François-Olivier Rousseau

Frenchman François-Olivier Rousseau was forty years old before he drafted his first story for the small screen. The erstwhile award-winning writer joined the crime series "Les Enqu'tes du Commissaire Maigret" in 1987, penning a pair of episodes of the detective serial. Having whet his appetite for show business, Rousseau wrote two made-for-TV movies in the '90s: a remake of the juicy drama "La Boeuf Clandestin" in 1993, and the family saga "Des Gens si Bien Élevés" in 1997. He graduated to writing for the big screen just two years later, teaming with acclaimed writer/director Diane Kurys for her racy George Sand biopic, "Les Enfants du Siécle." Rousseau ascended to even greater heights in the following years. 2001 saw the release of both his bleak character study, "Change Moi Ma Vie," and his feature-length, French-language adaptation of the droll English sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous." Following the release of "Nathalie...," a titillating thriller he scripted about a Parisian prostitute, Rousseau made a graceful transition back to television. His searing period piece, "Nuit Noire, 17 Octobre 1961," received international acclaim, taking home honors at the Washington DC Filmfest, the São Paulo Film Festival, and from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. In 2008, Rosseau earned sole writing credit on the TV remake of the French classic "Marie-Octobre."