Guy Lux Explained

Guy Lux
Image Upright:Guy Lux vers 1970, période ORTF.
Birth Name:Guy Maurice Lux
Birth Date:21 June 1919
Birth Place:Paris, France
Death Place:Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Resting Place:Saint-Gratien Cemetery in Val-d'Oise
Show:Intervilles
Network:RTF, ORTF, FR3, TF1
Show2:Top Club
Network2:Antenne 2
Style:Television host
Television producer
Country:France
Spouse(S):Paulette Lisle, 1942–1995 (her death)
Partner:Vonny (extramarital)
Muriel Montossey (extramarital)
Children:6 (2 deceased)

Guy Maurice Lux (21 June 1919 – 13 June 2003) was a French TV host and producer best known for his 1961 creation of the game show Intervilles and its numerous spinoffs.[1] During his 40 year career, he produced, directed, hosted, and wrote more than 40 television shows.

Biography

Lux was born Guy Maurice Lux on 21 June 1919 in Paris, France, and had Alsatian ancestry.[1] [2] [3] He attended Lycée Arago for high school then École Estienne for university. He studied fine arts and applied arts and studied to be a lyricist.[3] In 1939, he joined the war effort as an ambulance driver but was taken prisoner by enemy troops.[3] He escaped and joined the French Resistance and later the Allied troops.[3] [4] After the war, he was awarded the Escapees' Medal and a Croix de Guerre.[4]

Due in part to the economic conditions in post-war France, Lux had difficulty finding buyers for his songs.[5] [6] [7] In the 1940s, he ran a hardware store in Asnières-sur-Seine, where he would set up games for his customers to play, especially during the Tour de France.[8] He did not start working in media until 1952.[7]

Television career

Lux hosted his first game show, Contact, in 1960. This show would later become La roue tourne, which he hosted alongside Jean-Francois Chiappe and Marina Gray in 1960-1964.[8] [7] Another significant game show he hosted was Intervilles in 1962-1964, 1970-1971, 1973, and 1985-1991, almost the entire time with Léon Zitrone, Simone Garnier, and Claude Savarit. This show was based on the Italian programme Campanile sera and later inspired the British show It's a Knockout.[3] [2] [7] He created and hosted the spinoffs Jeux sans frontières (all-Europe competition), Interneige (continuation of Jeux sans frontières), Intercontinents (international competition), Interglace (winter competitions), and Interchallenges.[3] [2] [8] He also hosted Ring Parade and its sequel Système 2 and the popular variety show Le Schmilblick,[9] [5] [2] [8] which popularized the word schmilblick, similar to the English thingamajig. He created and produced the shows La Classe, La Une est à vous, Succès fous, Capitale d'un soir, and L'Or à l'appel as well.[8] [7] [9]

Though he mainly worked with television, he appeared, oftentimes as a fictionalized version of himself, in several films, including Clémentine chérie (1964), Bang Bang (1967), Les fous du stade (1972), Comme sur des roulettes (1977), and Le bourreau des cœurs (1983).[8] He also wrote and composed the song "A la queue leu leu" which was sung by André Bézu, and recorded a comedy song called "Le Tango d'Intervilles" with co-host Léon Zitrone.[8] [10] In 2021, Lux and Zitrone were featured in the documentary Les Duos mythiques de la television as one of France's legendary duos.[11] [12] He wrote and directed Drôles de zèbres in 1977 and in 1980 created his own production company, People Production.[8]

He retired from his television career in 1993, due largely to his age and the new talent available elsewhere.[8]

Personal life

Lux was known to enjoy betting on horses, so much so that there is now a race called Prix Guy Lux et Léon Zitrone held in Paris.[13] [7] Sophie Darel, with whom he worked for 15 years on a number of shows, described him as "very anxious" and angry because of it, though she still had affection for him since his violent outbursts lasted only briefly.[14] [15] In 1994, Lux started Pas d'enfants sans vacances (English: No child without vacation), which takes children from families who cannot afford vacations over the summer holidays to the beach and/or countryside.[16] [8] [7] [17]

Lux married Paulette Lisle in 1942 and the couple had two children: Christiane (1942-1964) and Michel (1943-present).[3] Christiane died in a car accident in 1964 and Lux and his wife raised her 3-month old son, Jean-Christophe Lauduique, in her place.[3] Jean-Christophe and actress Ariane Séguillon are parents to Dorian Lauduique of the French DJ duo Ofenbach.[18] Jean-Christophe released music under the name Christophe Jenac in the 1980s.[3]

Lux had at least two extramarital affairs during his marriage to Paulette, resulting in four illegitimate children, three of which he never publicly acknowledged.[3] Pierre, mothered by actress and TV host Vonny.[19] [3] He had another daughter, Laura-Charlotte, with actress Muriel Montossey. This was revealed following Laura-Charlotte's death on 26 May 1993 at 16 months old, when her death certificate, which included Lux's name, was published in newspapers and tabloids across France.[20] [19]

Lux died on 13 June 2003 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He is buried in Saint-Gratien Cemetery in Val-d'Oise alongside his wife Paulette and daughter Christiane.[3]

