Michel Delahaye was born in 1929 in Vertou, a small town located close to Nantes, in the region of Bretagne, France. He was raised by a deeply religious father who was a former pilot of the Great War, World War I, and was deeply influenced by his father's experiences.
During World War II, Michel attended a Jesuit private school in Saint Malo, where he continued his education under the German occupation. This period had a profound impact on his life and shaped his worldview.
After the war, Michel did his military service in Germany in 1951 and later worked as a manager of transports in the Nantes seaport. However, his career took a turn when he was judged guilty of petty theft in 1953 and met the owner of a docking company who gave him a chance to start anew.
In 1956, Michel began his career in the postal services as a probationary worker and later worked in a factory before moving to Paris. He worked in various jobs, including news stands, bookstores, and as a reporter for several magazines, including the prestigious "Detective" magazine.
Michel's passion for cinema led him to become a movie critic and assistant director, and he soon found himself working with some of the most renowned French directors of the time, including Éric Rohmer and the new wave of French directors. He also had the privilege of interviewing famous filmmakers such as Roman Polanski and Carl Theodor Dreyer.
In the late 1960s, Michel became a close friend of the legendary director Jean Renoir and was a regular contributor to the world-renowned film magazine "Les Cahiers du Cinema". However, he was fired from the magazine in 1969 for being anti-Marxist and went on to work as a security officer and later as a full-time actor in theater, movies, and television.
In 1974, Michel wrote a novel titled "L'Archange et Robinson font du Bateau", which was intended to be adapted into a film directed by Claude Miller and starring Gérard Depardieu. Although the project never came to fruition, the script was published by the publishing house Champs Libre.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Michel worked as a social worker in an emergency team and later contributed to writing film critics for "La Lettre du Cinema". He also acted in several movies and helped young staff members with screenwriting.
Michel has two sons, Emmanuel and Mathew Lorenceau, who are five years apart in age. Throughout his life, Michel has been driven by his passion for cinema and his desire to tell stories that inspire and move people.
