View source for Léon Zitrone

{{Short description|French journalist}}
{{ infobox person
| name         = Léon Zitrone
| image        = Zitrone-1986-Toulouse-15Fi10972.png
| caption      = Zitrone in 1986
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1914|11|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Saint Petersburg|Petrograd]], Russia
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1995|11|25|1914|11|25|df=y}}
| death_place  = Paris, France<ref name=figaro>[http://www.lefigaro.fr/mon-figaro/2012/10/17/10001-20121017ARTFIG00581-l-homme-qui-fit-battre-le-c339ur-de-la-tele.php Profile], lefigaro.fr, 17 October 2012; accessed 24 August 2015.</ref>
| occupation = Television journalist
| nationality  = French
| education    = [[École supérieure de journalisme de Paris]]
}}

'''Léon Zitrone''' (25 November 1914 &ndash; 25 November 1995) was a Russian-born French journalist and television presenter.

==Biography==
Zitrone was born in [[Petrograd]], Russia. He arrived in France with his family fleeing communism at the age of six. He graduated from the [[Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris|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.<!-- comme il le dit lui-même dans son au revoir du 1er février 1981.--->

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 on the [[Tour de France]], and he is remembered for his prodigious memory for names of riders. He presented the [[Olympics]] 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.<ref>[http://www.ecole-superieure-dejournalisme-paris.fr/presentation « École de journalisme de Paris »] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911045628/http://www.ecole-superieure-dejournalisme-paris.fr/presentation |date=2014-09-11 }}</ref>

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.<ref>[http://www.esj-paris.com/Site/8-histoire-de-l-esj-paris.html Histoire de l'ESJ Paris ] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140606134803/http://www.esj-paris.com/Site/8-histoire-de-l-esj-paris.html |date=2014-06-06 }}</ref> He was the oldest host of the Eurovision Song Contest, aged 63.

In 1984, Zitrone took a leading role in the movie ''[[American Dreamer (1984 film)|American Dreamer]]''.

==Death==
He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on his 81st birthday, 25 November 1995, at the [[Val-de-Grâce]] hospital in Paris.<ref name=figaro/>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1959|| ''[[Rue des prairies]]'' || Himself / En personne ||
|-
|1961|| ''Leon Garros ishchet druga'' || Léon Garros ||
|-
|1961|| ''[[Three Faces of Sin]]'' || En personne / Himself ||
|-
|1961|| ''[[The President (1961 film)|The President]]'' || Himself || Uncredited
|-
|1961|| ''[[Cocagne (film)|Cocagne]]''  || Himself ||
|-
|1962|| ''[[The Gentleman from Epsom]]'' || En personne / Himself || Uncredited
|-
|1962|| ''Portrait-robot'' || Himself ||
|-
|1963|| ''[[The Bamboo Stroke]]'' || ||
|-
|1963|| ''[[Méfiez-vous, mesdames]]'' || Himself ||
|-
|1964|| ''Dandelions by the Roots'' || Himself / La voix commentaire du tiercé || Voice, Uncredited
|-
|1965|| ''[[Train d'enfer]]'' || Himself ||
|-
|1966|| ''Le caïd de Champignol'' || Himself ||
|-
|1966|| ''Un garçon, une fille. Le dix-septième ciel'' || Himself || Voice, Uncredited
|-
|1967|| ''[[Live for Life]]'' || Le présentateur télé ||
|-
|1968|| ''[[Pasha (film)|Pasha]]'' || Himself / En personne (commentateur hippique) || Uncredited
|-
|1968|| ''[[Ho!]]'' || Himself / En personne || Uncredited
|-
|1969|| ''Les gros malins'' || ||
|-
|1969|| ''Trois hommes sur un cheval'' || Un turfiste || Uncredited
|-
|1971|| ''Macédoine'' || Zitrone || Uncredited
|-
|1972|| ''Les intrus'' || Le journaliste ||
|-
|1974|| ''Mariage'' || Lui-même ||
|-
|1975|| ''[[Bons Baisers de Hong Kong]]'' || Espion français ||
|-
|1976|| ''L'Année sainte'' || Récitant TV || Voice, Uncredited
|-
|1977|| ''[[Drôles de zèbres]]'' || Le commentateur hippique ||
|-
|1978|| ''Et vive la liberté!'' || Himself ||
|-
|1980|| ''[[The Umbrella Coup]]'' || Le commentateur de la soirée || Voice
|-
|1980|| ''[[La Boum]]'' || Himself ||
|-
|1982|| ''Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ'' || ||
|-
|1983|| ''Les Mots pour le dire'' || Le présentateur émission TV || Uncredited
|-
|1984|| ''[[American Dreamer (1984 film)|American Dreamer]]'' || Ivan Stranauvlitch ||
|-
|1985|| ''Le mariage du siècle'' || commentateur || Voice, (final film role)
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
* [[List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters]]
* ''[[Le Gentleman d'Epsom]]'' (film, 1962)

{{s-start}}
{{succession box 
| before={{flagicon|UK}} [[Angela Rippon]] 
| title=[[Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision Song Contest presenter]]
| years=<small>(with [[Denise Fabre]])</small> <br> [[Eurovision Song Contest 1978|1978]] 
| after={{flagicon|Israel}} Daniel Pe'er and [[Yardena Arazi]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zitrone, Leon}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:French male journalists]]
[[Category:French television journalists]]
[[Category:French reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:French people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Paris]]
[[Category:Russian Jews]]
[[Category:Burials at Levallois-Perret Cemetery]]
[[Category:École supérieure de journalisme de Paris alumni]]
[[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Eurovision commentators]]