FILM DIRECTOR
Georges Méliès
1861 - 1938
![Photo of Georges Méliès](/images/profile/people/23686263.jpg)
Georges Méliès
Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; French: [meljɛs]; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French magician, actor, and film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of cinema, primarily in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Méliès rose to prominence creating "trick films" and became well known for his innovative use of special effects, popularizing such techniques as substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted colour. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Georges Méliès has received more than 3,202,802 page views. His biography is available in 72 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 65 in 2019). Georges Méliès is the 26th most popular film director (down from 22nd in 2019), the 254th most popular biography from France (down from 207th in 2019) and the 4th most popular French Film Director.
Georges Méliès is most famous for being the first person to use special effects in movies, like stop motion and time-lapse photography.
Memorability Metrics
3.2M
Page Views (PV)
72.52
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
72
Languages Editions (L)
9.34
Effective Languages (L*)
3.61
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among FILM DIRECTORS
Among film directors, Georges Méliès ranks 26 out of 2,041. Before him are Sergio Leone, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar, Francis Ford Coppola, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Agnès Varda. After him are Michelangelo Antonioni, George Lucas, Miloš Forman, Konstantin Stanislavski, Fritz Lang, and Roger Vadim.
Most Popular Film Directors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsSergio Leone
1929 - 1989
HPI: 73.52
Rank: 20
Jean-Luc Godard
1930 - 2022
HPI: 73.45
Rank: 21
Pedro Almodóvar
1949 - Present
HPI: 73.44
Rank: 22
Francis Ford Coppola
1939 - Present
HPI: 73.20
Rank: 23
Bernardo Bertolucci
1941 - 2018
HPI: 73.05
Rank: 24
Agnès Varda
1928 - 2019
HPI: 72.70
Rank: 25
Georges Méliès
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.52
Rank: 26
Michelangelo Antonioni
1912 - 2007
HPI: 72.18
Rank: 27
George Lucas
1944 - Present
HPI: 72.00
Rank: 28
Miloš Forman
1932 - 2018
HPI: 71.90
Rank: 29
Konstantin Stanislavski
1863 - 1938
HPI: 71.70
Rank: 30
Fritz Lang
1890 - 1976
HPI: 71.61
Rank: 31
Roger Vadim
1928 - 2000
HPI: 71.50
Rank: 32
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1861, Georges Méliès ranks 6. Before him are Rabindranath Tagore, Mehmed VI, Rudolf Steiner, Fridtjof Nansen, and Lou Andreas-Salomé. After him are Charles Édouard Guillaume, Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, Victor Horta, Erich von Falkenhayn, Georgy Lvov, and Alfred North Whitehead. Among people deceased in 1938, Georges Méliès ranks 4. Before him are Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Edmund Husserl, and Karel Čapek. After him are Charles Édouard Guillaume, Konstantin Stanislavski, Nikolai Bukharin, Kanō Jigorō, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Béla Kun, and Faustina Kowalska.
Others Born in 1861
Go to all RankingsRabindranath Tagore
WRITER
1861 - 1941
HPI: 79.10
Rank: 1
Mehmed VI
POLITICIAN
1861 - 1926
HPI: 77.36
Rank: 2
Rudolf Steiner
PHILOSOPHER
1861 - 1925
HPI: 76.07
Rank: 3
Fridtjof Nansen
EXPLORER
1861 - 1930
HPI: 75.68
Rank: 4
Lou Andreas-Salomé
WRITER
1861 - 1937
HPI: 72.60
Rank: 5
Georges Méliès
FILM DIRECTOR
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.52
Rank: 6
Charles Édouard Guillaume
PHYSICIST
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.08
Rank: 7
