Louis Mercanton, René Hervil

Louis Mercanton was a French actor, screenwriter, director, and producer born in Nyon in 1879. He began his theatrical career in 1904 in South Africa. Then, he worked with Henri Desfontaines on literary adaptations and historical flms such as La Dame aux Camélias (The Lady of the Camellias) or L’Assassinat d’Henri III (The Assassination of Henry III). Their collaboration on the flm Queen Elizabeth with Sarah Bernhardt in the leading role was a huge success both in France and abroad. During the First World War, he and René Hervil co-directed Mères françaises (French Mothers); an anti-German propaganda flm released in 1917, again with Sarah Bernhardt in the lead role.

Louis Mercanton, René Hervil