Pierre Sabbagh
Encyclopedia
Pierre Sabbagh was a major personality in French television, as a journalist, producer and director.
Pierre Alain Sabbagh was born in Lannion
(Côtes-d'Armor
) and died in Paris
. He was the younger son of the artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh
and the art historian and resistance
heroine Agnès Humbert
.
. He had visited her in Fresnes Prison
and the Prison de la Santé in 1942, a few days before she was deported by the Nazis, sentenced to slave labour in Germany. In 1944, he travelled into Germany behind the advancing American army, but did not find her until he returned to Paris in 1945.
Pierre Sabbagh presented the first television news in France on 29 June 1949.
His greatest success was the creation, in 1966, of the programme "Au théâtre ce soir" ("Tonight in the Theatre") following a strike on French television and the success of a Belgian television comedy called "La Bonne planque", which provoked the appetite of the public for this kind of programme: over 300 plays were produced in the series. To his credit also is the first audiovisual game which reunited France of the 1960s in front of the black-and-white screen: "L'Homme du XXe siècle" ("Man of the 20th Century"), a game of general cultural questions which went on for many years and which finished with the final "Super homme du XXe siècle" ("Superman of the 20th Century") which brought together all the previous winners of whom the comedian, Robert Manuel, beat a professor of complementary medicine, Georges Rivault.
He was Director-General of the television network France 2
between September 1971 and July 1972.
His wife was the French television presenter and actress Catherine Langeais
, born Marie-Louise Terrasse.
Pierre Alain Sabbagh was born in Lannion
Lannion
Lannion is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is a subpréfecture of Côtes-d'Armor, the capital of Trégor and the center of an urban area of almost 60,000 inhabitants.-Population:...
(Côtes-d'Armor
Côtes-d'Armor
Côtes-d'Armor is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France.-History:Côtes-du-Nord was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Brittany. Its name was changed in 1990 to...
) and died 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...
. He was the younger son of the artist Georges Hanna Sabbagh
Georges Hanna Sabbagh
-Biography:Georges Hanna Sabbagh was born at Alexandria in Egypt. He studied art in Paris, being the first Egyptian at the Louvre School. He was a pupil of Paul Sérusier, Félix Vallotton and the Symbolist painter Maurice Denis...
and the art historian and resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
heroine Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert was an art historian, ethnographer and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.- Early life :...
.
A man of television
Pierre Sabbagh became a war correspondent in the hope of finding his mother Agnès in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He had visited her in Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne South of Paris...
and the Prison de la Santé in 1942, a few days before she was deported by the Nazis, sentenced to slave labour in Germany. In 1944, he travelled into Germany behind the advancing American army, but did not find her until he returned to Paris in 1945.
Pierre Sabbagh presented the first television news in France on 29 June 1949.
His greatest success was the creation, in 1966, of the programme "Au théâtre ce soir" ("Tonight in the Theatre") following a strike on French television and the success of a Belgian television comedy called "La Bonne planque", which provoked the appetite of the public for this kind of programme: over 300 plays were produced in the series. To his credit also is the first audiovisual game which reunited France of the 1960s in front of the black-and-white screen: "L'Homme du XXe siècle" ("Man of the 20th Century"), a game of general cultural questions which went on for many years and which finished with the final "Super homme du XXe siècle" ("Superman of the 20th Century") which brought together all the previous winners of whom the comedian, Robert Manuel, beat a professor of complementary medicine, Georges Rivault.
He was Director-General of the television network France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
between September 1971 and July 1972.
His wife was the French television presenter and actress Catherine Langeais
Catherine Langeais
Catherine Langeais, was a French television presenter and actress.She was born Marie-Louise Terrasse in Valence , France, and died in Paris.- François Mitterrand :...
, born Marie-Louise Terrasse.
Publications
- Pierre Sabbagh, Antoine Graziani, Fanina, paperback, Pan Macmillan, 1965 ISBN 0330020404
- Pierre Sabbagh, Antoine Graziani (tr. Ellen Hart and Cornelia Brookfield), Fanina, 1966
- Pierre Sabbagh, Antoine Graziani (tr. Marguerite Barnett), Fanina, Child of Rome, hardback, London, Pan Macmillan 1969, ISBN 0330022741 (also New York, Bantam, 1968)
- Pierre Sabbagh, Le guide de la Pipe et du Tabac, Paris, Stock, 1973
- Pierre Sabbagh, Le guide Marabout de la pipe et du tabac, Paris, Editions Marabout, 1973
- Jean Sabbagh, Georges Sabbagh and Pierre Sabbagh, Georges Sabbagh, Paris, J. Sabbagh, 1981 ISBN 2903640009
- Pierre Sabbagh, Encore vous, Sabbagh!, Paris, Stock, 1984 ISBN 2234017750
Filmography
- Le second souffle, 1959, film, actor (directed by Yannick Bellon)
- Monsieur Vernet, 1988, television film, director
- La pomme, 1991, television film, director
- Le Noir te va bien, 1991, television film, director
- L'amour fou, 1991, television film, director