Tati, Jacques

Tati, Jacques

 orig. Jacques Tatischeff

(born Oct. 9, 1908, Le Pecq, France—died Nov. 5, 1982, Paris) French film actor and director. He became a popular music-hall entertainer in the 1930s with a pantomime act that caricatured athletes. After appearing in comedy shorts, he wrote, directed, and starred in a series of comic feature films—Jour de fête (1949), Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953), Mon oncle (1958), Playtime (1968), Traffic (1971), and Parade (1974)—in which he became known for his inspired physical comedy and his accident-prone alter ego, Monsieur Hulot. In his films Tati forsakes traditional narrative in favour of vignettes that use sight gags, timing, mannerisms, and physical action to reveal the humour and texture of modern living.