Jean-Marc Barr (born September 27, 1960) is a French-American film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. He is best known for working on several films from Danish film director and frequent collaborator

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nominat ...

since ''

Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliff ...

'' (1991).

Early life and education

Barr was born to a French mother and an American father working in the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. He is fluent in both French and English. Barr was born in West Germany where his father was stationed, and lived an itinerant childhood. His family moved to France in 1968, then to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1974.Jean-Marc Barr
at franceinter.frAn Interview with the Fabulous Jean-Marc Barr
, Beachcomber, 16 January 2014 Barr's parents wished for him to join the armed forces, but he was unwilling to follow in his father's footsteps. He studied philosophy at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, then at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

and the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. He moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to pursue an education in drama at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

Career

Barr began working in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

in France in 1986. After finding work in television (including a small role in ''

Hotel du Lac ''Hotel du Lac'' is a 1984 Booker Prize-winning novel by English writer Anita Brookner. It centres on Edith Hope, a romance novelist who is staying in a hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva. There she meets other English visitors, including Mr ...

'' (1986), the BBC's version of the Booker prize-winning novel by

Anita Brookner Anita Brookner (16 July 1928 – 10 March 2016) was an English novelist and art historian. She was Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge from 1967 to 1968 and was the first woman to hold this visiting professorship. She ...

), and film, (in particular '' Hope and Glory'' (1987) by

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...

), he was cast in the tremendously successful ''

The Big Blue ''The Big Blue'' (released in some countries under the French title ''Le Grand Bleu'') is a 1988 film in the French ''Cinéma du look'' visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. It is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of th ...

'' (1988).

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

cast him in the role of French diver

Jacques Mayol Jacques Mayol (1 April 1927 – 22 December 2001) was a French diver and the holder of many world records in free diving. The 1988 film ''The Big Blue'', directed by Luc Besson, was inspired by his life story and that of his friend, Enzo Maiorca. ...

, alongside

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song'' (1982), and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for th ...

and

Jean Reno Jean Reno () (born 30 July 1948), is a French actor. He has worked in American, French, English, Japanese, Spanish and Italian movie productions; Reno appeared in films such as ''Crimson Rivers'', ''Godzilla'', ''The Da Vinci Code'', '' Mission: ...

. The Big Blue was the most financially successful film in France in the 1980s. In 1991, Barr starred in

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

director

's ''

'', marking the beginning of a long friendship (he is the godfather of von Trier's children) as well as a significant professional relationship. He went on to appear in von Trier's ''

Breaking the Waves ''Breaking the Waves'' is a 1996 psychological drama film directed and co-written by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier and starring English stage actress Emily Watson as her feature film acting debut. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 197 ...

'' (1996), ''

Dancer in the Dark ''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical drama film written and directed by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...

'' (2000), ''

Dogville ''Dogville'' is a 2003 avant-garde drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier, and starring an ensemble cast led by Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Paul Bettany, Chloë Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, Ben Gazzara, Harriet Anderss ...

'' (2004), ''

Manderlay ''Manderlay'' is a 2005 avant-garde drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier, the second and final part of von Trier's projected '' USA – Land of Opportunities'' trilogy. It stars Bryce Dallas Howard, who replaces Nicole Kidman in t ...

'' (2005), ''

The Boss of It All ''The Boss of It All'' ( da, Direktøren for det hele) is a 2006 experimental comedy film written and directed by Lars von Trier. The film uses a cinematic technique invented by von Trier himself called Automavision, which automatically determin ...

'' (2006) and '' Nymph()maniac'' (2013). In 2005 he starred in the French film '' Crustacés et Coquillages''. In 1999 he starred in the French cinéma du corps/cinema of the body drama film, ''

Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday (french: J'aimerais pas crever un dimanche) is a 1999 in film, 1999 French New French Extremity, cinéma du corps/cinema of the body drama film, directed by Didier Le Pêcheur. Plot Cast *Élodie Bouchez as Térésa ...

'' (French: J'aimerais pas crever un dimanche), directed by

Didier Le Pêcheur __NOTOC__ Didier is a French language, French masculine given name and surname common throughout the Romance languages. It comes from the Ancient Roman names Didius and Desiderius (given name), Desiderius. During the 5th century AD, with the Christ ...

. Barr's collaboration with von Trier put him on track to start directing his own work. He debuted in 1999 as a director, screenwriter and producer with the intimate love story '' Lovers''. The film became the first part of a trilogy; the films that followed were the drama ''

Too Much Flesh Too or TOO may refer to: * Threshold of originality, a concept in copyright law * ''Too'' (Fantastic Plastic Machine album), the fourth studio album by Fantastic Plastic Machine * ''Too'' (FIDLAR album), the second studio album by American skate ...

'' (2000) and the comedy '' Being Light'' (2001), which he co-directed with Pascal Arnold. Barr and Pascal also directed the 2006 film Chacun sa nuit (eng: One to another), where they first discovered Lizzie Brocher,

Arthur Dupont Arthur Dupont (born 1985) is a French actor. He was born in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. Career In 2006, he starred in ''Chacun sa nuit'' (One to another) directed by Jean Marc Barr, alongside Lizzie Brocheré and Karl E. Landler K ...

and

Karl E. Landler Karl E. Landler is a French actor, filmmaker who stars in French and American TV shows and films. He joined the international cast of the Sci-Fi TV series Métal Hurlant Chronicles. He is the face of numerous worldwide campaigns such as Shiseido ...

. This was followed by another collaboration in 2012, '' Sexual Chronicles of a French Family''. In 1997, Barr appeared in ''

The Scarlet Tunic ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', produced by Zigi Kamasa. He appeared as Hugo in ''

The Red Siren ''The Red Siren'' (french: La sirène rouge) is a 2002 French crime thriller film based upon the novel by same name by Maurice G. Dantec. The film was directed by Olivier Megaton from a script by Olivier Megaton, Alain Berliner, Norman Spinrad, a ...

'' in 2002 and played divorce lawyer Maître Bertram in the 2003

Merchant Ivory A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

film ''

le Divorce ''Le Divorce'' is a 2003 romantic comedy-drama film directed by James Ivory from a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Ivory, based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Diane Johnson. Plot Isabel Walker travels to Paris to visit her siste ...

''. He appeared as the titular character in the video for Blur's 1996 single, "

Charmless Man "Charmless Man" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is the fourth track on their fourth studio album, '' The Great Escape'' (1995). It was released on 29 April 1996 in the United Kingdom as the fourth and final single from that ...

". In 2010, he starred in

Kim Nguyen Kim Nguyen is a Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for his 2012 film '' War Witch (Rebelle)''. The film was the top winner at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards;City of Shadows (La Cité)''. Barr played author

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

in the 2013 film adaptation of the

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

autobiographical novel ''

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * *
Biography at zoom-cinema.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Jean-Marc 1960 births Living people People from Bitburg American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors French male film actors French male stage actors French male television actors University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of Paris alumni French emigrants to the United States Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama American expatriates in Germany Expatriates in England