Clair, Rene, << ruh NAY >> (1898-1981), was a French motion-picture director. He gained his first acclaim with the silent comedy An Italian Straw Hat (1927). He won praise for his creative use of sound in the early sound films Under the Roofs of Paris (1929), A Nous la Liberte (Give Us Liberty, 1931), and Le Million (1931).
Clair was born on Nov. 11, 1898, in Paris. His real name was Rene-Lucien Chomette. During World War II (1939-1945), he worked in the United States and directed the comedy fantasies I Married a Witch (1942) and It Happened Tomorrow (1944). He returned to France in 1946. In 1960, Clair became the first moviemaker to be elected to the French Academy. He died on March 15, 1981.
