Henri Verneuil (was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker. Henri Verneuil was born Ashod Malakian to Armenian parents in Rodosto, East Thrace, Turkey. When Ashod was a little child his family moved to France and settled in Marseille. He later recounted his childhood experience in the novel Mayrig, which he dedicated to his mother and made into a 1991 film with the same name, which was followed by a sequel, 588 Rue Paradis, the following year.
Henri Verneuil entered the Ecole Nationale d'Arts et Metiers in Aix-en-Provence in 1942. After graduation, he worked as a journalist, then became editor of Horizon Armenian magazine.
In 1947 Henri Verneuil managed to convince the established European film actor Fernandel to appear in his first film.
After the American experience (he was called the "most American of French directors"), in 1969 Verneuil "found" France. He was awarded a Césarin 1996 and he was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 2000.

He died at Bagnolet in 2002.