Screenwriter and director Maurice Tourneur was born Maurice Thomas in the Parisian suburb of Belleville on February 2, 1873, the son of a jewelry merchant. He was trained and employed as a graphic designer and a magazine illustrator as a young man. After serving in a French artillery unit in northern Africa, he became an assistant to sculptor 'Auguste Rodin' .
Father of Jacques Tourneur
In 1921, some French journalists demanded that Tourneur not be allowed to return to the U.S. after a visit to France. Jean-Louis Croze of "Comoedia" denounced Tourneur for having spent the years of World War I in America, thus avoiding military service. Croze accused the director of cowardice for having emigrated to America to "[save] his life, while so many of his compatriots lost theirs." However, as it turned out, Tourneur--born Maurice Thomas--had in his youth served in the artillery in the French forces in North Africa. Due to his good command of English, he had been sent by the French studio Eclair to Fort Lee, NJ, to manage its American studio.
Co-founder of Associated Producers, Inc., 1919.
Founder/President of Maurice Tourneur Productions, formed in 1918.
