Jules Dassin was an Academy Award-nominated director, screenwriter and actor best known for his films _Du rififi chez les hommes . Jules Dassin died of complications caused by a flu, on April 1, 2008, at age 96, at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece. He is survived by two daughters and grandchildren.
Has at least two daughters and one son.
Named as a communist before the House Un-American Activities Committee by fellow directors Edward Dmytryk Frank Tuttle in 1952. This caused Dassin, who had quit the Communist Party in 1939 after a brief membership, to be blacklisted and forced him to move to France where he became more famous and successful than he ever was in the United States.
His son, Joe Dassin (1938-1980), became one of Frances most popular singers, with hits such as "Bip Bip", "LEt Indien" and "Aux Champs-lyses.".
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 190-195. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.
Father of Julie Dassin.
In 1968, was nominated for two Tony Awards: as Best Director and as author of the book of Best Musical nominee "Ilya, Darling," a musical version of his film Pote tin Kyriaki .
Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1979.
Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1984.
Became an assistant to Alfred Hitchcock in 1940.
Du rififi chez les hommes is widely considered the prototype for films such as Oceans Eleven and Mission: Impossible . Dassin himself made another film based on "Rififi," his 1964s Topkapi .
His film Du rififi chez les hommes was called "the benchmark all succeeding heist films have been measured against," by the LA film critic Kenneth Turan when the film was re-released in 2000.
Directed two actors to Oscar nominations: Melina Mercouri (Best Actress, Pote tin Kyriaki ), and Peter Ustinov (Best Supporting Actor, Topkapi ). Ustinov won an Oscar for his performance.
