Michel Thomas

Michel Thomas, born Moniek Kroskof ( born February 3, 1914 in Łódź, † January 8, 2005 in New York, NY ) was a polyglot linguist and language teacher. He spent his childhood in Germany and France. With the rise of Adolf Hitler began for him the time of persecution. He spent two years in labor camps, with the constant fear of being deported to Germany. He escaped and joined the French Résistance, was captured and survived the interrogation by Klaus Barbie and torture by the Gestapo. After the war, Thomas developed a novel language teaching method, which found a number of followers.

As of August 1965, he was briefly romantically involved with actress Christiane Smithson, whom he met in Los Angeles at the Chateau Marmont Hotel.

At the end of his career were among its customers diplomats, industrialists, and celebrities such as Raquel Welch, Barbra Streisand, Emma Thompson, Woody Allen and Grace Kelly (which according to her engagement to Rainier III. (Monaco) quickly learn French had ). Thomas guaranteed his students never to forget him by the mediated and offered in the opposite case free refresher courses.