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
POLITICIAN
1861 - 1948
HPI: 71.17
Rank: 8
Victor Horta
ARCHITECT
1861 - 1947
HPI: 69.55
Rank: 9
Erich von Falkenhayn
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1861 - 1922
HPI: 69.32
Rank: 10
Georgy Lvov
POLITICIAN
1861 - 1925
HPI: 68.84
Rank: 11
Alfred North Whitehead
MATHEMATICIAN
1861 - 1947
HPI: 67.69
Rank: 12
Others Deceased in 1938
Go to all RankingsMustafa Kemal Atatürk
POLITICIAN
1881 - 1938
HPI: 88.57
Rank: 1
Edmund Husserl
PHILOSOPHER
1859 - 1938
HPI: 76.75
Rank: 2
Karel Čapek
WRITER
1890 - 1938
HPI: 73.44
Rank: 3
Georges Méliès
FILM DIRECTOR
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.52
Rank: 4
Charles Édouard Guillaume
PHYSICIST
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.08
Rank: 5
Konstantin Stanislavski
FILM DIRECTOR
1863 - 1938
HPI: 71.70
Rank: 6
Nikolai Bukharin
POLITICIAN
1888 - 1938
HPI: 70.87
Rank: 7
Kanō Jigorō
MARTIAL ARTS
1860 - 1938
HPI: 70.83
Rank: 8
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
PAINTER
1880 - 1938
HPI: 70.21
Rank: 9
Gabriele D'Annunzio
WRITER
1863 - 1938
HPI: 70.15
Rank: 10
Béla Kun
POLITICIAN
1886 - 1938
HPI: 69.86
Rank: 11
Faustina Kowalska
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1905 - 1938
HPI: 69.60
Rank: 12
In France
Among people born in France, Georges Méliès ranks 254 out of 6,770. Before him are Pope Callixtus II (1065), Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot (1796), Honoré Daumier (1808), Philip III of France (1245), Ferdinand Foch (1851), and Pope Leo IX (1002). After him are Serge Gainsbourg (1928), Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour (1810), Michel Platini (1955), Rudolf Diesel (1858), Stéphane Mallarmé (1842), and Pope Innocent V (1225).
Others born in France
Go to all RankingsPope Callixtus II
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1065 - 1124
HPI: 72.64
Rank: 248
Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot
ENGINEER
1796 - 1832
HPI: 72.64
Rank: 249
Honoré Daumier
PAINTER
1808 - 1879
HPI: 72.63
Rank: 250
Philip III of France
POLITICIAN
1245 - 1285
HPI: 72.60
Rank: 251
Ferdinand Foch
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1851 - 1929
HPI: 72.60
Rank: 252
Pope Leo IX
NOBLEMAN
1002 - 1054
HPI: 72.58
Rank: 253
Georges Méliès
FILM DIRECTOR
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.52
Rank: 254
Serge Gainsbourg
SINGER
1928 - 1991
HPI: 72.48
Rank: 255
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
POLITICIAN
1810 - 1861
HPI: 72.45
Rank: 256
Michel Platini
SOCCER PLAYER
1955 - Present
HPI: 72.45
Rank: 257
Rudolf Diesel
INVENTOR
1858 - 1913
HPI: 72.43
Rank: 258
Stéphane Mallarmé
WRITER
1842 - 1898
HPI: 72.41
Rank: 259
Pope Innocent V
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1225 - 1276
HPI: 72.33
Rank: 260
Among FILM DIRECTORS In France
Among film directors born in France, Georges Méliès ranks 4. Before him are Roman Polanski (1933), François Truffaut (1932), and Jean-Luc Godard (1930). After him are Roger Vadim (1928), Luc Besson (1959), Jacques Tati (1907), Claude Chabrol (1930), Éric Rohmer (1920), Jean-Jacques Annaud (1943), Alain Resnais (1922), and William Wyler (1902).
Roman Polanski
1933 - Present
HPI: 76.28
Rank: 1
François Truffaut
1932 - 1984
HPI: 73.55
Rank: 2
Jean-Luc Godard
1930 - 2022
HPI: 73.45
Rank: 3
Georges Méliès
1861 - 1938
HPI: 72.52
Rank: 4
Roger Vadim
1928 - 2000
HPI: 71.50
Rank: 5
Luc Besson
1959 - Present
HPI: 68.46
Rank: 6
Jacques Tati
1907 - 1982
HPI: 67.55
Rank: 7
Claude Chabrol
1930 - 2010
HPI: 67.51
Rank: 8
Éric Rohmer
1920 - 2010
HPI: 67.41
Rank: 9
Jean-Jacques Annaud
1943 - Present
HPI: 66.72
Rank: 10
Alain Resnais
1922 - 2014
HPI: 66.66
Rank: 11
William Wyler
1902 - 1981
HPI: 66.55
Rank: 12