Louis Van der Ecker

One of the best (and most qualified) technical advisors in 1930's Hollywood was Belgian-born Louis Joseph Marie Antoine van den Ecker (his surname is sometimes spelled as 'Vandenecker'). An adventurer and soldier-of-fortune of Dutch-Belgian parentage, this guy was the real deal. At eleven, he he absconded from a military school, and, by the age of sixteen, joined the French Foreign Legion. He served for eight years, earning his corporal stripes fighting the Tuareg in the deserts of Northern Africa. During World War I, he was again in the thick of it, receiving citations for bravery as a lieutenant with the 97th Alpine Infantry Division. During the battle of Hartmannswillerkopf in the Vosges Mountains, Louis received a shrapnel wound in the leg while delivering a crucial message to a divisional HQ. He went on the see action in a further 23 engagements. When the war finally ended, Louis promptly went east to fight with the Polish Army against the Soviets. Further exploits included his capture behind the lines of three Russian officers. In the wake of the Peace Treaty of Riga which ended the Polish-Soviet War in 1921, Louis moved to the United States. In New York, he obtained a position at the French Consulate. He eventually ended up in Hollywood and became a much sought-after technical advisor, adding authenticity to epic adventures like Beau Geste (1926) and its sequel Beau Sabreur (1928). During the 1930's, he was consulted on the fighting scenes of several major classics including The Three Musketeers (1935), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and the sound remake of Beau Geste (1939) (working alongside fellow ex-Legionnaire William A. Wellman). Louis fathered four children, three of them born in the United States. He died in Los Angeles in March 1956 at the age of 66.