Jean-Claude Deret, born Claude Breitman, (July 11, 1921 – December 12, 2016) was a French television writer, songwriter, actor, playwright and author of children's books and detective novels.

Early life

Jean-Claude Deret was born as Claude Breitman on July 11, 1921. His family were secular Jews from Russia. One of his great-grandfathers was a psychiatrist. He lost a relative in

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

Career

Deret started his career as a songwriter and singer in

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the no ...

in the late 1940s. By 1950, he emigrated to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, where he became a theatre and television actor. Nine years later, in 1959, he returned to France and within a few years he created '' Thierry la Fronde'', a television series. Between 1963 and 1966, he wrote 52 episodes. Deret founded Le Théâtre du cercle, a theatre company in Saint-Gervais-la-Forêt. Additionally, he authored children's books and detective novels. He also wrote plays, including ''Samuel dans l'île'', which was nominated for a Molière Award in 2006. Meanwhile, he continued to act, for example starring in ''

Beautiful Memories ''Beautiful Memories'' (french: Se souvenir des belles choses) is a 2001 French film directed by Zabou Breitman. It won the César Awards for Best First Feature Film, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, and was nominated for Best Actor. A ...

'' in 2001. He wrote 50 songs over the course of his career, and performed at the Théâtre de Poche Montparnasse in April 2014. In 2016, he directed ''Salauds de pauvres'', a short film about poor people in France.

Personal life

Deret had three children, including actress

Zabou Breitman Zabou Breitman (born Isabelle Breitman; 30 October 1959), or simply Zabou, is a French actress and director. She is the daughter of actors Jean-Claude Deret and Céline Léger. At the age of four, she appeared in her first movie. Since 1981, Z ...

with Céline Léger. Deret died in Paris on December 12, 2016, age 95. He was cremated at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

on December 17.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deret, Jean-Claude 1921 births 2016 deaths Writers from Paris French people of Russian-Jewish descent French male songwriters French songwriters Male songwriters French television writers Male television writers 21st-century French dramatists and playwrights 21st-century French male actors 21st-century French male writers 21st-century French screenwriters