Michel Hazanavicius
A cinephile magician who conjured Oscar glory from a silent, black-and-white love letter to Hollywood's forgotten era.
Born 1967 (age 59)·French film director, producer and screenwriter·Birthday: March 29·Generation X
Biography
Michel Hazanavicius operates with the joyful precision of a film scholar who also loves a good gag. Born in Paris in 1967, he cut his teeth in French television, directing commercials and comedy sketches, which honed his visual wit and timing. His breakthrough came with the 'OSS 117' spy parodies, starring Jean Dujardin as a hilariously oblivious secret agent. These films were more than just spoofs; they were meticulously crafted homages to the Technicolor aesthetics of 1960s cinema, proving Hazanavicius's deep love for and understanding of film history. That passion culminated in 'The Artist,' a project many deemed commercial folly: a silent, black-and-white film about the end of the silent era. Made with his frequent collaborators, actor Dujardin and wife Bérénice Bejo, the film was a dazzling crowd-pleaser that triumphed at Cannes and then swept the 2012 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture and Best Director. In that moment, Hazanavicius didn't just make a nostalgic film; he made the very language of early cinema feel thrillingly contemporary.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Michel was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Michel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Award for Best Director for the silent film 'The Artist' in 2012.
- Directed 'The Artist,' which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the first primarily silent film to do so since 1929.
- Created the successful 'OSS 117' film series, revitalizing the French spy parody genre with a distinct visual style.
- Earned the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his lead actor Jean Dujardin in 'The Artist.'
Did You Know?
His wife, actress Bérénice Bejo, starred in 'The Artist'; her character's name, Peppy Miller, was a nod to the film's producer, Thomas Langmann.
He began his career directing French television commercials.
The dog in 'The Artist,' Uggie, became an international star and even 'wrote' a paw-tographed memoir.
He is the brother of the French film critic Serge Hazanavicius.
“Silent film is not a limitation, it's an aesthetic choice. It's like deciding to make a film in black and white.”
