Costa-Gavras, Constantine

Costa-Gavras, Constantine

 orig. Konstantinos Gavras

(born Feb. 12, 1933, Loutra-Iraias, Greece) Greek-French film director. He left Greece to study in Paris, where he became an assistant to filmmakers such as René Clair. He directed his first film, The Sleeping Car Murders, in 1966. His drama of political assassination, Z (1968, Academy Award), brought him international fame. He later directed political thrillers such as The Confession (1970), State of Siege (1972), Missing (1982, Academy Award), and Mad City (1997). He became president of the Cinémathèque Française in 1982.