Philippe Labro.

At eighteen, Philippe Labro left France to study at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, then traveled across the United States. Born on 27 August 1936 in Montauban, Tarn-et-Garonne, France, his parents Henriette and Jean François Labro were later recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for hiding members of the Bernart family during World War II. He returned to Europe and became a reporter. During the Algerian War from 1960 to 1962, he served in the military.

Labro made his directorial debut with Tout peut arriver in 1969. He directed The Inheritor 1973 and The Hunter Will Get You 1976. As a journalist, he worked for France-Soir covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. He met Jack Ruby in Dallas days before Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald and later testified before the Warren Commission. Labro also wrote songs and authored several books. From 1985 to 2000, he served as director of programs at RTL, becoming vice president in 1992. The 2008 documentary Code Name Melville recounts his friendship with filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville.

Labro was married twice: first to Françoise Labro and later to Geneviève Gourou. With Françoise, he had two children, Jean and Clarisse. He also had a daughter, Valérie, and an adopted daughter, Alexandra. Labro’s siblings include Jacques, Claude, and Jean Pierre Labro. His parents, Henriette and Jean François, were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for their wartime actions.

Labro received the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour in 2010 and the Prix Interallié for his literary work. He served on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. His encounter with Jack Ruby and testimony to the Warren Commission remain a unique footnote in American history. He worked as a writer, director, and broadcaster.