Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) was a Frenchfilm director andscreenwriter, who directed more than 50 films between 1933 and 1964.^[1] He was also a swimmer who won the national title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 m freestyle. He competed in the400 m freestyle at the1908 Summer Olympics and in thewater polo tournament at the1912 Summer Olympics.^[2]

Henri Decoin
Henri Decoin in 1919
Born	(1890-03-18)18 March 1890 Paris, France
Died	4 July 1969(1969-07-04) (aged 79) Paris, France
Occupation(s)	Film director Screenwriter
Years active	1925–1964
Spouse(s)	4, including: Blanche Montel ​ ​ (m. 1927;div. 1934)​ Danielle Darrieux ​ ​ (m. 1935;div. 1941)​
Children	2, includingDidier Decoin

During World War I, Decoin served as a pilot. After that he worked as a sports journalist forL'Auto,L'Intransigeant andParis-Soir. In 1926 he published his first book, influenced by Dadaism, the experimental and prize-winningQuinze Combats (Fifteen Rounds), in which a boxing match is seen subjectively by a boxer, and in 1933 directed his first film,Les requins du pétrole (The Oil Sharks).^[2]

He was known for tackling many genres; with adaptations ofGeorges Simenon as The Strangers in the House (1942) - featuringRaimu in one of his famous roles, and The Truth Of Our Marriage (1952), historical films like The Case Of Poisons (1955), and The Iron Mask (1962), espionage flicks like The Cat (1958), police procedurals with Raid on the Drug Ring (1955) and Fire To The Powder (1957), psychological dramas in Green Domino (1935) (where he first met his second wife, Danielle Darrieux), and The Lovers Are Alone In The World (1948) and even an oddfilm noir like Between Eleven And Midnight (1949). He worked with such stars of French cinema asJean Marais,Louis Jouvet,Juliette Gréco,Lino Ventura,Corinne Calvet,Anouk Aimée,Jeanne Moreau andJean Gabin; to name a few.

He directed Darrieux in several films, and accompanied her to Hollywood in 1938 while she signed aUniversal Pictures contract. He took the opportunity to observe how Hollywood made films, and returned to France with these techniques in hand. Decoin was one of the more prolific directors of his time.

Decoin was married four times. His second marriage was to actress and singerDanielle Darrieux. He had two sons, Jacques Decoin (1928–1998) andDidier Decoin (b. 1945), who is also a prominent screenwriter.^[3]

• Henri Decoin atIMDb
• Henri Decoin atOlympedia