Pierre Schoendoerffer was born on 5 May 1928 in Chamalières, Puy-de-Dôme, France. He was a director and writer, known for La 317ème section (1965), Le Crabe-Tambour (1977) and L'honneur d'un capitaine (1982). He was married to Patricia Schoendoerffer. He died on 14 March 2012 in Clamart, Hauts-de-Seine, France.