Pierre Nord
writer · journalist
- April 15, 1900
- December 9, 1985
- 85 years
About Pierre Nord
Pierre Nord, 85, French writer.
Explore other notable deaths in 1985 or deaths in December 1985.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Pierre Nord?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Pierre Nord, real name André Léon Brouillard (15 April 1900 – 10 December 1985), was a French writer, spy, and resistance member.
Early life
Brouillard was born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, Nord. He participated in the First World War as a resistance fighter and in 1916 was arrested by the Germans at Saint-Quentin, Aisne, condemned to death, and later pardoned.
He was educated at Saint-Cyr (1920-1922), Ecole de Guerre (Superior War School) (1932-1934), and Ecole libre des sciences politiques (Free School of Political Science). As an armoured troops' officer, he took part in the campaign against Rif rebels in Morocco and there earned the distinction of knight of the Légion d'honneur.
In 1939, Brouillard was appointed chief of intelligence of the 9th and 10th Armies. During the German invasion of 1940, he was again captured, escaped and became commander of one of the most active units of the French resistance. He ended the Second World War as a colonel and was awarded numerous military decorations.
Brouillard published his first espionage novel, Double crime sur la ligne Maginot (Double Crime on the Maginot Line) in 1936, under the pseudonym of Pierre Nord. The tense and complicated plot revolved around the hunt for a murderous German spy who operated in one of the forts in the Maginot Line. The spy, masquerading as a lieutenant in the French army, was neutralized by an ingenious trap set by the Deuxième Bureau' operative Captain Pierre Ardant. (Curiously, the chief protagonists of Nord's novels almost invariably bear the first name of Pierre). The Double crime was followed by Terre d'angoisse (Land of Anguish) 1937, which described the struggle between the German and French secret services during the First World War. The hero of the story, under the alias of Lieutenant Heim (portrayed by actor Gabriel Gabrio in the 1939 film adaptation) penetrated the Kaiser's army.
Post-war
In 1946, Brouillard left military service to take up writing full-time. As Pierre Nord, he became a prolific and popular author of spy fiction. His novels are characterized by realistic and intricate plots skillfully woven into both Cold War and Second World War settings. Many feature Colonel Dubois, the astute, veteran chief of French counter-espionage.
Sixième colonne (Sixth Column) 1955, deals with the ostensive defection to the East of a French bacteriologist and the search for him carried out by his brother, a lieutenant colonel in the medical service, Pierre Rocher. The threat of biological warfare is again addressed in Espionnage à l'italienne (Espionage a la Italian) 1963, where a French discoverer of a deadly bacillus disappears in Italy and is sought by the French, American and Russian intelligence services. In Pas de scandale a l'ONU (No Scandal at the UN) 1962, the son of a murdered French diplomat, trying to avenge the death of his father who worked for Colonel Dubois, stumbles upon a conspiracy against world peace orchestrated by some third world countries. In Le Kawass d'Ankara (The Kawass from Ankara) 1967, the Allied secret services in 1944 dispatched an agent, Pierre Frontin, to Turkey in a desperate effort to discredit vital information that fell into German hands. Le 13e suicidé (The Thirteenth Who Committed Suicide) 1971, features a high-ranking Russian defector who reveals that many leading figures in the West German intelligence service are in fact Soviet agents. When several of them take their own lives, Colonel Dubois begins to question the Russian's revelations. This novel was adapted into a film Le Serpent (Night Flight from Moscow) 1973 starring Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda and Dirk Bogarde. Le canal de las Americas (The Canal of the Americas, 1973) is a political intrigue set in the fictitious Latin American republic of Costaraguay. Altogether Nord authored nearly eighty novels.
He also wrote non-fiction. Between 1946 and 1949, Nord published a three-volume account of Free French intelligence actions during the Second World War under the title Mes Camarades sont morts (My Comrades are Dead), it won the Grand Prix Vérité. L'intoxication (The Deception), an analysis of the clandestine war of secret services, appeared in 1971.
In 1957, Nord moved from France to the principality of Monaco, where he lived until his death.
Filmography
- Double crime sur la ligne Maginot [fr], directed by Félix Gandéra (1937, based on the novel Double crime sur la ligne Maginot)
- Deuxième Bureau contre Kommandantur [fr], directed by René Jayet and Robert Bibal (1939, based on the novel Terre d'angoisse)
- Resistance, directed by André Berthomieu (1945, based on the novel Peloton d'exécution)
- Captain Ardant, directed by André Zwoboda (1951, based on the novel Le Capitaine Ardant)
- Rhine Virgin, directed by Gilles Grangier (1953, based on the novel La Vierge du Rhin)
- The Amorous Corporal, directed by Robert Darène (1958, based on the novel La Bigorne, caporal de France)
- Night Flight from Moscow, directed by Henri Verneuil (1973, based on the novel Le Treizième Suicidé)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Pierre Nord on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Nord
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Pierre Nord's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the real birth name of the author known as Pierre Nord?
- A.Pierre Frontin
- B.André Léon Brouillardcorrect
- C.Pierre Rocher
- D.Pierre Ardant
The biography explicitly states that Pierre Nord's real name was André Léon Brouillard.
Source: biographical summary
2.In which French town was André Léon Brouillard born?
- A.Aisne
- B.Saint-Quentin
- C.Paris
- D.Le Cateau-Cambrésiscorrect
André Léon Brouillard was born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, located in the Nord department.
Source: early life section
3.Which educational institution did André Léon Brouillard attend from 1920 to 1922?
- A.Ecole libre des sciences politiques
- B.Ecole de Guerre
- C.Saint-Cyrcorrect
- D.The Sorbonne
André Léon Brouillard attended Saint-Cyr between 1920 and 1922 as part of his military education.
Source: early life section
4.What military distinction did André Léon Brouillard earn during his service in Morocco?
- A.Knight of the Légion d'honneurcorrect
- B.Military Medal
- C.Officer of the Resistance
- D.Cross of War
While serving as an armoured troops' officer in Morocco, he earned the distinction of knight of the Légion d'honneur.
Source: early life section
5.What was the title of the first espionage novel published by André Léon Brouillard under the name Pierre Nord?
- A.Double crime sur la ligne Maginotcorrect
- B.Le 13e suicidé
- C.Terre d'angoisse
- D.Sixième colonne
Brouillard published his first espionage novel, Double crime sur la ligne Maginot, in 1936 under his pseudonym.
Source: early life section
6.Who was the operative that neutralized the German spy in 'Double crime sur la ligne Maginot'?
- A.Pierre Frontin
- B.Colonel Dubois
- C.Lieutenant Heim
- D.Captain Pierre Ardantcorrect
The spy in the novel was neutralized by an ingenious trap set by the Deuxième Bureau' operative Captain Pierre Ardant.
Source: early life section
7.What occupation did André Léon Brouillard pursue after leaving military service in 1946?
- A.Professional teaching
- B.Writing full-timecorrect
- C.Diplomatic service
- D.Journalism
In 1946, Brouillard left the military to pursue a full-time career as a writer.
Source: post-war section
8.Which recurring character serves as the veteran chief of French counter-espionage in many of Pierre Nord's novels?
- A.Pierre Rocher
- B.Colonel Duboiscorrect
- C.Captain Pierre Ardant
- D.Pierre Frontin
Many of his novels feature Colonel Dubois, who is described as the astute, veteran chief of French counter-espionage.
Source: post-war section
9.In the novel 'Sixième colonne', what is the profession of the brother searching for the bacteriologist?
- A.Diplomat at the United Nations
- B.Chief of French intelligence
- C.Lieutenant colonel in the medical servicecorrect
- D.Operative in the Deuxième Bureau
The search for the bacteriologist is carried out by his brother, a lieutenant colonel in the medical service named Pierre Rocher.
Source: post-war section
10.Which novel by Pierre Nord features a plot set in the fictitious Latin American republic of Costaraguay?
- A.Le Kawass d'Ankara
- B.Pas de scandale a l'ONU
- C.Le canal de las Americascorrect
- D.Espionnage à l'italienne
Le canal de las Americas is a political intrigue set in the fictitious Latin American republic of Costaraguay.
Source: post-war section
11.What is the English title of the 1973 film adaptation of Pierre Nord's novel 'Le 13e suicidé'?
- A.Night Flight from Moscowcorrect
- B.The Amorous Corporal
- C.Double Crime on the Maginot Line
- D.Rhine Virgin
Le 13e suicidé was adapted into the 1973 film titled Night Flight from Moscow.
Source: post-war section
12.Which work by Pierre Nord won the Grand Prix Vérité?
- A.Mes Camarades sont mortscorrect
- B.Le Kawass d'Ankara
- C.L'intoxication
- D.Terre d'angoisse
The three-volume account of Free French intelligence actions, Mes Camarades sont morts, won the Grand Prix Vérité.
Source: post-war section
13.In what year did Pierre Nord move from France to live in Monaco?
- A.1971
- B.1985
- C.1957correct
- D.1946
Pierre Nord moved to the principality of Monaco in 1957 and lived there until he passed away.
Source: post-war section
14.Approximately how many novels did Pierre Nord author in his lifetime?
- A.Over two hundred
- B.Exactly fifty
- C.Nearly eightycorrect
- D.Around twenty
The biography notes that altogether, Pierre Nord authored nearly eighty novels.
Source: post-war section
15.Which actor appeared in the 1973 film adaptation of Pierre Nord's work titled 'Night Flight from Moscow'?
- A.Henry Fondacorrect
- B.Gabriel Gabrio
- C.Félix Gandéra
- D.André Berthomieu
The 1973 film adaptation starred Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda, and Dirk Bogarde.
Source: post-war section
16.On what date did Pierre Nord pass away?
- A.1 January 1973
- B.15 April 1900
- C.10 December 1985correct
- D.30 May 1967
Pierre Nord was born on 15 April 1900 and died on 10 December 1985.
Source: biographical summary
Explore the archive
People who died on December 9
Related People
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Pierre Nord →Advertisement
