Biography for
Jacques-Yves Cousteau More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

11 June 1910, St.-Andre-de-Cubzac, France

Date of Death

25 June 1997, Paris, France (heart attack)

Spouse

Francine Triplet	(June 1991 - 25 June 1997) (his death) 2 children
Simone Cousteau	(12 July 1937 - 2 December 1990) (her death) 2 children

Trade Mark

Red woolen cap.

Trivia

Father of Jean-Michel Cousteau and Philippe Cousteau.

Pioneer in the field of underwater filming.

Was a member of the French Resistance in World War II.

Described himself as an "oceanographic technician".

Father of 'Diane Cousteau'.

Inventor of the modern aqua-lung.

Society of Operating Cameramen, (SOC) Recipient, Governors Award (1996).

The John Denver song "Calypso" is about him. It is named for Jacques' boat.

He was awarded an Honorary A.C. (Companion of the Order of Australia) on January 26, 1990 for his services to the environment, conservation, and marine life in our oceans.

Personal Quotes

"It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert."

"We must plant the sea and herd its animals ... using the sea as farmers instead of hunters. That is what civilization is all about - farming replacing hunting." [Interview, 17 July 1971]

"Farming as we do it is hunting, and in the sea we act like barbarians."

"If we go on the way we have, the fault is our greed [and] if we are not willing [to change], we will disappear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by the insect."

"What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on."

"The sea is the universal sewer." [On the sea as a place "where all kinds of pollution wind up," to House Committee on Science and Astronautics, 28 January 1971]

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