Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the late environmentalist and ocean pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, has spent his life exploring the world's oceans aboard the research vessels Calypso and Alcyone. He communicates his message of preserving the water planet through a variety of media. Since 1989, he has written a column syndicated worldwide by the L .A. Times. He travels the globe, lecturing to thousands of students and addressing influential industry groups and prestigious forums. He has led educational field study programs and is a partner in an environmentally friendly business resort. In the mid-1960s, Jean-Michel began organizing the logistics for the award-winning TV series, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. Since then, he has been the producer and/or executive producer of fifty-nine television series, including Cousteau's Rediscovery of the World, from which several programs were nominated for Emmy and Cable Ace Awards. He has both the Peabody and the Emmy Awards for his work. He recently completed filming a television special, Destroyer At Peace, on the sinking of a Russian Naval Destroyer for the creation of an artificial reef in the Cayman Islands.
A graduate of the Paris School of Architecture, Jean-Michel is a member of the Ordre National des Architects, the French counterpart of the American Institute of Architects. His work demonstrates a flair for infusing the functional with a new vision, and he is consistently attracted by unconventional challenges. Jean-Michel has collaborated on numerous design and architectural projects including artificial floating islands and the headquarters of an advanced marine studies center in Marseilles. He was selected by the government of Madagascar to participate in a national survey for its environmental protection and development.
In 1969, Jean-Michel headed the team that transformed a 100,000-square-foot section of the former ocean liner Queen Mary into the Living Sea Museum in Long Beach, California. He also directed the design and development of the Parc Oceanique Cousteau in Paris, a public attraction that introduced new ways of teaching visitors about the ocean realm without captive animals. Today, he continues his commitment to architectural innovation and stimulating exhibitry through his Living Design Corporation.
Jean-Michel has welcomed the opportunity of administrative responsibility. From 1979 to 1993, he served as executive vice president of The Cousteau Society. He is a founding member and vice president of Equipe Cousteau, The Cousteau Society's sister company in France. He heads the Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to uniting the world's people in a global effort to halt marine devastation. He is a member of the Board of Directors and/or sits on advisory committees for various conservatories, museums, and diving associations. He recently became a Trustee of the Brooks Foundation and an advisor to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
Pepperdine University awarded Jean-Michel an honorary doctorate in 1976. In recent years, he has received honors such as the Reaching Out Award of the Dive Equipment Marketing Association and the John M. Olguin Marine Environment Award of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
Established in 1993, Jean-Michel Cousteau Productions expands the range and depth of educational film programming through television programs and interactive multimedia productions. Jean-Michel has received acclaim for his company's CD-ROMs. On Earth Day 1997, he led the first-ever undersea live video chat. For 1998, he has been named co-spokesperson for the US Pavilion at the World's Fair in Lisbon, Portugal. He will make numerous appearances throughout the year, as well as participate in events in Portugal. Jean-Michel continues to explore innovative ways to communicate his love and concern for the planet.
Go to the top of this page / MENU