Robert Thomas (director)

Robert Thomas
Born(1927-09-28)September 28, 1927
DiedJanuary 3, 1989(1989-01-03) (aged 61)
OccupationsPlaywright and Director
Notable work8 Women
Awards1961 Hachette Prix du Quai des Orfevres for Best Play

Robert Thomas (28 September 1927 in Gap, Hautes-Alpes – 3 January 1989)[1] was a French playwright and director.

As a writer, almost from the beginning, he was fascinated by a curious genre that he helped invent: the comédie policière or comedy thriller, of which Eight Women is an example.[2] In 1960, Thomas had a hit with Piège Pour un Homme Seul (Trap for a Single Man),[3] a humorous murder mystery which was an overnight success in Paris. Alfred Hitchcock bought the rights[4] and the play established Thomas as a writer of psychological crime dramas with a distinctively Gallic comic twist. The following year, Eight Women won the Hachette Prix du Quai des Orfevres for Best Play.[5]

Eight Women was adapted into a movie musical by François Ozon in 2002 with roles played by actors including Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant and Emmanuelle Béart.[6]

Thomas died in 1989 in Paris.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Trap for a Lonely Man". Goodreads. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  2. ^ "8 Women | Movie Review | Entertainment Weekly". www.ew.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  3. ^ "Trap for a lonely man (Piège pour un homme seul) by Robert Thomas, created by Et Voila Theatre in 2014". ET VOILÀ THÉÂTRE. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  4. ^ Spoto, Donald (1983). The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock. p. 445. ISBN 0-316-80723-0.
  5. ^ "Prix du quai des Orfèvres (1961 à 1970)". Babelio. 2023-02-13.
  6. ^ "8 Women (8 Femmes)". IMDB. Retrieved 2026-03-08.