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Jules Dassin: 1911-2008
Rest in peace, Mr. Dassin.
by Jeff Giles | April 01, 2008
Discuss Article | Blog Article | Email To A Friend
Jules Dassin, the director of films such as Night and the City, Topkapi, and Never On Sunday, has passed away of unspecified causes at the age of 96.

Arriving in Hollywood in the months before World War II, Dassin got his start as an apprentice to Alfred Hitchcock and Garson Kanin, quickly moving on to directing his own films, including the Joan Crawford/John Wayne drama Reunion in France.

Dassin's career was marked by political run-ins, including a brush with the House Un-American Activities Committee that left him blacklisted. Deeming himself "unemployable" in Hollywood after the HUAC hearings, Dassin went to France, where he directed a string of films, including the 1955 Cannes favorite Rififi.

In 1966, Dassin married Melina Mercouri, who starred in Never On Sunday and Topkapi. A Greek citizen whose anti-Fascist leanings earned her the enmity of the Greek government, Mercouri lost her citizenship for a time; in 1970, Dassin was even accused of sponsoring an attempted coup.

In 1974, Dassin and Mercouri returned to Greece, where he lived until his death; she eventually became a member of the Greek parliament and the government's culture minister before passing away in 1994.

Dassin's last directorial effort was 1980's Circle of Two. He is survived by two children and a number of grandchildren.

Source: The New York Times

Related Items
Movie: Circle of Two
Topkapi
Never on Sunday
Rififi
Reunion in France
Celeb: John Wayne
Joan Crawford
Garson Kanin
Alfred Hitchcock
Jules Dassin
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Comments (1-6 of 6 posts) | Reply
Bruce Campbell writes:
on Apr 01 2008 08:25 AM

****.

(Reply to this)
309213
arendr writes:
on Apr 01 2008 10:15 AM

I have some Dassin on my Netflix list, but haven't quite gotten to them yet. I get the feeling I'll like it.

(Reply to this)
245329
nathanpoitras writes:
on Apr 01 2008 11:14 AM

Night and the City, The Naked City and Rififi are all masterpieces. I haven't seen Brute Force or Thieves Highway yet, but I think I'll have to pick them up. RIP Jules Dassin.

(Reply to this)
vader_of_vjun writes:
on Apr 01 2008 03:12 PM

I've only seen Topkapi, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. R.I.P. Mr. Dassin.

By the way, I'm glad RT did one of these for Richard Widmark. Oh, wait...


(Reply to this)
CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on Apr 01 2008 05:36 PM

R.I.P. Jules Dassin. you will be missed dearly.

(Reply to this)
259542
dracula68 writes:
on Apr 02 2008 08:24 PM

Thieves Highway, Rififi, and Night And The City are all great. Later on, J.D.

Vader, if you want a Richard Widmark tribute just push someone in a wheelchair down a flight of steps.


(Reply to this)
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