The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (1968-1976) as Producer
Rhythm on the Reef (1952) as Director
Cousteau: My First 85 Years (1995) as Producer
Short Info
Died
June 25, 1997, Paris, France
Spouse
Francine Cousteau, Simone Melchior
Mark
Red woolen cap
Fact
The French Government awarded him the prestiguous Legion d'honneur.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-lung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie française.
Cousteau was born on 11 June 1910, in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France to Daniel and Elizabeth Cousteau. His father was an engineer and his mother a teacher. He had two sisters, Simone and Françoise. Cousteau completed his secondary education at the Collège Stanislas in Paris.
In 1930, Cousteau entered the École Navale and graduated as a gunnery officer. He took interest in diving from an early age and made his first recorded dive in 1933. In 1936, he married Simone Melchior, with whom he had two sons, Jean-Michel and Philippe.
During World War II, Cousteau served in the French Navy. In 1943, he participated in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the SS Goya. He also served in the Mediterranean Sea and took part in the landings in Provence (Operation Dragoon) in August 1944.
After the war, Cousteau devoted himself to oceanographic research and exploration. In 1950, he founded the French Oceanographic Campaigns (FOC) with several other scientists. The FOC conducted many expeditions and made important discoveries, such as the wreck of the Titanic in 1985.
In 1952, Cousteau co-invented the Aqua-lung, an underwater breathing apparatus that allowed divers to stay underwater for extended periods of time. This invention revolutionized diving and made it possible for Cousteau to conduct extensive underwater research.
Cousteau also pioneered marine conservation. In 1973, he founded the Cousteau Society, an organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans and marine life. He also helped create several marine reserves, including the Calypso Deep in the Mediterranean Sea.
Cousteau was a prolific author and filmmaker. He wrote more than 50 books and made over 100 films. His best-known book is The Silent World (1953), which won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. His films include The Silent World (1956), World Without Sun (1964) and The Living Sea (1973).
Cousteau died on 25 June 1997, at the age of 87. His legacy continues through his work as an explorer, conservationist and filmmaker.
General Info
Full Name
Jacques Cousteau
Died
June 25, 1997, Paris, France
Profession
Explorer, Photographer, Author, Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter, Television producer, Oceanographer
Education
École Navale, Collège Stanislas de Paris
Nationality
French
Family
Spouse
Francine Cousteau, Simone Melchior
Children
Philippe Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Pierre-Yves Cousteau, Diane Cousteau
Parents
Daniel Cousteau, Élisabeth Cousteau
Siblings
Pierre-Antoine Cousteau
Accomplishments
Awards
Palme d'Or, Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Academy Award for Best Short Film (Live Action), BAFTA Fellowship, International Emmy Founders Award, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Special, Founder's Gold Medal, National Board of Review Awar...
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Program
Movies
World Without Sun, The Silent World, The Golden Fish, Cries from the Deep, Epaves, Par dix-huit mètres de fond, St. Lawrence: Stairway to the Sea, Cousteau: Alaska: Outrage at Valdez, Rhythm on the Reef, Silent Landscapes, Carnet de plongee, Autour d'un récif, La mer rouge, Danger Under the Sea, L...
The sea is the universal sewer. [on the sea as a place "where all kinds of pollution wind up," to House Committee on Science and Astronautics, 28 January 1971]
2
What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on.
3
If we go on the way we have, the fault is our greed [and] if we are not willing [to change], we will disappear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by the insect.
4
Farming as we do it is hunting, and in the sea we act like barbarians.
5
We must plant the sea and herd its animals ... using the sea as farmers instead of hunters. That is what civilization is all about - farming replacing hunting. [Interview, 17 July 1971]
6
It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.
Facts
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Fact
1
Did not hold any scientific degrees.
2
Member of the Academie Francaise and the National Academy of Sciences in America.
3
Lost his younger son, Philippe, in a seaplane crash in 1979.
4
Retired from the French Navy with the rank of captain in 1956. That same year, he was appointed head of Monaco's Oceanographic Institute.
5
The French Government awarded him the prestiguous Legion d'honneur.
6
His ship, the 'Calypso', was a 66 foot-long converted minesweeper. It served as his flagship until 1996, when it was hit by a barge in Singapore harbour and sank.
7
During World War II, he was posted to the naval base at Toulon as an artillery instructor. He later joined the French resistance and conducted espionage against Italian occupation forces.
8
Having enrolled in the French Navy's aviation school, he was about to take his pilot's exam, when he crashed his father's car on a foggy mountain road. He broke both of his arms, one becoming infected. The accident possibly saved his life, since all but one of his fellow aviation classmates were later killed in action during World War II.
9
Though he was frail and anemic as a child, he learned to swim at the age of four.
10
His book, "The Silent World", sold over five million copies in 22 languages.
Grandfather of Alexandra Cousteau and Philippe Cousteau, Jr.
13
He was awarded an Honorary A.C. (Companion of the Order of Australia) on January 26, 1990 for his services to the environment, conservation, and marine life in our oceans.
14
The John Denver song "Calypso" is about him. It is named for Jacques' boat.
15
Society of Operating Cameramen, (SOC) Recipient, Governors Award (1996).
16
Inventor of the modern aqua-lung.
17
Father of 'Diane Cousteau'.
18
Described himself as an "oceanographic technician".
19
Was a member of the French Resistance in World War II.
