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Léon Zitrone (25 November 1914 – 25 November 1995) was a Russian-born French journalist and television presenter.
1975
Léon Zitrone (25 November 1914 – 25 November 1995) was a Russian-born French journalist and television presenter.
Zitrone was born in Petrograd, Russia. He arrived in France with his family fleeing communism at the age of six. He graduated from the ESJ Paris. He began by training in scientific studies but his mastership of Russian, French, English and German gave him entrance in 1948 to the radio foreign broadcasting services of Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF). In 1959, he joined the television activity of RTF. From 1961, he became news presenter, function he occupied for nearly 20 years, first until 1975, on the first French television channel (now TF1), then also on Antenne 2, the other public service channel. Jean-Pierre Elkabbach called him back in 1979. He then took charge of the news program during the week-end (his contract was established until 1 February 1981). He would come back for those news programs also during the Easter and Pentecost week-ends.
But Léon Zitrone's celebrity is due to the programs he presented or co-presented. He was host of the televised program Intervilles (French counterpart of Britain's It's a Knockout) with Guy Lux. He commented 6 times the Tour de France, and he is remembered for his prodigious memory for names of riders. He presented the Olympics for 8 times, commented the Eurovision Song Contest on 4 occasions and presented 16 Bastille Day military parades. Above all, he was the key-commenter for big events, such as weddings, burials or investitures of world's key figures, some thirty of them during the course of his career.
In 1978, following French singer Marie Myriam's victory the previous year, the Eurovision song contest took place in Paris. Léon Zitrone co-presented with Denise Fabre and made the presentation in English. He was the oldest host of the Eurovision Song Contest, aged 63.
In 1984, Zitrone took a leading role in the movie American Dreamer.
He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on his 81st birthday, 25 November 1995, at the Val-de-Grâce hospital in Paris.
Source: Article "Léon Zitrone" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Gender
Male
Birthday
November 25, 1914
Died
November 25, 1995
Birthplace
Petrograd, Russian Empire [now St. Petersburg, Russia]
American Dreamer
1984
Leon Garros Is Looking for His Friend
1961
Rue de Paris
1959
Operation Double Cross
1965
Assassin's Check
1962
The Party
1980
Be Careful Ladies
1963
The Boss of Champignol
1966
Clémentine chérie
1964
Cocagne
1961
Marriage
1974
The Bamboo Stroke
1963
Quarter to Two Before Jesus Christ
1982
Live for Life
1967
Actualités télérévisées
1964
Menace
1972
Dorothée Show
1987
From Hong Kong with Love
1975
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
2022
J'ai tout donné
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1982
Eurovision Song Contest
1956
Midi Première
1975
Sacrée Soirée
1987
Sacrée Soirée
1987
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
Apostrophes
1975
Midi trente
1972
Samedi soir
1971
Téléthon
1987
30 millions d'amis
1976
30 millions d'amis
1976
À bout portant
1968
Dim Dam Dom
1965
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
2022
Intervilles
1962
En direct de...
1956