Bernard Launois

{{short description|French film director and actor}}

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Bernard Launois ({{IPA|fr|bɛʁ.naʁ lonwa}}, born 8 April 1930) is a French exploitation film director, screenwriter and actor. As an actor, he sometimes used the pseudonym Bob Gary.

He was born in Mézières, France. Having studied pharmacology for two years in the university, he sought a career in the film industry instead. He worked as a trainee editor and then as an assistant director. In 1953, he was employed by Paramount's programming department in Paris.

During the 1960s, he worked for several film distribution and production companies, such as {{ill|Parafrance|fr|Parafrance}} and {{ill|Les Films Copernic|fr|Les Films Copernic}}. In 1979, he founded his own company, Lancaster Film, to finance the films he wrote and directed. He also edited film trailers and played minor roles as an actor.{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1 |first=Philippe|last=Rège |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2009 |page=600 |isbn=9780810869394 }} His debut film as director, Lâchez les chiennes ({{literal|Unleash the Bitches}}, released in 1972), was an improvised work that he wrote in three days.{{cite web |title=Bernard Launois |url=https://cinedweller.com/celebrity/bernard-launois |first=Frédéric |last=Mignard |website=CinéDweller.com |access-date=24 February 2023 |language=fr |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320201205/https://cinedweller.com/celebrity/bernard-launois/ |url-status=live }} Devil Story, his seventh and last feature film, has gained a cult following because of its reputation as one of the worst films in history.{{cite web |url=https://www.americangenrefilm.com/theatrical-film-catalog/devil-story |title=Devil Story |publisher=American Genre Film Archive |access-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203031101/https://www.americangenrefilm.com/theatrical-film-catalog/devil-story/ |url-status=live }} It was restored in 4K resolution from its 35mm original camera negative and released on Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome, an American home video distribution company, in 2021.{{cite web |title=Devil Story (1986) Vinegar Syndrome Exclusive - Blu-ray Review |url=https://reelreviews.com/home-video/badsass-sinema-unearthed/devil-story-blu-ray-review |date=28 September 2021 |first=Loron |last=Hays |website=Reel Reviews |access-date=16 September 2024 |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226173707/https://reelreviews.com/home-video/badsass-sinema-unearthed/devil-story-blu-ray-review |url-status=live }}

He founded Delta Films and bought a four-theatre multiplex in 1987. He retired from the filmmaking business at the end of the 1980s.