Biography

Bernard Launois (French pronunciation: [bɛʁ.naʁ lonwa], born 8 April 1930) is a French exploitation film director, screenwriter and actor. As an actor, he sometimes used the pseudonym Bob Gary.He was born in Mézières, France. After studying pharmacology for two years in the university, he sought a career in the film industry instead. He worked as a trainee editor and then briefly as an assistant director. In 1953, he was employed by Paramount's programming department in Paris.During the 1960s, he worked for several film distribution and production companies, such as Parafrance and Les Films Copernic. In 1979, he founded his own company, Lancaster Film, to finance the films he wrote and directed. He also edited film trailers and played minor roles as an actor. His debut film as director, Lâchez les chiennes (lit. 'Unleash the Bitches'; 1972), was an improvised work that he wrote in three days. Devil Story, his seventh and last feature film, gained a cult following despite its reputation as one of the worst films in history.He founded Delta Films and bought a four-theatre multiplex in 1987. He retired from the filmmaking business at the end of the 1980s.