
1907
Director
1897
Director
1903
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1898
Director
1908
Director
1899
Director
1904
Director
1897
Director
1908
Director
1900
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1904
Director
1900
Director
1904
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1896
Director
1899
Director
1899
Director
1901
Director
1903
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1903
Director
1907
Director
1898
Director
1902
Director
1903
Director
1905
Director
1897
Director
1898
Director
1898
Director
1899
Director
1904
Director
1908
Director
Director
1907
Director
1899
Director
1904
Director
1900
Director
1908
Director
1897
Director
1899
Director
1898
Director
1905
Director
1905
Director
1900
Director
1904
Director
1905
Director
1905
Director
1905
Director
1908
Director
1900
Director
1904
Director
1897
Director
1899
Director
1899
Director
1905
Director
1904
Director
1902
Director
1902
Director
1908
Director
1904
Director
1907
Director
1902
Director
1904
Director
1900
Director
1897
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1896
Director
1899
Director
1904
Director
1906
Director
1897
Director
1898
Director
1901
Director
1907
Director
1908
Director
1898
Director
1908
Director
1908
Director
1904
Director
1907
Writing (26)
Screenplay
1902
Screenplay
1897
Screenplay
1912
Screenplay
1909
Screenplay
1902
Screenplay
1904
Screenplay
1906
Screenplay
1903
Screenplay
1898
Adaptation
1901
Writer
1896
Writer
1902
Screenplay
1900
Screenplay
1897
Writer
1900
Screenplay
1903
Screenplay
1909
Original Film Writer
1908
Writer
1896
Writer
1900
Screenplay
1899
Screenplay
1905
Writer
1906
Writer
1896
Screenplay
1903
Screenplay
1905
Production (39)
Producer
1902
Producer
1897
Producer
1899
Producer
2021
Producer
1912
Producer
1909
Producer
1902
Producer
1901
Producer
1904
Producer
1906
Producer
1903
Production Designer
1898
Producer
1898
Producer
1901
Producer
1898
Producer
1896
Producer
1898
Producer
1904
Producer
1900
Producer
1897
Producer
1903
Producer
1896
Producer
1909
Producer
1905
Producer
1900
Producer
1899
Producer
1905
Producer
1904
Producer
1896
Producer
1900
Producer
1899
Producer
1905
Producer
1901
Producer
1906
Producer
1906
Producer
1902
Producer
1896
Producer
1905
Producer
1907
Art (23)
Production Design
1902
Production Design
1897
Production Design
1899
Production Design
1909
Production Design
1902
Production Design
1904
Production Design
1906
Production Design
1903
Production Design
1901
Production Design
1896
Production Design
1900
Production Design
1897
Production Design
1903
Production Design
1896
Production Design
1909
Production Design
1905
Production Design
1896
Production Design
1899
Production Design
1905
Production Design
1906
Production Design
1896
Production Design
1905
Production Design
1907
