[2] He said his father's publishing of a wartime resistance journal and aid to anti-Nazi intellectuals shaped his moral outlook as an artist.

[4] His early work was dominated by mysteries, but his later work is characterized by a more overt social commentary, highlighting his left-wing views (Life and Nothing But, Captain Conan) and presenting a critical picture of contemporary French society (It All Starts Today, Histoires de vies brisées : les double-peine de Lyon).

He won the BAFTA for best film in a language other than English in 1990 for Life and Nothing But and a total of four César Awards and was joint winner of another.

Their son, Nils Tavernier (born 1 September 1965), works as both a director and actor.

[11] Their daughter, Tiffany Tavernier (born in 1967), is a novelist, screenwriter and assistant director.