Georges Méliès
Directing
Born: December 8, 1861 · Paris, France
Died: January 21, 1938 (aged 76)
Highest Rated
Biography
Georges Méliès (December 8, 1861 - January 21, 1938), full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. One of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, tracking shots, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his work, Méliès pioneered effects that would define cinematic special effects for decades to come. A prolific innovator in the use of special effects, Méliès accidentally discovered the substitution stop trick in 1896, a method of creating seamless disappearing and/or appearing effects used throughout both films and television for decades to come. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Méliès is sometimes referred to as the first "Cinemagician". Two of his best-known films are A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films, though their approach is closer to fantasy. Méliès was also an early pioneer of horror cinema, which can be traced back to his Le Manoir du diable (1896). In early 1909 Méliès stopped making films to protest Thomas Edison's Motion Pictures Parents Company monopoly, and presided over the first meeting of the International Filmmakers Congress in Paris. Further financial hardships created by his opposition to Edison and diminishing influence, Méliès disappeared from public life. By the mid-1920s he made a meager living as a candy and toy salesma in Paris, with the assistance of funds collected by other filmmakers. Although he was recognized for his contributions in cinema, Méliès spent most of his later years in poverty before being accepted into La Maison du Retraite du Cinéma, the film industry's retirement home in Orly.
Known for
A Trip to the Moon
1902
The Astronomer's Dream
1900
Le manoir du diable
1896
The Impossible Voyage
1904
The Four Troublesome Heads
1898
The Man with the Rubber Head
1901
Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
1898
The Vanishing Lady
1896
Cinderella
1899
The One-Man Band
1900
A Nightmare
1896
The Infernal Cauldron
1903
Photos (3)
Movies (131)
A Trip to the Moon
Professeur Barbenfouillis / La Lune
The Four Troublesome Heads
Фокусник
Cinderella
le gnome de la pendule / le suisse à l'entrée de l'église
The Impossible Voyage
Mabouloff
Le manoir du diable
Мефістофель
The Witch
The Fairy Carabosse
A Desperate Crime
1906
The Black Imp
1905
The Astronomer's Dream
Астроном
The One-Man Band
All the members of the orchestra
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1907
A Nightmare
Man
The Man with the Rubber Head
Аптекар / Гумова голова
The Infernal Cauldron
Devil
The Bewitched Inn
The Traveler
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoé
Bluebeard
Barbe-bleue / The Devil / Kitchen's assistant
The Conquest of the Pole
Le professeur Mabouloff
The Infernal Cake-Walk
Devil
A Terrible Night
L'homme qui essaie de dormir
The Living Playing Cards
The Magician
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Принц Бель-Азор
Long Distance Wireless Photography
1908
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
The Sorcerer Khalafar (uncredited)
The Vanishing Lady
Фокусник
The Mermaid
1904
Alcoléa & cie Documentary
2024
Apparitions
1903
Playing Cards
Un joueur de cartes
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
1905
A Moonlight Serenade
1903
Tunneling the English Channel
1907
The Wandering Jew
1904
Faust and Marguerite
Méphistophélès
The Clockmaker's Dream
1904
Rip's Dream
Rip Van Winkle
Cleopatra's Tomb
un profanateur de la tombe de Cléopâtre
The Knight of the Snow
Devil
The Temptation of St. Anthony
Saint Antoine
The Magician
Le Sculpteur
Méliès: Tales of Terror
The Melomaniac
Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
Various Roles
Cinderella or The Glass Slipper
Prince's Messenger
Not Guilty
The Old Farmer
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Gulliver
The Wonderful Living Fan
1904
An Impossible Balancing Feat
The Magician
The Doctor's Secret
1909
The Christmas Angel
The Rag-and-Bone Man / Beggar on Crutches / Coal Seller
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
Wrestler
Joan of Arc
Père de Jeanne
The Mysterious Portrait
L'illusioniste
Le château hanté
Mephisto
A Roadside Inn
Drunk Traveler
The Monster
The priest
The Pillar of Fire
1899
Naval Combat in Greece
The Captain
The Mysterious Retort
1906
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Satan
The Mysterious Knight
Le chevalier mystère
The New Lord of the Village
Le fantôme de César
The Treasures of Satan
1902
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
The Roman
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
Magician
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
The Executioner
Good Glue Sticks
1907
The Dwarf and the Giant
1901
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
Professor of Astronomy
Faust in the Underworld
Mephistopholes
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
The brahmin
The Human Fly
The Hindoo Magician
Les infortunes des patineurs
Passerby
The Prolific Magical Egg
1902
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
1903
The King and the Jester
Tribolet
The Prince of Magicians
