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 (130)
A Trip to the Moon
Professeur Barbenfouillis / La Lune
The Impossible Voyage
Mabouloff
Summoning the Spirits
1899
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoé
Cinderella
le gnome de la pendule / le suisse à l'entrée de l'église
A Nightmare
Man
Le manoir du diable
Мефістофель
Bluebeard
Barbe-bleue
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1907
Gugusse and the Automaton
Gugusse
Joan of Arc
Père de Jeanne
The Mermaid
1904
The Infernal Cauldron
Devil
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
Wrestler
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Принц Бель-Азор
Playing Cards
Un joueur de cartes
Le château hanté
Mephisto
The Vanishing Lady
Фокусник
Tunneling the English Channel
1907
The Astronomer's Dream
Астроном
The Conquest of the Pole
Le professeur Mabouloff
The Temptation of St. Anthony
Saint Antoine
The Four Troublesome Heads
Фокусник
Naval Combat in Greece
The Captain
Faust and Marguerite
Méphistophélès
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
1903
Pygmalion and Galatea
Pygmalion
A Terrible Night
L'homme qui essaie de dormir
The Magician
Le Sculpteur
The Pillar of Fire
1899
Between Calais and Dover
The Man in the Checked Suit
Cleopatra's Tomb
un profanateur de la tombe de Cléopâtre
The Infernal Cake-Walk
Devil
In the Barber Shop
1908
The Famous Box Trick
The Magician
The One-Man Band
All the members of the orchestra
The Dreyfus Affair
Fernand Labori
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
Ulysses (uncredited)
The Prince of Magicians
Excelsior
Jupiter's Thunderballs
1903
A Desperate Crime
1906
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
Le commissaire de police
Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
Various Roles
The Devil and the Statue
1901
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Satan
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
1904
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
Professor of Astronomy
The Mysterious Retort
1906
The Diabolic Tenant
Le locataire diabolique
The Black Imp
1905
The Melomaniac
1903
The Man with the Rubber Head
Аптекар / Гумова голова
The Mysterious Portrait
L'illusioniste
The Living Playing Cards
The Magician
The Bewitched Inn
The Traveler
The Witch
The Fairy Carabosse
The Marvellous Wreath
1903
The Dwarf and the Giant
1901
Long Distance Wireless Photography
1908
Whimsical Illusions
The Magician
The Devil in a Convent
The Devil
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Gulliver
Sure Cure for Indigestion
Doctor
The Mystical Flame
1903
The Cook in Trouble
1904
The Human Fly
The Hindoo Magician
The Christmas Angel
The Rag-and-Bone Man / Beggar on Crutches / Coal Seller
The Wandering Jew
1904
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
The Man
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
1905
Les infortunes des patineurs
Passerby
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
The Sorcerer Khalafar (uncredited)
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
Le marié
Apparitions
1903
The Monster
The priest
Satan in Prison
Satan
The Hilarious Posters
The Bill Poster
Alcoléa & cie Documentary
2024
The Prolific Magical Egg
1902
The Untamable Whiskers
Man with whiskers
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
The Roman
A Mesmerian Experiment
1905
Satans Sacrilegious Saga
Devil
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
Magician
Faust in the Underworld
Mephistopholes
The Christmas Dream
Beggar
The New Lord of the Village
Le fantôme de César
Delirium in a Studio
Ali Barbouyou
A Moonlight Serenade
1903
The Mysterious Knight
Le chevalier mystère
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
The brahmin
The King and the Jester
Tribolet
Méliès: Tales of Terror
The Melomaniac
Rip's Dream
Rip Van Winkle
Extraordinary Illusions
1903
The Clockmaker's Dream
1904
Hat of Many Surprises
1901
The Fugitive Apparitions
1904
The Wonderful Living Fan
1904
The Treasures of Satan
1902
An Impossible Balancing Feat
The Magician
The Lilliputian Minuet
1905
Good Glue Sticks
1907
A Midnight Episode
The Sleeping Man (uncredited)
The Magician's Cavern
1901
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
1903
A Roadside Inn
Drunk Traveler
French Cops Learning English
The Police Inspector
The Ballet Master's Dream
1903
Tit for Tat
1904
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Prince
The Artist and the Dummy
Artiste
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
Lamplighter