Selected filmography

Television

Year Title Show type Role(s) !Episodes Ref
1965–1968, 1979–1981 Le palmarès des chansons Music competition Self, producer 65
1969 Le schmilblic Game show Host 2
1971 Les étoiles de la chanson Music competition Host, executive producer 11
1962–1971 Intervilles Game show Host, creator, writer, producer 21
1971–1973 Cadet Rousselle Variety show Host, producer 28
1974 Domino Music Host, producer 17
French CanCan Host, producer 8 [21]
1975–1976 Samedi est à vous Music competition Presenter, producer [22]
Ring Parade Music competition Host, producer 64
Système 2 Music competition Host, producer 64
1977 Un taxi en or Variety show, soap opera Host, creator [23]
1978–1981 Top Club Music competition Host, producer 88 [24]
-1965–1982 Jeux sans frontières Game show Host, creator, writer 56
1983–1985 Cadence 3 Variety show Host, writer (1 ep), producer 50
1987 La classe Variety show Producer 45
1989 La une est à vous Competition Creator, writer, songwriter, producer 1
1992 Double jeu Talk show Self 1 [25]

Film

Year Title Role(s) Notes Ref
1964 Clémentine chérie Self
1967 Bang Bang Guy Descartes, Sheila's uncle
1972 Les fous du stade Self
1977 Drôles de zèbres Self (uncredited), director, writer
La Bastille en chantant Host, producer TV special
Comme sur des roulettes Guy Lux
1980 Sur son 31 Self, producer TV special [26]
1983 Le bourreau des cœurs Guy Lux
1996 L'Or à l'appel Writer
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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Généalogie: les racines alsaciennes de Guy Lux. Muller. Véronique. 2019-06-23. DNA. 2022-04-25. fr.
  2. Web site: Guy Lux. 2003-06-24. Independent. Perrone. Pierre. 2022-04-24.
  3. Web site: Guy Lux. n.d.. Gala. 2022-04-24. fr.
  4. Web site: Dave : "Le grand-père de Jacques Martin était le cuisinier du tsar Nicolas II". 2018-01-30. France Dimanche. 2022-04-25. fr.
  5. Web site: L'animateur Guy Lux est mort. 2003-06-13. Le Monde. 2022-04-25. fr.
  6. Web site: 1983 – Guy Lux, les secrets de l'amuseur public. Lebelley. Frédérique. 1983-06-24. L'Express. 2022-04-25. fr.
  7. Web site: Guy Lux, le Tiercé c'était son dada. 2020-04-22. Biane. Patrick. Equidia. 2022-04-25. fr.
  8. Web site: GUY LUX, le père des « Jeux » : présentateur et producteur français de 1965 à 1982. 2009-06-09. JSFnet. 2022-04-25. fr.
  9. Web site: L'ancien château de Guy Lux en piteux état - Un ambitieux projet qui n'a pas vu le jour. 2015-01-10. Bonnet. Dominique. Paris Match. 2022-04-25.
  10. Web site: Les pionniers. n.d.. linternaute. 2022-04-24. fr.
  11. Web site: Les Duos mythiques de la télévision. 2021-02-05. FranceTV pro. 2022-04-25. fr.
  12. Web site: Guy Lux : à cause de quel drame ses cheveux étaient-ils devenus blancs en une nuit ?. 2021-02-05. Michel. Ugo. TeleStar. 2022-04-24.
  13. Web site: PRIX GUY LUX ET LEON ZITRONE. 2022-02-10. Equidia. 2022-04-25. fr.
  14. Web site: "Il était magnifique" : Sophie Darel se confie sur son histoire avec Mike Brant auprès de Faustine Bollaert (VIDEO). 2021-12-13. Tele-Loisirs. 2022-04-25.
  15. Web site: VIDÉO – « Guy Lux a jeté un séchoir à la tête d'une assistante » : Sophie Darel l'admirait quand même. 2021-02-05. Terrade. Xavier. Gala. 2022-04-24. fr.
  16. Web site: Cet été, un enfant sur quatre ne partira pas en vacances. Michalik. Marie-Liévine. 2020-07-28. Le Figaro. 2022-04-25. fr.
  17. Web site: L'association Pas d'enfants sans vacances au parc. 2015-07-17. Le Parisien. 2022-04-25. fr.
  18. Web site: Guy Lux : ce DJ à la mode qui n'est autre que son arrière-petit-fils. 2018-12-13. Gala. 2022-04-24. fr.
  19. Web site: amour caché, déces de sa fille, coup de sang... La vie tourmentée de l'animateur Guy Lux. 2021-03-24. Alfonso Almeida. Laura. Planet fr. 2022-04-24. fr.
  20. Web site: Flashback – Guy Lux : sa double vie avec Muriel Montossey révélée par la mort de leur enfant. 2021-02-05. Monnier. Thomas. Gala. 2022-04-24. fr.
  21. Web site: Sophie Darel : "Travailler avec Guy Lux ? Ce n'était pas facile du tout !". 2016-11-02. Europe 1. 2022-04-26. fr.
  22. Web site: La Une est à vous / Samedi est à vous (1973-1976). Eric. Coudène. n.d.. Sens Critique. 2022-04-26. fr.
  23. Web site: EMISSIONS TV Un Taxi en or. n.d.. Toutela tele. 2022-04-26. fr.
  24. Web site: Top Club. n.d.. Melody. 2022-04-26. fr.
  25. Web site: Guy Lux, l'animateur fidèle à Saint-Gratien. 2012-11-03. Le Parisien. 2022-04-26. fr.
  26. Web site: Sur son 31. Melody. n.d.. 2022-04-26. fr.