Excelsior
The Mystical Flame
1903
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
Ulysses (uncredited)
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
The Man
Summoning the Spirits
1899
Pygmalion and Galatea
Pygmalion
The Triple Headed Lady
1901
The Devil in a Convent
The Devil
The Mysterious Box
1903
The Dreyfus Affair
Fernand Labori
The Hilarious Posters
The Bill Poster
Between Calais and Dover
The Man in the Checked Suit
Whimsical Illusions
The Magician
Hat of Many Surprises
1901
Jupiter's Thunderballs
1903
The Diabolic Tenant
Le locataire diabolique
A Mesmerian Experiment
1905
Gugusse and the Automaton
Gugusse
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
Le commissaire de police
Delirium in a Studio
Ali Barbouyou
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
1903
The Magic Book
The Magician
The Cook in Trouble
1904
The Untamable Whiskers
Man with whiskers
The Artist and the Dummy
Artiste
The Famous Box Trick
The Magician
The Oracle of Delphi
1903
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
Conjurer
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
The Magician / The Double
Sure Cure for Indigestion
Doctor
Extraordinary Illusions
1903
The Magician's Cavern
1901
The Christmas Dream
Beggar
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Prince
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
Lamplighter
Tit for Tat
1904
The Melomaniac
1903
The Devil and the Statue
1901
The Firefall
Satan
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Prince
The Magic Lantern
1903
The Ballet Master's Dream
1903
The Devilish Plank
1904
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
1904
In the Barber Shop
1908
Satans Sacrilegious Saga
Devil
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
Le marié
A Midnight Episode
The Sleeping Man (uncredited)
The Marvellous Wreath
1903
The Diabolical Church Window
1911
Satan in Prison
Satan
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
1904
French Cops Learning English
The Police Inspector
The Lilliputian Minuet
1905
A Fantastical Meal
The Man
The Fugitive Apparitions
1904
Self / Appearances (9)
The Extraordinary Voyage
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The Méliès Mystery
Self (archive footage)
El hombre que quiso ser Segundo
Self (archive footage)
Gala Méliès
Himself
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès
Self (archive footage)
Violons d'Ingres
Himself (archive footage)
The Magic of Méliès
Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
Cinematógrafo 1900
Self (archive footage)
Conjuring
Himself
Directing (242)
A Trip to the Moon
Director
The Four Troublesome Heads
Director
Cinderella
Director
The Impossible Voyage
Director
Le manoir du diable
Director
The Witch
Director
A Desperate Crime
Director
The Black Imp
Director
The Astronomer's Dream
Director
The Spider and the Butterfly
Director
The One-Man Band
Director
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Director
A Nightmare
Director
The Fight of Reporters
Director
The Man with the Rubber Head
Director
The Infernal Cauldron
Director
The Bewitched Inn
Director
Robinson Crusoe
Director
An Extraordinary Dislocation
Director
Bluebeard
Director
The Conquest of the Pole
Director
Gala Méliès
Director
The Voyage of M. Bourrichon
Director
Off to Bedlam
Director
The Infernal Cake-Walk
Director
A Terrible Night
Director
The Living Playing Cards
Director
The Broken Violin
Director
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Director
Long Distance Wireless Photography
Director
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Director
The Vanishing Lady
Director
The Mermaid
Director
An Adventurous Automobile Trip
Director
Apparitions
Director
Playing Cards
Director
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Director
The Flea
Director
A Moonlight Serenade
Director
Tunneling the English Channel
Director
The Wandering Jew
Director
Faust and Marguerite
Director
The Clockmaker's Dream
Director
Rip's Dream
Director
Cleopatra's Tomb
Director
The Knight of the Snow
Director
The Temptation of St. Anthony
Director
The Magician
Director
Méliès: Tales of Terror
Director
The Attempt Against the Life of Maitre Labori
Director
Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
Director
Adventures of William Tell
Director
Cinderella or The Glass Slipper
Director
Not Guilty
Director
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Director
The Wonderful Living Fan
Director
Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
Director
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Director
The Doctor's Secret
Director
The Magic Dice
Director
The Christmas Angel
Director
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
Director
The Mysterious Portrait
Director
Joan of Arc
Director
Le château hanté
Director
A Roadside Inn
Director
Buncoed Stage Johnnie
Director
The Monster
Director
How Bridget's Lover Escaped
Director
The Microscopic Dancer
Director
The Pillar of Fire
Director
The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen
Director
Carrefour de l'opéra
Director
A Miracle Under the Inquisition
Director
A Soldier's Unlucky Salutation
Director
A Tricky Painter’s Fate
Director
Naval Combat in Greece
