Léon Zitrone (25 November 1914 – 25 November 1995) was a Russian-born French journalist and television presenter. Zitrone was born in Petrograd, Russia. He arrived in France with his family fleeing communism at the age of six. He graduated from the 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. 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 the Tour de France, and he is remembered for his prodigious memory for names of riders. He presented the Olympics for 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. 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. He was the oldest host of the Eurovision Song Contest, aged 63. In 1984, Zitrone took a leading role in the movie American Dreamer. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on his 81st birthday, 25 November 1995, at the Val-de-Grâce hospital in Paris. Source: Article "Léon Zitrone" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Filmography

• 1987Dorothée Show — Vigile
• 1985Marriage of the Century — Voix du commentateur (voice)
• 1984American Dreamer — Ivan Stranauvlitch
• 1983Les Mots pour le dire — TV show presenter (uncredited)
• 1982Quarter to Two Before Jesus Christ — Presenter of the circus games
• 1977Drôles de zèbres — Race Commentator
• 1975From Hong Kong with Love — Espion français
• 1972Menace — Le journaliste
• 1971La Lucarne magique — A personality
• 1967Live for Life — Le présentateur télé
• 1964Actualités télérévisées
• 1963The Bamboo Stroke
• 1962Assassin's Check — Le journaliste télé
• 1962Rue du Havre
• 1961Leon Garros Is Looking for His Friend — Léon Garros
• 1961Vingt mille lieues sur la Terre — Léon Garros, journaliste

Appearances as themselves (31)

• Il était une fois Champs-Élysées — Self (archive footage)
• 2022La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président — Self (archive footage)
• 2019Les années Bouvard : le rire et l’impertinence — Self (archive footage)
• Sacrée soirée — Self, Self - Commentary (voice)
• Téléthon — Self
• Champs-Elysées — Self
• 1980The Party — Self
• 30 millions d'amis — Self - Host
• Cérémonie des César — Self - Host
• Apostrophes — Self
• Les Rendez-vous du dimanche — Self
• Midi Première — Self
• 1974Marriage — Self
• 1972J'ai tout donné — Self
• Midi trente — Self
• Samedi soir — Self
• 1970Let Them Live! — Self - Narrator
• 1969Les gros malins — Self
• À bout portant — Self - Interviewer
• 1966Seventeenth Heaven — Self (voice) (uncredited)
• 1966The Boss of Champignol — Self
• Dim Dam Dom — Self (voice)
• 1965Operation Double Cross — Self
• 1964Clémentine chérie — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1963Be Careful Ladies — Self
• Intervilles — Self - Host
• 1961Cocagne — Self
• 1961Three Faces of Sin — Self
• 1959Rue de Paris — Self
• En direct de... — self
• Eurovision Song Contest — Self - Presenter