Romain Gary (1914-1980) was born Roman Kacew in Vilnius to a family of Lithuanian Jews. He changed his name when he fled Nazi-occupied France to fight for the British as an aviator. He wrote under several pen names and is the only writer to have received the Prix de Goncourt twice. Gary was also a diplomat and filmmaker, and was married to the American actress Jean Seberg. He died in Paris in 1980 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.