Before becoming a playwright, Jean-Claude Grumberg held several jobs, including working as a tailor. This work provided the setting for his best-known play, ''L'Atelier
. He discovered drama as an actor in a theatrical company. His career as a writer began in 1968 with Demain, une fenêtre sur rue
, and short theatrical pieces such Rixe,
which was staged at the Comédie-Française. In several of his works, he has written about what has haunted him since childhood: the death of his father in the Nazi death camps: Maman revient pauvre orphelin
, Dreyfus
(1974), L'Atelier
(1979) and Zone libre'' (1990). In 1998, ''L'Atelier'' returned to
Théâtre Hébertot in Paris, achieved great success, and won the 1999
Molière for best play direction. His screenplay credits include,
Les Années Sandwiches, coauthor with
François Truffaut of
The Last Metro,
La Petite Apocalypse of
Costa-Gavras,
Le Plus Beau Pays du monde by
Marcel Bluwal (1999), ''Fait d'hiver
Robert Enrico (1999). For television, he wrote the teleplays for Thérèse Humbert
, Music Hall
, by Marcel Bluwal, Les Lendemains qui chantent
, by Jacques Fansten et Julien l'apprenti'', by Jacques Otmezguine. He is one of the few living contemporary French playwrights whose work is studied in schools (including ''L'Atelier''). Jean-Claude Grumberg received the Grand Prize of the
Académie française in 1991 and
SACD Prize in 1999 for lifetime achievement; the
Molière's best playwright in 1991 for
Zone libre and in 1999 for ''L'Atelier''. Jean-Claude Grumberg is also the father of the actress
Olga Grumberg. == Actor ==