Jacques Demy (born June 5, 1931, Pont-Château, France—died Oct. 27, 1990, Paris) was a French director best known for hisromantic musical-comedy films.

Demy studied for two years at France’s Technical School of Photography and Cinematography and then was an assistant to animator Paul Grimault (1952–54) and to director Georges Roquier (1954–57). Demy’s early films include anadaptation of aJean Cocteau playletLe Bel indifférent (1957;The Indifferent Lover), and the full-length featuresLola (1961) andLa Baie des anges (1963;Bay of the Angels). InLes Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964;The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) alldialogue was sung to music by composer Michel Legrand; thefilm won the grand prize at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.

Demy’sLes Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967;The Young Girls of Rochefort) was modeled on the American musicalOn the Town and featured dancerGene Kelly. His later films included such fanciful works asThe Pied Piper of Hamelin (1972),L’Évènement le plus Important Depuis que l’Homme a marché sur la lune (1973;A Slightly Pregnant Man),Un Chambre en Ville (1982;A Room in Town), and his final musicalTrois Places pour le 26 (1988; Three Places for the 26th).