Skip to content
MovieCove
Jean-Marc Barr

Jean-Marc Barr

Actor, also director, producer, cinematographer, writer and editor · Born September 27, 1960 (66) · Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jean-Marc Barr (born on 27 September 1960 in Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer. Barr is bilingual in French and English: he speaks French with a nasal, hybrid accent, reminiscent of his American upbringing - with a slight American accent and occasional anglicisms in interviews - and English with a Mid-Atlantic accent. He studied philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Paris Conservatoire and the Sorbonne. He went on to pursue an education in drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In London he met his future wife, a pianist and composer Irina Dečermić. Jean-Marc Barr began working in theatre in France in 1986. After some television roles and film work, in particular, Hope and Glory (1987) by John Boorman, he was cast in the tremendously successful The Big Blue (1988). Luc Besson cast him in the role of French diver Jacques Mayol. He played in the role opposite Rosanna Arquette and Jean Reno. The Big Blue was the most financially successful film in France in the 1980s. In 1991, he starred in Danish director Lars von Trier's Europa, 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 Europa (1991), Breaking the Waves (1996), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2004) and Manderlay (2005). Also in 2005 he starred in the French film Crustacés et Coquillages. His 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. This film became the first part of a trilogy; the two subsequent parts being the drama Too Much Flesh (2000) and the comedy Being Light (2001) which he co-directed with Pascal Arnold. He may also be recognized for his role as the attractive divorce lawyer, Maitre Bertram in the Merchant Ivory film le Divorce (2003). He appeared as Hugo in The Red Siren in 2002. He appeared as the main character in the video for Blur's 1995 single, "Charmless Man". Description above from the Wikipedia article Jean-Marc Barr, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 27, 1960 (66)
From
Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Works as
Actor, also director, producer, cinematographer, writer and editor
Titles
37 on MovieCove · 94 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 18% in 30 days

What are Jean-Marc Barr's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
22%
Morality
20%
Self
19%
Survival
17%
Power
8%
Ideas
8%
Society
7%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 27 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 6 · Dark 17

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 11 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 12 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 20 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 6

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 13

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 14

Roles they play

15 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 8 of 15 analyzed roles.

Hero
8 of 15
Shapeshifter
2 of 15
Shadow
2 of 15
Ally
1 of 15
Herald
1 of 15
Mentor
1 of 15
Show the 15 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
18
Contemplative
15
Tense
13
Dread
8
Warm
6
Other
15

How their films linger

Thought-provoking18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jean-Marc Barr's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 37 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Marc Barr's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

94 credits, 37 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • C'est quoi l'amour?(2025)

    as Père Manto

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • King & Conqueror(2025)

    Show 4 episodes · as King Henry of France

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • The Other 300: Army of Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Narrator (voice over)

  • The Academy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Prof. Robert Copley

  • Meurtres en dentelles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Antoine Duprat

  • Rivages(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · as André

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • Anthracite(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Solal Heilman

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all shows

  • The Rebellious (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · Co-Producer · Screenplay · as Mr. Verger

  • The Pod Generation(2023)

    as The Founder

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Table ronde autour de Lars von Trier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Jean-Marc Barr

  • Le fil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • Silent Land(2021)

    as diver Arnaud

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Rope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · as Serge Morel

  • My Best Part(2020)

    as The director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Little Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Secretary Pierre Vaney

  • The House That Jack Built(2018)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Cellar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Milan

  • The Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as (voice)

  • The Miracle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 8 episodes · as Serge

  • Cut Off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Trevor De Blanc

  • Bad Banks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 12 episodes · as Robert Khano

  • Grain(2017)

    as Erol

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • After the War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Jérôme

  • uk18(2017)

    as The Foreigner

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Wax - We Are The X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Jean-Christophe Touchalier

  • Whoever Was Using This Bed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Ray

  • The Last Mirage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Justin Livingstone

  • Nymphomaniac: Vol. II(2013)

    as Debtor Gentleman

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Left Over - Intimate Politics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Producer

