A brief account of the life of René Le Fort.

In 1901, René Le Fort conducted some of the most infamous experiments known to maxillofacial surgery. He was an interesting and highly accomplished man with experience in many fields of surgery. We continue to use much of his research today despite many advances in medicine, yet we know little about the man himself.The aim of this short paper is to introduce you to René Le Fort and to describe the highlights of his experiments, which gave rise to a system of classifying facial fractures. 2009 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.