Georges Méliès was one of the true pioneers of cinema, best known for his discovery that the camera could be used to create fantastic special effects. He was also one of the first to use film to tell stories rather than chronicle mundane events. Born the son of a prominent French bootmaker, Méliès showed special talent for artwork and puppetry as a youth. After serving as a corporal in the French infantry, Méliès defied his father -- who wanted him to enter the family business -- and enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux Arts. While living in London during 1884, Méliès began his lifelong fascination with stage magic and illusion. He was so enthralled that he soon became a magician and began performing in Paris. When his father died, Méliès and his brother began managing the family business until 1888, when he bought the Theatre Robert-Houdin. There he soon gained renown for his flamboyant and technically innovative magic shows. In 1895 Méliès attended the premiere exhibition of the Lumiere brothers' cinematographe. He was thrilled by the possibilities of their moving pictures and immediately offered to buy their machine. They refused to sell, so he bought a Bioscope in London and began showing Edison Kinetoscope shorts during performances. He then built his own movie camera and began making his own movies under the heading Star Film. While filming a scene in the Parisian streets, Méliès' camera temporarily jammed. After fixing it, he resumed filming and soon discovered that people prior to the jam had simply disappeared! Thus began his fascination with special effects possibilities. Between 1896-1897, he made 131 one minute films. In 1897, he built Europe's first movie studio, where he began to film stories based on literature and stage. He made his most famous film, A Trip to the Moon, in 1902. During the early part of the century, Méliès' films were internationally popular, but by 1905 his career was on the wane; more sophisticated audiences began getting bored by his weak stories that only functioned as an excuse to present a stream of special effects. Méliès stopped making films in 1911. Four years later, he was forced to sell his estate, and convert his studio to a variety theater where he resumed performing his stage illusion. His films lay forgotten until 1931, when he was awarded a Legion of Honor medal. One year later, he was given a rent-free apartment where he lived out the rest of his life.