Guy Maurice Lux (21 June 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a French TV host and producer best known for his 1961 creation of the game show Intervilles and its numerous spinoffs.[1] During his 40 year career, he produced, directed, hosted, and wrote more than 40 television shows.[2]
Guy Lux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Guy Maurice Lux 21 June 1919 |
| Died | 13 June 2003 (aged 83) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Resting place | Saint-Gratien Cemetery in Val-d'Oise |
| Spouse(s) | Paulette Lisle, 1942–1995 (her death) |
| Partner(s) | Vonny (extramarital) Muriel Montossey (extramarital) |
| Children | 6 (2 deceased) |
| Career | |
| Show | Intervilles |
| Network | RTF, ORTF, FR3, TF1 |
| Show | Top Club |
| Network | Antenne 2 |
| Style | Television host Television producer |
| Country | France |
Biography
editLux was born Guy Maurice Lux on 21 June 1919 in Paris, France, and had Alsatian ancestry.[1][2][3][4] He attended Lycée Arago for high school[citation needed] then École Estienne for university. He studied fine arts and applied arts and studied to be a lyricist.[5][6][4] In 1939, he joined the war effort as an ambulance driver but was taken prisoner by enemy troops.[4][3] He escaped and joined the French Resistance and later the Allied troops.[4][3][7] After the war, he was awarded the Escapees' Medal and a Croix de Guerre.[3][7]
Due in part to the economic conditions in post-war France, Lux had difficulty finding buyers for his songs.[6][8][5][3] In the 1940s, he ran a hardware store in Asnières-sur-Seine, where he would set up games for his customers to play, especially during the Tour de France.[5] He did not start working in media until 1952.[3]
Television career
editLux hosted his first game show, Contact, in 1960. This show would later become La roue tourne, which he hosted alongside Jean-Francois Chiappe and Marina Gray in 1960-1964.[5][3] Another significant game show he hosted was Intervilles in 1962-1964, 1970-1971, 1973, and 1985-1991, almost the entire time with Léon Zitrone, Simone Garnier, and Claude Savarit. This show was based on the Italian programme Campanile sera and later inspired the British show It's a Knockout.[4][2][3] He created and hosted the spinoffs Jeux sans frontières (all-Europe competition), Interneige (continuation of Jeux sans frontières), Intercontinents (international competition), Interglace (winter competitions), and Interchallenges.[4][2][5][9] He also hosted Ring Parade and its sequel Système 2 and the popular variety show Le Schmilblick,[9][6][2][5] which popularized the word schmilblick, similar to the English thingamajig.[citation needed] He created and produced the shows La Classe, La Une est à vous, Succès fous, Capitale d'un soir, and L'Or à l'appel as well.[5][3][9]
Though he mainly worked with television, he appeared, oftentimes as a fictionalized version of himself, in several films, including Clémentine chérie (1964), Bang Bang (1967), Les fous du stade (1972), Comme sur des roulettes (1977), and Le Bourreau des cœurs (1983).[5] He also wrote and composed the song "A la queue leu leu" which was sung by André Bézu, and recorded a comedy song called "Le Tango d'Intervilles" with co-host Léon Zitrone.[5][10] In 2021, Lux and Zitrone were featured in the documentary Les Duos mythiques de la television as one of France's legendary duos.[11][12] He wrote and directed Drôles de zèbres in 1977 and in 1980 created his own production company, People Production.[5]
He retired from his television career in 1993, due largely to his age and the new talent available elsewhere.[5][13]
Personal life
editLux was known to enjoy betting on horses, so much so that there is now a race called Prix Guy Lux et Léon Zitrone held in Paris.[14][15][3] Sophie Darel, with whom he worked for 15 years on a number of shows, described him as "very anxious" and angry because of it, though she still had affection for him since his violent outbursts lasted only briefly.[13][16][17] In 1994, Lux started Pas d'enfants sans vacances (English: No child without vacation), which takes children from families who cannot afford vacations over the summer holidays to the beach and/or countryside.[18][5][3][19]
Lux married Paulette Lisle in 1942 and the couple had two children: Christiane (1942-1964) and Michel (1943-present).[4] Christiane died in a car accident in 1964 and Lux and his wife raised her 3-month old son, Jean-Christophe Lauduique, in her place.[4] Jean-Christophe and actress Ariane Séguillon are parents to Dorian Lauduique of the French DJ duo Ofenbach.[20][21] Jean-Christophe released music under the name Christophe Jenac in the 1980s.[4]
Lux had at least two extramarital affairs during his marriage to Paulette, resulting in four illegitimate children, three of which he never publicly acknowledged.[21][4] Pierre, mothered by actress and TV host Vonny.[21][4] He had another daughter, Laura-Charlotte, with actress Muriel Montossey. This was revealed following Laura-Charlotte's death on 26 May 1993 at 16 months old, when her death certificate, which included Lux's name, was published in newspapers and tabloids across France.[22][21]
Lux died on 13 June 2003 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He is buried in Saint-Gratien Cemetery in Val-d'Oise alongside his wife Paulette and daughter Christiane.[4][14]
Selected filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Show type | Role(s) | Episodes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–1968, 1979–1981 | Le palmarès des chansons | Music competition | Self, producer | 65 | [6][23] |
