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Jean-Louis Barrault

Jean-Louis Barrault

Actor · Died January 22, 1994, aged 83 · Le Vésinet, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France

Jean-Louis Barrault (8 September 1910, Le Vésinet, Yvelines – 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist, training that served him well when he portrayed the 19th-century mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau (Baptiste Debureau) in Marcel Carné's 1945 film Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise). Jean-Louis Barrault studied with Charles Dullin in whose troupe he acted from 1933 to 1935. At 25 years of age, he met and studied with the mime Étienne Decroux. From 1940 to 1946 he was a member of the Comédie-Française, where he directed productions of Paul Claudel's Le Soulier de satin and Jean Racine's Phèdre, two plays that made his reputation. Over his career, he acted in nearly 50 movies including Les beaux jours, Jenny, L'Or dans la Montagne and Sous les Yeux d'occident. In 1940, he married the actress Madeleine Renaud. They founded a number of theatres together and toured extensively, including in South America. He was the uncle of actress Marie-Christine Barrault and sometime sponsor of Peter Brook. He died from a heart attack in Paris at the age of 83. Jean-Louis Barrault is buried with his wife Madeleine Renaud in the Passy Cemetery in Paris. Jean-Louis Barrault, Reflections on the Theatre:     "In fact it is the simplest things that are the most tricky to do well. To read, for example. To be able to read exactly what is written without omitting anything that is written and at the same time without adding anything of one's own. To be able to capture the exact context of the words one is reading. To be able to read!" Barrault from Melinda Camber Porter's Through Parisian Eyes: Reflections on Contemporary French Arts and Culture:     "When I wake up in the morning I want to feel hungry for life. Desire is what drives me. When I go to sleep, I feel I have experienced a small death, so that I can wake up in the morning renewed and reborn." Description above from the Wikipedia article Jean-Louis Barrault, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 8, 1910
Died
January 22, 1994 (aged 83)
From
Le Vésinet, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 43 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 28% in 30 days

What are Jean-Louis Barrault's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Morality.

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Biography 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
Society
27%
Morality
17%
Bonds
14%
Self
14%
Power
13%
Ideas
11%
Survival
4%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 2

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 2 · 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 1 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

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 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 3 of 7 analyzed roles.

Hero
3 of 7
Mentor
2 of 7
Shadow
1 of 7
Ally
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
4
Contemplative
3
Romantic
3
Elegiac
2
Warm
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic3

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-Louis Barrault's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on The Criterion Channel (2).

Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Louis Barrault'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

43 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 19 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Morceaux de Cannes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • La lumière du lac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Le vieux

  • That Night in Varennes(1982)

    as Nicolas Edmé Restif de la Bretonne

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Chappaqua (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Dr. Benoit

  • Rhinocéros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Actor

  • The Big Scare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Actor

  • Les Fausses Confidences (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Dubois

  • The Longest Day(1962)

    as Father Louis Roulland

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Prosessen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Writer

  • The Miracle of the Wolves(1961)

    as Louis XI

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Experiment in Evil(1959)

    as Dr. Cordelier / Opale

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Le dialogue des Carmélites(1960)

    as Mime

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • La Répétition ou l'Amour puni (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Le comte

  • Royal Affairs in Versailles(1954)

    as Fénelon

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • La Ronde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as The Poet

  • Vagabonds imaginaires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Narrator (segment 'Le bateau ivre') (voice)

  • Man to Men(1948)

    as Henri Dunant

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • La Rose et le réséda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Magnificent Cuckold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Bruno

  • Blind Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Michel Kremer

  • Children of Paradise(1945)

    as Baptiste Debureau

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Angel of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Jacques Martin, le jeune sculpteur

  • Mlle. Desiree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Napoléon Bonaparte

  • La Symphonie fantastique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Hector Berlioz

  • Montmartre on the Seine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Michel Courtin

  • Parade in 7 Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Lucien Ardouin

  • L'Or dans la montagne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Maurice Farinet, le jeune paysan

  • The Southern Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Olcott

  • Youth in Revolt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Armand

  • Mirages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Pierre Bonvais

  • J'Accuse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Actor

  • The Puritan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Francis Ferriter

  • Orage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as The African

  • Bizarre, Bizarre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as William Kramps, le tueur de bouchers

  • The Pearls of the Crown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Bonaparte jeune

  • Street of Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as le client fou

  • Social Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Scoppa

  • À nous deux, madame la vie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Paul Briançon

  • The Life and Loves of Beethoven(1936)

    as Karl van Beethoven

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Hélène (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Pierre Régnier

  • Jenny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as le Dromadaire

  • Under Western Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Haldin

  • Happy Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as René

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 43 titles from 1935 to 2021; peak year 1982.

Biggest box office

Children of Paradise (1945)

$45K worldwide

Highest rated

Children of Paradise (1945)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

19352021

Peak 1982 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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.

  • 1937Screen debut· Bizarre, Bizarre
  • 1960First top-billed film· Experiment in Evil

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting42 of 43: 42 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score74thWriting1 of 43: 1 only writing, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s17 · acting1940s10 · acting1950s4 · acting1960s9 · 8 acting · 1 crew1980s2 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 8th · top billed in 22% of 9 roles

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.

How do Jean-Louis Barrault's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 9 titles divides audiences: 6 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most loved · actor

Children of Paradise (1945)

Midcredits 97th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 83/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 88, detractors 48. 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.

Who does Jean-Louis Barrault work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean-Louis Barrault's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joseph Kosma shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers