Louis Mercanton Biography

Filmmaker Louis Mercanton is best remembered for co-directing (along with Henri Desfontaines) the infamous Sarah Bernhardt in Queen Elizabeth (1912). Mercanton was a native of Switzerland who received his education in Britain. He began his career as a stage actor in South Africa in 1904. He later became a theater manager in London and after that moved to Paris to become a filmmaker. Queen Elizabeth was his first film. From there he made a number of films in both England and France. His son, Jean Mercanton, became an actor while his stepson, Jacques, became a noted cinematographer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi