Please wait a few moments while we process your request
Please wait...

Daniel Langlois (1957-2023)

Biography

Daniel Langlois (2004)
Daniel Langlois was born in Quebec, Canada in 1957 and is the founder of SOFTIMAGE, the Daniel Langlois Foundation, and Coulibri Ridge.

Daniel Langlois founded SOFTIMAGE in 1986 and served as its President and Chief Technology Officer from its inception until July 1998; the company is recognized internationally in the fields of cinema and media creation for its advanced digital technologies and especially its 3D computer animation techniques. SOFTIMAGE software is used to create the dazzling 3D effects in many blockbuster movies such as Jurassic Park, Titanic, Men in Black, The Matrix, The fifth Element, Moulin Rouge, Happy Feet, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean as well as numerous 3D video games.

In 1992 SOFTIMAGE went public on the American stock market NASDAQ. Two years later, with the objective of expanding the access and availability of 3D computer animation technologies, Mr. Langlois negotiated a merger agreement between SOFTIMAGE and Microsoft which became a milestone that triggered a global consolidation of the computer graphics software industry. SOFTIMAGE was later acquired by Avid in 1998 which then sold the SOFTIMAGE 3D software division to Autodesk in 2008.

Daniel Langlois holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Design from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Before founding SOFTIMAGE, he worked for eight years as an Animation director for private companies and for the National Film Board of Canada, during which time he made significant contributions to the film industry and the field of computer graphics. He gained recognition worldwide as Co-Director of the groundbreaking computer animated film Tony de Peltrie (1985) and for his work on the first stereoscopic 3D computer animation in IMAX format, presented at Expo 86 in Vancouver.

Daniel Langlois has received many significant honors throughout his career. In 1994, Ernst & Young chose him as Canada’s National Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1997, he received a Scientific and Technical Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1999, he was appointed Knight of the National Order of Québec and named Officer of the Order of Canada the following year during which he also was named Personnalité Arts-Affaires of the city of Montreal. In 2003, he was awarded the Octas Prize as a Great Pioneer in Information and Communications Technologies (ITC) for the integration of advanced digital technologies in film and media creation.

Daniel Langlois has received Honorary Doctorates from Université de Sherbrooke, McGill University, Concordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal and Ottawa University in recognition of his work in the fields of art, science and technology.

The Daniel Langlois Foundation is a private, philanthropic charitable organization created in 1997. The purpose of the Foundation is to further artistic and scientific knowledge by fostering the meeting of art and science in the fields of technology. The Foundation seeks to nurture a critical awareness of technology’s implications for human beings and their natural and cultural environment as well as to explore the characteristic aesthetics of new human environments. The foundation has granted funding to numerous projects worldwide and the foundation website is considered one of the most important online resources regarding new media and digital art.
www.fondation-langlois.org

One of the important undertakings of the foundation is an ongoing program with a focus on establishing long term resilience and self-sustainability for small communities in emerging countries that are directly affected by the devastating impacts of natural disasters and global warming. The goal of the project is to research, define, design and implement realistic and viable technological solutions and interventions that will improve the quality of life for the inhabitants following natural disasters while incorporating future resilience and self-sustainability:
www.rezdm.org

In recent years, Daniel Langlois has also been involved in sustainable development and research projects for some industrial sectors such as the hospitality sector. Coulibri Ridge is part of this research process in Dominica. Coulibri Ridge has been awarded Gold and Platinum Winner as well as Grand Winner in the Hotel and Tourism Development category at the 15th Edition of the Grands Prix du Design 2022:
www.coulibriridge.com

Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand died in tragic circumstances on December 1, 2023 in Dominica near their Coulibri Ridge resort.


© 2024 FDL