Director Laurent Tirard, known for his hit comedies such as “Mensonges et trahisons et plus si affinités…” and “Le Petit Nicolas”, died this Thursday, September 5, 2024 in Paris, at the age of 57, after a long battle with illness.
Director Laurent Tirard, known for his hit comedies such as “Mensonges et trahisons et plus si affinités…”, died on Thursday, September 5, 2024 in Paris, at the age of 57. His agent announced that he had fought with immense courage against a long illness.
A career marked by successful adaptations
Born in Roubaix and raised in Fontainebleau in Seine-et-Marne, Laurent Tirard studied cinema at New York University before starting his career in Hollywood. He worked as a script reader at Warner and a journalist for “Studio Magazine”, before launching into writing for television and cinema.
His first film, “Lies and betrayals and more if there is a connection…”released in 2004, made an impression with a remarkable performance by Édouard Baer and Clovis Cornillac. Tirard then distinguished himself in film adaptations, notably with “Le Petit Nicolas” in 2009, a huge success in France with more than five million admissions. He also directed “Les vacances du Petit Nicolas” in 2014, “Asterix and Obelix: Au service de Sa Majesté” in 2012, and “Le Discours” in 2020, based on the novel by Fabrice Caro.
A fight against disease
Tirard was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, and underwent a bone marrow transplant, followed by a severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), affecting several organs. Despite this ordeal, he continued to work and inspire many film lovers with his works.
Laurent Tirard cinema film director
