Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (; 8 September 1910 – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium ...

who worked on both screen and stage.

Biography

Barrault was born in

Le Vésinet Le Vésinet () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of western Paris, from the centre of Paris. In 2019, it had a population of 15,943. ...

in France in 1910. His father was 'a Burgundian pharmacist who died in the First World War.'^:87 He studied at the Collége Chaptal until 1930, when he began his studies at the

École du Louvre The École du Louvre is an institution of higher education and grande école located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology and epigraphy. Admission is ...

.^:87

Theatre

From 1931 to 1935 Barrault studied and acted at

Charles Dullin Charles Dullin (; 8 May 1885 – 11 December 1949) was a French actor, theater manager and director. Career Dullin began his career as an actor in melodrama:185 In 1908, he started his first troupe with Saturnin Fabre, the ''Théâtre de Foir ...

's ''L'Atelier''.^:32 His first performance was a small role in Ben Jonson's ''Volpone''. At the time, Barrault was unable to afford rent and Dullin allowed him to sleep in the theatre on Volpone's bed.^:16 It was ''L'Atelier'' that he first met and studied under

Étienne Decroux Étienne Decroux (19 July 1898 in Paris, France – 12 March 1991 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France) was a French actor who studied at Jacques Copeau's École du Vieux-Colombier, where he saw the beginnings of what was to become his life's obse ...

,^:41 with whom he would create the pantomime ''La Vie Primitive'' in 1931.^:87 He was a member of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

from 1942 to 1946, performing lead roles in Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' and Corneille's ''

Le Cid ''Le Cid'' is a five-act French tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille, first performed in December 1636 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and published the same year. It is based on Guillén de Castro's play ''Las Mocedades del Cid''. Castro ...

.''^:32 He and his wife, actress Madeleine Renaud, formed their own troupe, Compagnie Renaud-Barrault, in 1946 at Paris' Théâtre Marigny.^:161 In 1951 he published his memoirs, ''Reflections on the Theatre''.Jean-Louis Barrault, ''Reflections on the Theatre''. London: Rockcliff, 1951 He was made director of Théâtre de France in 1959, and remained in the role until 1969. In 1971 he was reappointed director of Théâtre des Nations. He retired from theatre in 1990.^:87

Film

In 1935 he had his first film role in Marc Allégret's ''Les Beaux Jours.''^:87 He would go on to act in nearly 50 movies over the course of his career. One of his most famous performances was in Marcel Carné's film ''Les Enfants du Paradis'' (1945), in which he played the mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau.^:161 He was the uncle of actress

Marie-Christine Barrault Marie-Christine Barrault (born 21 March 1944) is a French actress. She is best known for her performance in '' Cousin Cousine'' (1975) for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2010, she released her autobiography, ti ...

and sometime sponsor of

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

. In 1940, he married the actress Madeleine Renaud. They founded a number of theaters together and toured extensively, including in South America. Barrault died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in Paris on January 22, 1994 at the age of 83.^:87 He is buried with his wife Renaud in the Passy Cemetery in Paris.

Filmography

References

External links

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Barrault Photo Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrault, Jean-Louis 1910 births 1994 deaths Burials at Passy Cemetery French film directors French mimes People from Le Vésinet Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française French male stage actors French male film actors Special Tony Award recipients 20th-century French male actors