François Truffaut

Known for: The 400 Blows (1959); Hitchcock/Truffaut (1967)

François Truffaut began as one of the most severe film critics of his generation before directing The 400 Blows (1959), which launched the French New Wave and introduced his autobiographical alter ego Antoine Doinel. He returned to Doinel across four further films over two decades, producing an unprecedented cinematic autobiography. He also authored what remains one of the most important books of film criticism, Hitchcock/Truffaut (1967).