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
Conjurer
Not Guilty
The Old Farmer
The Diabolical Church Window
1911
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
The Magician / The Double
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
1904
The Devilish Plank
1904
The Mysterious Box
1903
A Fantastical Meal
The Man
The Magic Book
The Magician
The Knight of the Snow
Devil
The Doctor's Secret
1909
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Prince
The Firefall
Satan
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
The Executioner
The Triple Headed Lady
1901
The Magic Lantern
1903
The Oracle of Delphi
1903
Self / Appearances (9)
The Extraordinary Voyage
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Cinematógrafo 1900
Self (archive footage)
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès
Self (archive footage)
El hombre que quiso ser Segundo
Self (archive footage)
Conjuring
Himself
The Magic of Méliès
Self / Various Roles (archive footage)
The Méliès Mystery
Self (archive footage)
Violons d'Ingres
Himself (archive footage)
Gala Méliès
Himself
Directing (241)
A Trip to the Moon
Director
The Impossible Voyage
Director
Summoning the Spirits
Director
Robinson Crusoe
Director
Cinderella
Director
A Nightmare
Director
Le manoir du diable
Director
An Extraordinary Dislocation
Director
Bluebeard
Director
Boxing Match
Director
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Director
Gugusse and the Automaton
Director
Joan of Arc
Director
The Mermaid
Director
Conjuring
Director
The Infernal Cauldron
Director
The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
Director
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Director
Playing Cards
Director
Le château hanté
Director
Punch and Judy
Director
The Vanishing Lady
Director
Tunneling the English Channel
Director
The Astronomer's Dream
Director
The Conquest of the Pole
Director
The Temptation of St. Anthony
Director
The Four Troublesome Heads
Director
Naval Combat in Greece
Director
Faust and Marguerite
Director
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Director
Pharmaceutical Hallucinations
Director
Pygmalion and Galatea
Director
A Terrible Night
Director
The Magician
Director
The Damnation of Faust
Director
The Pillar of Fire
Director
Between Calais and Dover
Director
Cleopatra's Tomb
Director
The Infernal Cake-Walk
Director
In the Barber Shop
Director
After the Ball
Director
The Famous Box Trick
Director
The One-Man Band
Director
The Dreyfus Affair
Director
A Woman Surprised
Director
Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus
Director
The Prince of Magicians
Director
Jupiter's Thunderballs
Director
A Desperate Crime
Director
The Good Luck of a 'Souse'
Director
The Scheming Gambler's Paradise
Director
Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
Director
Justinian's Human Torches
Director
The Devil and the Statue
Director
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Director
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer
Director
How Bridget's Lover Escaped
Director
The Genii of Fire
Director
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon
Director
The Mysterious Retort
Director
The Diabolic Tenant
Director
The Voyage of M. Bourrichon
Director
The Black Imp
Director
The Melomaniac
Director
The Man with the Rubber Head
Director
The Mysterious Portrait
Director
The Living Playing Cards
Director
Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"
Director
Adventures of William Tell
Director
The Surrender of Tournavos
Director
Rogues' Tricks
Director
The Bewitched Inn
Director
The Witch
Director
The Marvellous Wreath
Director
The Coronation of Edward VII
Director
The Dwarf and the Giant
Director
Addition and Subtraction
Director
Long Distance Wireless Photography
Director
An Improvised Fireworks Display
Director
The Spider and the Butterfly
Director
Whimsical Illusions
Director
The Devil in a Convent
Director
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Director
Sure Cure for Indigestion
Director
The Mystical Flame
Director
The Broken Violin
Director
The Terrible Eruption of Mount Pelee and Destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique
Director
Extravagant Struggles
Director
The Cook in Trouble
Director
The Human Fly
Director
The Christmas Angel
Director
The Wandering Jew
Director
Going to Bed Under Difficulties
Director
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Director
Les infortunes des patineurs
Director
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Director
The Bridegroom's Dilemma