Director
The Mysterious Retort
Director
How He Missed His Train
Director
The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood
Director
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Director
The Mysterious Knight
Director
The New Lord of the Village
Director
The Treasures of Satan
Director
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
Director
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
Director
The Good Shepherdess and the Evil Princess
Director
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
Director
Good Glue Sticks
Director
A Spiritualist Photographer
Director
After the Ball
Director
The Dwarf and the Giant
Director
The Misfortunes of an Explorer
Director
Comical Conjuring
Director
Cooks fight
Director
Soap Bubbles
Director
The Luny Musician
Director
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
Director
Faust in the Underworld
Director
The Hallucinated Alchemist
Director
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
Director
Boxing Match
Director
The Human Fly
Director
Les infortunes des patineurs
Director
Les malheurs d'un photographe
Director
His First Job
Director
Sightseeing Through Whisky
Director
The Prolific Magical Egg
Director
Rogues' Tricks
Director
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Director
The Court Martial at Rennes
Director
The Coronation of Edward VII
Director
Arrival of a Train at Vincennes Station
Director
The King and the Jester
Director
The Prince of Magicians
Director
The Mystical Flame
Director
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
Director
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
Director
Summoning the Spirits
Director
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Director
Pygmalion and Galatea
Director
Pharmaceutical Hallucinations
Director
Jack Jags and Dum Dum
Director
The Triple Headed Lady
Director
The Devil in a Convent
Director
The Mysterious Box
Director
Post No Bills
Director
A Terrible Night (Remake)
Director
The Dreyfus Affair
Director
The Hilarious Posters
Director
Between Calais and Dover
Director
The Witch's Revenge
Director
Whimsical Illusions
Director
Hat of Many Surprises
Director
Jupiter's Thunderballs
Director
The Diabolic Tenant
Director
A Mesmerian Experiment
Director
The Colonel's Shower Bath
Director
Gugusse and the Automaton
Director
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
Director
Delirium in a Studio
Director
The Knight of Black Art
Director
The Dream of an Opium Fiend
Director
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
Director
Justinian's Human Torches
Director
The Miser
Director
Les tribulations d'un concierge
Director
The Magic Book
Director
The Prophetess of Thebes
Director
Grandmother's Tale and Child's Dream
Director
The Cook in Trouble
Director
The Untamable Whiskers
Director
The Famous Box Trick
Director
The Artist and the Dummy
Director
The Damnation of Faust
Director
A Serpentine Dance
Director
The Oracle of Delphi
Director
An Improvised Fireworks Display
Director
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
Director
Punch and Judy
Director
The Cook's Revenge
Director
The Bath
Director
Les Mousquetaires de la reine
Director
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
Director
Sure Cure for Indigestion
Director
Extraordinary Illusions
Director
The Magician's Cavern
Director
The Drawing Lesson
Director
The Enchanted Sedan Chair
Director
The Christmas Dream
Director
The Degradation of Dreyfus
Director
The Terrible Eruption of Mount Pelee and Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique
Director
Conjuring
Director
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Director
The Stick
Director
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
Director
The Devil's Laboratory
Director
Tit for Tat
Director
Arrival of a Train (Joinville Station)
Director
The Unexpected Bath
Director
The Tramp and the Mattress Makers
Director
The Doctor and the Monkey
Director
The Melomaniac
Director
Sideshow Wrestlers
Director
The Devil and the Statue
Director
Jack the Chimney Sweep
Director
The Firefall
Director
Devil's Island - Within the Palisade
Director
Dreyfus Put in Irons
Director
Robert Macaire and Bertrand
Director
Humanity Through the Ages
Director
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Director
Miss de Vère - English Jig
Director
The Enchanted Well
Director
The Bachelor's Paradise
Director
Dreyfus Leaving the Lycée for Jail
Director
The Magic Lantern
Director
Dreyfus Court Martial - Arrest Of Dreyfus
Director
In the Bogie Man's Cave
Director
Suicide of Colonel Henry
Director
Fencing at the Joinville School
Director
The Magician and the Imp
Director
The Ballet Master's Dream
Director
The Devilish Plank
Director
Christ Walking on Water
Director
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
Director
Dreyfus Meets His Wife at Rennes
Director
In the Barber Shop
Director
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
Director
Eight Girls in a Barrel
Director
Addition and Subtraction
Director
The Surrender of Tournavos
Director
The Last Cartridges
Director
The Bewitched Trunk
Director
The Coup of Pere Francois
Director
D. Devant, Conjurer
Director
A Mix-Up in the Gallery
Director
