Pierre Lazareff

Pierre Lazareff (1907–1972) was a French newspaper editor and publisher. He was the son of a Russian Jewish emigrant, David Lazareff, and an Alsatian Jew, Marthe Helft. He was passionate about newspapers from his childhood, even running a family paper called Le Journal des Bibis. In his teens, he interviewed Eugène Silvain and sold it to La Rampe. He worked for Mistinguett and for the Moulin Rouge, where he was responsible for the funeral of La Goulue. He wrote in the theatre section of Le Soir. In 1928, he joined Paris-Midi, where he brought in his friends Joseph Kessel, Roger Vailland and Charles Gombault. He also worked at the Pigalle Theatre. In 1931, became editor of the new Parisian evening paper Paris-soir. Under Lazareff's leadership, the paper reached a daily circulation of 2.5 million, a record for the French market. For this success, he became known as the "French Northcliffe".