French screenwriter and director Francis Veber first made his name penning a number of farcical comedies during the '70s. The son of writers, Veber originally worked as a journalist, but soon dedicated himself solely to writing comedy sketches, stories, and plays. Veber had his first major success with his screenplay for Yves Robert's LE GRAND BLOND AVEC UNE CHASSURE NOIRE (1972), an extremely popular comedy of errors revolving around mistaken identity. Veber went on to do steady work throughout the decade, enjoying particular success for his collaborations with director Edouard Molinaro, which included L’EMMERDEUR (1973) and the internationally acclaimed farce LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, for which Veber earned a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination. Veber first branched out into directing in 1976 with the comedy drama LE JOUET, for which he also wrote the screenplay. In 1998, he had one of his greatest international successes to date with LE DÎNER DE CONS (The Dinner Game). Adapted from Veber's own long-running play of the same name, it was a spirited, witty farce that was enormously popular in France. Veber was nominated for a Best Director César for the film, and won a César for its screenplay.
