Raymond Bernard was born in Paris in 1891, the son of the author and humorist
Tristan Bernard and younger brother of the playwright
Jean-Jacques Bernard. He began his career as an actor, appearing on stage in plays written by his father, including
Jeanne Doré (1913) alongside
Sarah Bernhardt (also filmed in 1916). In 1917, Bernard started working behind the camera as an assistant to
Jacques Feyder at
Gaumont, later continuing as a director, principally adapting plays written by his father. In these popular entertainments, he soon gained experience working with leading performers such as
Max Linder and
Charles Dullin. In 1924, Bernard embarked upon a new style of film, the historical spectacle, with
Le Miracle des loups set in 15th-century France in the reign of
Louis XI. This proved to be the most expensive film of its day and one of the more profitable. Bernard's ability to combine dramatic narrative with spacious settings and large numbers of performers was utilised in the two remaining productions of his silent film career, ''
Le Joueur d'échecs (1927) and Tarakanova'' (1930). Raymond Bernard was an Officer of the
Legion of Honour. ==Filmography (as director)==