Éric Rohmer

Éric Rohmer (1920–2010) was born Maurice Schérer in the province of Lorraine. After moving to Paris and befriending cinephiles and future directors Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, and François Truffaut, among others, he began writing, editing, and publishing film criticism under a pseudonym supposedly cobbled together from the names of  director Erich von Stroheim and pulp author Sax Rohmer, respectively. Gradually following the lead of his fellow Cahiers du Cinéma contributors from theory to practice, Rohmer went on to direct more than twenty acclaimed feature films, including My Night at Maud’s, Claire’s Knee, and The Green Ray.