| 1969 | Le schmilblic | Game show | Host | 2 | [9] |
| 1971 | Les étoiles de la chanson | Music competition | Host, executive producer | 11 | [23] |
| 1962–1971 | Intervilles | Game show | Host, creator, writer, producer | 21 | [5] |
| 1971–1973 | Cadet Rousselle | Variety show | Host, producer | 28 | [3] |
| 1974 | Domino | Music | Host, producer | 17 | [23] |
| French CanCan | Host, producer | 8 | [13] | ||
| 1975–1976 | Samedi est à vous | Music competition | Presenter, producer | [23][24] | |
| Ring Parade | Music competition | Host, producer | 64 | [9] | |
| Système 2 | Music competition | Host, producer | 64 | [9][23] | |
| 1977 | Un taxi en or | Variety show, soap opera | Host, creator | [23] | |
| 1978–1981 | Top Club | Music competition | Host, producer | 88 | [25] |
| 1965–1982 | Jeux sans frontières | Game show | Host, creator, writer | 56 | [4][5] |
| 1983–1985 | Cadence 3 | Variety show | Host, writer (1 ep), producer | 50 | [23] |
| 1987 | La classe | Variety show | Producer | 45 | [9][23] |
| 1989 | La une est à vous | Competition | Creator, writer, songwriter, producer | 1 | [5][24] |
| 1992 | Double jeu | Talk show | Self | 1 | [14] |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Clémentine chérie | Self | [5] | |
| 1967 | Bang Bang | Guy Descartes, Sheila's uncle | [5] | |
| 1972 | Les fous du stade | Self | [5] | |
| 1977 | Drôles de zèbres | Self (uncredited), director, writer | [5] | |
| La Bastille en chantant | Host, producer | TV special | [23] | |
| Comme sur des roulettes | Guy Lux | [5] | ||
| 1980 | Sur son 31 | Self, producer | TV special | [26] |
| 1983 | Le Bourreau des cœurs | Guy Lux | [5] | |
| 1996 | L'Or à l'appel | Writer | [5] |
References
edit- ^ a b Muller, Véronique (23 June 2019). "Généalogie: les racines alsaciennes de Guy Lux" (in French). DNA. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Perrone, Pierre (24 June 2003). "Guy Lux". Independent. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Biane, Patrick (22 April 2020). "Guy Lux, le Tiercé c'était son dada". Equidia (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Guy Lux" (in French). Gala. n.d. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "GUY LUX, le père des « Jeux » : présentateur et producteur français de 1965 à 1982" (in French). JSFnet. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d "L'animateur Guy Lux est mort" (in French). Le Monde. 13 June 2003. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Dave : "Le grand-père de Jacques Martin était le cuisinier du tsar Nicolas II"" (in French). France Dimanche. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Lebelley, Frédérique (24 June 1983). "1983 – Guy Lux, les secrets de l'amuseur public" (in French). L'Express. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bonnet, Dominique (10 January 2015). "L'ancien château de Guy Lux en piteux état - Un ambitieux projet qui n'a pas vu le jour". Paris Match. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Les pionniers" (in French). linternaute. n.d. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Les Duos mythiques de la télévision" (in French). FranceTV pro. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Michel, Ugo (5 February 2021). "Guy Lux : à cause de quel drame ses cheveux étaient-ils devenus blancs en une nuit ?". TeleStar. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Sophie Darel : "Travailler avec Guy Lux ? Ce n'était pas facile du tout !"" (in French). Europe 1. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Guy Lux, l'animateur fidèle à Saint-Gratien" (in French). Le Parisien. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "PRIX GUY LUX ET LEON ZITRONE" (in French). Equidia. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ ""Il était magnifique" : Sophie Darel se confie sur son histoire avec Mike Brant auprès de Faustine Bollaert (VIDEO)". Tele-Loisirs. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Terrade, Xavier (5 February 2021). "VIDÉO – « Guy Lux a jeté un séchoir à la tête d'une assistante » : Sophie Darel l'admirait quand même" (in French). Gala. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Michalik, Marie-Liévine (28 July 2020). "Cet été, un enfant sur quatre ne partira pas en vacances" (in French). Le Figaro. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "L'association Pas d'enfants sans vacances au parc" (in French). Le Parisien. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Guy Lux : ce DJ à la mode qui n'est autre que son arrière-petit-fils" (in French). Gala. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d Alfonso Almeida, Laura (24 March 2021). "amour caché, déces de sa fille, coup de sang... La vie tourmentée de l'animateur Guy Lux" (in French). Planet fr. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Monnier, Thomas (5 February 2021). "Flashback – Guy Lux : sa double vie avec Muriel Montossey révélée par la mort de leur enfant" (in French). Gala. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "EMISSIONS TV Un Taxi en or" (in French). Toutela tele. n.d. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ a b Coudène, Eric (n.d.). "La Une est à vous / Samedi est à vous (1973-1976)" (in French). Sens Critique. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Top Club" (in French). Melody. n.d. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Sur son 31" (in French). Melody. n.d. Retrieved 26 April 2022.