  • Big Sur(2013)

    as Jack Kerouac

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Manhattan Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Alex

  • Vandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Paul, l'oncle

  • And They Call It Summer(2012)

    as Dino

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Sexual Chronicles of a French Family(2012)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Practical Guide to Belgrade with Singing and Crying (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Brian

  • Blood on the Docks(2011)

    Show 22 episodes · as Capitaine Richard Faraday

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Le Repaire de la vouivre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · as Paul Pratt

  • American Translation(2011)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer · as William

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • His Mother's Eyes(2011)

    as Jean-Paul Tremazan

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Dimension 1991-2024(2010)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • City of Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Dr. Max Orswell

  • Making Plans for Lena(2009)

    as Nigel

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Nucingen House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as William Henry James III

  • Parc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Paul Marteau

  • Baby Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Dan

  • The Anarchist's Wife(2008)

    as Pierre

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Boss of It All(2006)

    as Spencer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • One to Another(2006)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Manderlay(2005)

    as Mr. Robinsson

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Tara Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Andy

  • Cockles and Muscles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Didier

  • Anecdotes from Europa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Interviewee

  • CQ2 (Seek You Too) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Steven

  • Les clefs de bagnole(2003)

    as Actor Refusing to Film with Laurent

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Saltimbank (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Frédéric Saltim

  • The Divorce(2003)

    as Maitre Bertram

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Dogville(2003)

    as The Man with the Big Hat

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Baby Einstein: Baby Beethoven - Symphony of Fun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Camera Operator

  • The Red Siren(2002)

    as Hugo

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Searching for Debra Winger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Les fils de Marie(2002)

    as Paul

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Being Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer · as Jack Lesterhoof

  • blur | The Best Of (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Charmless Man (video "Charmless Man")

  • Too Much Flesh(2000)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Lyle

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Dancer in the Dark(2000)

    as Norman

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Ben

  • Ça ne se refuse pas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Alex

  • What I Did for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Marc

  • The Scarlet Tunic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Matthaus Singer

  • St. Ives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Captain Jacques de Keroual de Saint-Yves

  • Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • Les infidèles(1997)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Balkan Island: The Last Story of the Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Addy

  • Breaking the Waves(1996)

    as Terry

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Lifeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Patrick LeMay

  • Marching in Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Silvio Roatto

  • L'Échappée belle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Manu Barnes

  • Iron Horsemen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Robert

  • Le fils préféré (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Philippe

  • Les Faussaires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Jack Baker

  • Au nom d'un chien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Jean Grébault

  • The Plague (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Jean Tarrou

  • Europa(1991)

    as Leopold Kessler

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Blaze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Victor

  • The Big Blue(1988)

    as Jacques Mayol

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Maurice(1987)

    as French Colleague (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Hope and Glory(1987)

    as Bruce

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Hotel du Lac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Alain

  • Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Scott

  • King David(1985)

    as Absalom

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Halo of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Gerald

  • Hexameron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Fr. Paulo

  • Le jour qui vient (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Martin

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 94 titles, 91 of them dated from 1985 to 2026; peak year 2004.

Biggest box office

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

$40M worldwide

Highest rated

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19852026

Peak 2004 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting87 of 94: 83 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thDirecting7 of 94: 0 only directing, 7 with another roleWriting4 of 94: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing7 of 94: 1 only producing, 6 with another roleCinematography4 of 94: 1 only cinematography, 3 with another roleEditing2 of 94: 0 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew2 of 94: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

94 titles, 7 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1980s6 · acting1990s20 · 19 acting · 1 crew2000s24 · 21 acting · 5 crew2010s26 · 23 acting · 4 crew2020s15 · 15 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 14% of 22 roles
859510

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Jean-Marc Barr's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Approval · how many liked their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Midcredits score across 37 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th14
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 37 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed20

Most divisive · actor

uk18 (2017)

88th percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Dogville (2003)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jean-Marc Barr's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles8–78 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles32–83 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles27–64 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles25–44 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles11–86 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jean-Marc Barr work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean-Marc Barr's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lars von Trier shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles