Fredéric Othon Theodore Aristidès, known by his pseudonym

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 Fred, is a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 comics artist

Comics artist

A comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...

 and comic book creator

Comic book creator

A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...

 in the Franco-Belgian comics

Franco-Belgian comics

Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...

 tradition. He is best known for his series Philémon

Philémon (comics)

Philémon is a series in the Franco-Belgian comics style created by French artist Fred and published by Dargaud. The series began serial publication in the comics magazine Pilote on July 22, 1965, before it eventually became an album series...

.

Biography

Born in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, France on March 5, 1931, the son of Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 immigrants, Fred began his career in his early twenties, getting a cartoon published in the magazine Zéro in 1954. The following years he was published in several magazines, both French and foreign, such as Ici Paris

Ici Paris

Ici Paris is a French magazine, founded in 1941. In 1986 it had a circulation of 700,000 papers and in 2006, a more modest circulation of 405,000.It is owned by Lagardère. During World War II it was a journal of the resistance, with editors such as Raymond Burgard, Émile Coornaert, Suzanne...

, France Dimanche

France Dimanche

France Dimanche is a French weekly celebrity newsmagazine published by Hachette with a circulation of about 450,000.-Sources:*...

, Punch and The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

, among others. In 1960, he created the satirical journal Hara-Kiri

Hara-Kiri (magazine)

In 1960, Georges Bernier, Cavanna and Fred Aristidès created the monthly satirical magazine Hara-Kiri. Hara Kiri Hebdo, its weekly counterpart, was first published in 1969....

with Georges Bernier

Georges Bernier

Georges Bernier , more commonly known as Le Professeur Choron, was a French humorist and founder of Hara Kiri magazine.-Early years:...

 and Cavanna

Cavanna

-Origins:It seems that the name first appeared historically in Genoa, and later in Piacenza. Nearby, a place called Cavanna di Lesignaro is to be found in the vicinity of Parma. In the center of the triangle Genoa-Piacenza-Parma lies the municipality of Ferriere, which includes the localities of...

. He was the magazine's artistic director and drew its first 60 covers. Fred also wrote scenario for several artists, among others Jean-Claude Mézières

Jean-Claude Mézières

Jean-Claude Mézières is a French comic strip artist and illustrator. Born and raised in Paris, he was introduced to drawing by his older brother and influenced by comics artists such as Hergé, Andre Franquin and Morris and later by Jijé and Jack Davis...

, Loro

Loro

"Loro" is a single released by indie rock band Pinback, on their self-titled debut album. The single was released as a CD in 1999 and on 7" vinyl in 2000. The song was also part of the Elizabethtown movie soundtrack....

, Georges Pichard

Georges Pichard

Georges Pichard was a French comics artist, known for numerous BD magazine covers, serial publications and albums, stereotypically featuring partially exposed voluptuous women.-Biography:...

, Hubuc, Mic Delinx and Alexis

Alexis (comics)

Alexis was the pseudonym of Dominique Vallet, a French comics artist, best known for his work on the series Al Crane and Superdupont.-Biography:...

.

In 1980, he was awarded the Grand Prix de la ville

Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême

Every year, the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême is awarded during the Angoulême International Comics Festival to an author for his body of work and/or for his achievement in the evolution of comics....

 at the seventh Angoulême International Comics Festival

Angoulême International Comics Festival

The Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...

.

Philémon

Fred's most famous creation, Philémon was created in 1965, in a 15 page story intended for the comics magazine

Franco-Belgian comics magazines

Belgium and France have a long tradition in comics. They have a common history for comics and magazines.In the early years of its history, magazines had a large place on the comics market and were often the only place where comics were published. Most of them were kids-targeted.In the 1970s,...

 Spirou

Spirou (magazine)

Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...

, which ultimately passed on it. René Goscinny

René Goscinny

René Goscinny was a French comics editor and writer, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris and Iznogoud with Jean Tabary.-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family...

 however, asked to publish it in Pilote

Pilote

thumb|Cover of the first Pilote teaser issue, #0.Pilote was a French comics periodical published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major French or Belgian comics talents of its day the magazine introduced major series such as Astérix le Gaulois, Blueberry, Achille Talon, and Valérian et...

, which Fred agreed on the condition that he would produce the drawings himself. Goscinny agreed and the first Philémon adventure, Le mystère de la clairière des trois hiboux was serialised. The series published its last album, the 15th, in 1987.

Awards

• 1980: Angoulême Festival
  Angoulême International Comics Festival
  The Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
  
   Grand Prix de la ville
  Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême
  Every year, the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême is awarded during the Angoulême International Comics Festival to an author for his body of work and/or for his achievement in the evolution of comics....
  
   

Sources

• Fred publications in Pilote BDoubliées
• Fred albums Bedetheque

Footnotes

External links

• Fred biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia
• Batbad Philémon homage site