Filmmaker Claude Berri Dead at 74

Claude Berri, a fixture for more than 50 years in contemporary French cinema as an actor, writer, director and producer, died Monday.

He was 74.

His agent, Dominique Segall, said Berri died of a "cerebral vascular" problem — language often used to describe a stroke — after being hospitalized early Sunday.

Berri produced Roman Polanski's "Tess" in 1979 and directed "Jean de Florette" in 1986 and "Manon des Sources" ("Manon of the Spring"), both adapted from Marcel Pagnol's vision...