Director
Apparitions
Director
His First Job
Director
The Monster
Director
Satan in Prison
Director
The Hilarious Posters
Director
An Adventurous Automobile Trip
Director
Jack the Chimney Sweep
Director
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Director
The Prolific Magical Egg
Director
The Untamable Whiskers
Director
Tribulations; or, The Misfortunes of a Cobbler
Director
A Mesmerian Experiment
Director
Cinderella or The Glass Slipper
Director
The Clown and Automobile
Director
The Good Shepherdess and the Evil Princess
Director
The Hallucinated Alchemist
Director
Off to Bedlam
Director
Arrival of a Train (Joinville Station)
Director
An Up-to-Date Conjurer
Director
Post No Bills
Director
Faust in the Underworld
Director
The Christmas Dream
Director
The Dream of an Opium Fiend
Director
The New Lord of the Village
Director
The Wonderful Rose Tree
Director
Delirium in a Studio
Director
A Miracle Under the Inquisition
Director
A Moonlight Serenade
Director
The Mysterious Knight
Director
The Brahmin and the Butterfly
Director
The King and the Jester
Director
Méliès: Tales of Terror
Director
The Microscopic Dancer
Director
Dreyfus Court Martial - Arrest Of Dreyfus
Director
The Stick
Director
Suicide of Colonel Henry
Director
Rip's Dream
Director
The Enchanted Sedan Chair
Director
The Degradation of Dreyfus
Director
Sightseeing Through Whisky
Director
Extraordinary Illusions
Director
Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon
Director
The Clockmaker's Dream
Director
The Inn Where No Man Rests
Director
The Knight of Black Art
Director
The Miser
Director
Hat of Many Surprises
Director
Grandmother's Tale and Child's Dream
Director
Arrival of a Train at Vincennes Station
Director
The Fugitive Apparitions
Director
The Wonderful Living Fan
Director
The Treasures of Satan
Director
Les Mousquetaires de la reine
Director
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Director
The Lilliputian Minuet
Director
The Last Cartridges
Director
The Skipping Cheese
Director
Robert Macaire and Bertrand
Director
The Magician and the Imp
Director
The Witch's Revenge
Director
The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood
Director
Good Glue Sticks
Director
A Midnight Episode
Director
Little Red Riding Hood
Director
The Magician's Cavern
Director
The Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen
Director
A Serpentine Dance
Director
A Mix-Up in the Gallery
Director
Bob Kick, the Mischievous Kid
Director
A Spiritualist Photographer
Director
Comical Conjuring
Director
A Roadside Inn
Director
The Doctor and the Monkey
Director
French Cops Learning English
Director
Dreyfus Put in Irons
Director
Cooks fight
Director
The Ballet Master's Dream
Director
Tit for Tat
Director
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Director
The Misfortunes of an Explorer
Director
The Artist and the Dummy
Director
Misfortune Never Comes Alone
Director
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head
Director
Dreyfus Leaving the Lycée for Jail
Director
Not Guilty
Director
How He Missed His Train
Director
The Diabolical Church Window
Director
A Wager Between Two Magicians, or, Jealous of Myself
Director
Gala Méliès
Director
In the Bogie Man's Cave
Director
The Tramp and the Mattress Makers
Director
Every Man His Own Cigar Lighter
Director
The Devilish Plank
Director
The Mysterious Box
Director
A Fantastical Meal
Director
The Court Martial at Rennes
Director
A Crazy Composer
Director
The Bath
Director
Humanity Through the Ages
Director
Soap Bubbles
Director
The Bachelor's Paradise
Director
The Bewitched Trunk
Director
Les tribulations d'un concierge
Director
Sideshow Wrestlers
Director
The Magic Book
Director
Devil's Island - Within the Palisade
Director
The Knight of the Snow
Director
The Doctor's Secret
Director
The Devil's Laboratory
Director
The Enchanted Well
Director
A Soldier's Unlucky Salutation
Director
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Director
The Luny Musician
Director
The Firefall
Director
Fencing at the Joinville School
Director
Carrefour de l'opéra
Director
The Cook's Revenge
Director
The Terrible Turkish Executioner
Director
Bois de Boulogne
Director
The Coup of Pere Francois
Director
Dreyfus Meets His Wife at Rennes
Director
The Attempt Against the Life of Maitre Labori
Director
What Is Home Without the Boarder
Director
The Prophetess of Thebes
Director
Christ Walking on Water
Director
Buncoed Stage Johnnie
Director
The Triple Headed Lady
Director
D. Devant, Conjurer
Director
The Magic Lantern
Director
The Fight of Reporters