Extravagant Struggles
Director
A Midnight Episode
Director
Little Red Riding Hood
Director
The Wonderful Rose Tree
Director
The Marvellous Wreath
Director
What Is Home Without the Boarder
Director
The Inn Where No Man Rests
Director
The Diabolical Church Window
Director
Satan in Prison
Director
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
Director
Conjurer Making Ten Hats in Sixty Seconds
Director
The Skipping Cheese
Director
The Genii of Fire
Director
Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon
Director
French Cops Learning English
Director
The Scheming Gambler's Paradise
Director
A Woman Surprised
Director
The Lilliputian Minuet
Director
An Irritable Model
Director
A Fantastical Meal
Director
The Fugitive Apparitions
Director
The Clown and Automobile
Director
A Crazy Composer
Director
Bois de Boulogne
Director
Ten Ladies in an Umbrella
Director
Writing (33)
A Trip to the Moon
Screenplay
The Four Troublesome Heads
Writer
Cinderella
Writer
The Impossible Voyage
Screenplay
Le manoir du diable
Writer
The Witch
Writer
The Astronomer's Dream
Screenplay
The Infernal Cauldron
Screenplay
The Bewitched Inn
Screenplay
Robinson Crusoe
Screenplay
Bluebeard
Adaptation
Bluebeard
Writer
The Conquest of the Pole
Screenplay
A Terrible Night
Writer
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Screenplay
Excursion to the Moon
Original Film Writer
Playing Cards
Writer
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Screenplay
Rip's Dream
Screenplay
Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
Writer
Cinderella or The Glass Slipper
Writer
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Writer
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Story
Joan of Arc
Screenplay
Le château hanté
Screenplay
The Pillar of Fire
Screenplay
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Screenplay
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Screenplay
Whimsical Illusions
Screenplay
The Diabolic Tenant
Screenplay
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Writer
Sideshow Wrestlers
Writer
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Writer
Producing (40)
A Trip to the Moon
Producer
The Four Troublesome Heads
Producer
Cinderella
Producer
The Impossible Voyage
Producer
Le manoir du diable
Producer
The Witch
Producer
The Black Imp
Producer
The Astronomer's Dream
Production Designer
The Astronomer's Dream
Producer
The One-Man Band
Producer
A Nightmare
Producer
The Man with the Rubber Head
Producer
The Infernal Cauldron
Producer
The Bewitched Inn
Producer
Robinson Crusoe
Producer
Bluebeard
Producer
The Conquest of the Pole
Producer
A Terrible Night
Producer
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Producer
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Producer
The Vanishing Lady
Producer
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Producer
Tunneling the English Channel
Producer
The Wandering Jew
Producer
Rip's Dream
Producer
Méliès: Tales of Terror
Producer
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Producer
The Christmas Angel
Producer
Joan of Arc
Producer
Le château hanté
Producer
The Pillar of Fire
Producer
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Producer
The Human Fly
Producer
The Prince of Magicians
Producer
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Producer
The Hilarious Posters
Producer
Whimsical Illusions
Producer
The Diabolic Tenant
Producer
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Producer
A Midnight Episode
Producer
Other Crew (41)
A Trip to the Moon
Production Design
A Trip to the Moon
Editor
The Four Troublesome Heads
Special Effects
The Four Troublesome Heads
Editor
Cinderella
Production Design
The Impossible Voyage
Production Design
Le manoir du diable
Production Design
The Witch
Production Design
The Astronomer's Dream
Editor
The Astronomer's Dream
Special Effects
The One-Man Band
Special Effects
A Nightmare
Editor
A Nightmare
Production Design
The Man with the Rubber Head
Special Effects
The Infernal Cauldron
Production Design
The Bewitched Inn
Production Design
The Bewitched Inn
Editor
Robinson Crusoe
Production Design
Bluebeard
Production Design
The Conquest of the Pole
Director of Photography
A Terrible Night
Production Design
ORG
Thanks
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Production Design
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Editor
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Production Design
The Vanishing Lady
Editor
The Vanishing Lady
Production Design
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Production Design
Tunneling the English Channel
Production Design
Rip's Dream
Production Design
Violons d'Ingres
Additional Photography
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Special Effects
Joan of Arc
Production Design
Le château hanté
Production Design
The Pillar of Fire
Production Design
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Production Design
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Director of Photography
Whimsical Illusions
Production Design
The Diabolic Tenant
Production Design
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Director of Photography
Sideshow Wrestlers
Director of Photography