Director
A Tricky Painter’s Fate
Director
The Drawing Lesson
Director
Ten Ladies in an Umbrella
Director
A Terrible Night (Remake)
Director
Les malheurs d'un photographe
Director
Eight Girls in a Barrel
Director
Conjurer Making Ten Hats in Sixty Seconds
Director
The Flea
Director
Jack Jags and Dum Dum
Director
Miss de Vère - English Jig
Director
The Colonel's Shower Bath
Director
The Oracle of Delphi
Director
The Magic Dice
Director
An Irritable Model
Director
Writing (29)
A Trip to the Moon
Screenplay
The Impossible Voyage
Screenplay
Robinson Crusoe
Screenplay
Le manoir du diable
Writer
Bluebeard
Adaptation
Joan of Arc
Screenplay
The Infernal Cauldron
Screenplay
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Screenplay
Playing Cards
Writer
Le château hanté
Screenplay
The Astronomer's Dream
Screenplay
The Conquest of the Pole
Screenplay
Alcofribas, The Master Magician
Screenplay
A Terrible Night
Writer
The Pillar of Fire
Screenplay
Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913)
Writer
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Screenplay
The Diabolic Tenant
Screenplay
The Bewitched Inn
Screenplay
The Witch
Writer
Excursion to the Moon
Original Film Writer
Whimsical Illusions
Screenplay
Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
Writer
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Screenplay
Rip's Dream
Screenplay
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Story
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Writer
Sideshow Wrestlers
Writer
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Writer
Producing (40)
A Trip to the Moon
Producer
The Impossible Voyage
Producer
Robinson Crusoe
Producer
Cinderella
Producer
A Nightmare
Producer
Le manoir du diable
Producer
Bluebeard
Producer
Joan of Arc
Producer
The Infernal Cauldron
Producer
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Producer
Le château hanté
Producer
The Vanishing Lady
Producer
Tunneling the English Channel
Producer
The Astronomer's Dream
Production Designer
The Astronomer's Dream
Producer
The Conquest of the Pole
Producer
The Four Troublesome Heads
Producer
A Terrible Night
Producer
The Pillar of Fire
Producer
The One-Man Band
Producer
The Prince of Magicians
Producer
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Producer
The Diabolic Tenant
Producer
The Black Imp
Producer
The Man with the Rubber Head
Producer
The Bewitched Inn
Producer
The Witch
Producer
Whimsical Illusions
Producer
The Human Fly
Producer
The Christmas Angel
Producer
The Wandering Jew
Producer
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Producer
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Producer
The Hilarious Posters
Producer
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Producer
Méliès: Tales of Terror
Producer
Rip's Dream
Producer
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Producer
A Midnight Episode
Producer
The Wizard, the Prince and the Good Fairy
Producer
Other Crew (41)
A Trip to the Moon
Production Design
A Trip to the Moon
Editor
The Impossible Voyage
Production Design
Robinson Crusoe
Production Design
Cinderella
Production Design
A Nightmare
Editor
A Nightmare
Production Design
Le manoir du diable
Production Design
ORG
Thanks
Bluebeard
Production Design
Joan of Arc
Production Design
The Infernal Cauldron
Production Design
The Kingdom of the Fairies
Production Design
Le château hanté
Production Design
The Vanishing Lady
Editor
The Vanishing Lady
Production Design
Tunneling the English Channel
Production Design
The Astronomer's Dream
Editor
The Astronomer's Dream
Special Effects
The Conquest of the Pole
Director of Photography
The Four Troublesome Heads
Special Effects
The Four Troublesome Heads
Editor
A Terrible Night
Production Design
The Pillar of Fire
Production Design
The One-Man Band
Special Effects
Violons d'Ingres
Additional Photography
The Merry Frolics of Satan
Production Design
The Diabolic Tenant
Production Design
The Man with the Rubber Head
Special Effects
The Bewitched Inn
Production Design
The Bewitched Inn
Editor
The Witch
Production Design
Whimsical Illusions
Production Design
The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship
Production Design
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Editor
The Palace of the Arabian Nights
Production Design
Panorama from Top of a Moving Train
Director of Photography
Rip's Dream
Production Design
An Impossible Balancing Feat
Special Effects
Sideshow Wrestlers
Director of Photography
The Imperceptible Transmutations
Director of Photography