Jean‑Pierre Darras, born in 1927 in Paris, turned to theatre early on after studying literature. Trained in the post‑war dramatic centres, he joined Jean Vilar’s TNP, where he learned the discipline of classical repertoire and worked alongside major figures of the French stage. He became known to the wider public through his satirical duo with Philippe Noiret, where his sharp wit and gift for caricature stood out. Darras then built a versatile career: popular comedies, boulevard theatre, ambitious directing projects, and more dramatic roles from the 1980s onward. Deeply passionate about Molière, he devoted several productions and writings to him, seeking to reveal the man behind the legend. In cinema, he appeared in notable films such as Le Viager and L’Emmerdeur, where his precise, ironic acting naturally found its place. In 1982, he moved into directing with Le Braconnier de Dieu. Later, he founded a theatre festival in Carpentras with his wife Corinne Lahaye, continuing his commitment to the stage until the end of his life.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 26, 1927
- July 5, 1999 (aged 71)
- Paris, France
- Actor, also producer
- 17 on Motif · 65 credits in all
What are Jean-Pierre Darras' films like?
Across their 14 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 4 · Wry 2 · Earnest 8
Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 4
Grounded 3 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 2
Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 3
Steady 4 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 9
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 3
Casual 10 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 10 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Shadowas Edgar Fuchs in A Pain in the Ass (1973)
- Shadowas Chocard in Three Men to Kill (1980)
- Threshold guardianas Commissaire Chauffard in To Kill a Cop (1981)
- Threshold guardianas Argante in Les fourberies de Scapin (1981)
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet1
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous2
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-Pierre Darras' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 17 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- France Channel, show their 3 titles on France Channel
- Film Movement Plus, show their 2 titles on Film Movement Plus
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Cohen Media Channel, show their title on Cohen Media Channel
- Kino Film Collection, show their title on Kino Film Collection
- Midnight Pulp, show their title on Midnight Pulp
Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Pierre Darras' titles on Motif; 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
65 credits, 17 with a Motif page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Georges Dandin de Molière (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Le Groom (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)
My Mother's Castle(1990)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
My Father's Glory(1990)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Diary of a Madman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)
La Calanque (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)
L'Amour à la lettre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1986)
Asterix Versus Caesar(1985)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Le Voleur de feuilles (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)
Le Braconnier de Dieu (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)
Te marre pas... c'est pour rire ! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)
To Kill a Cop(1981)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Signé Furax(1981)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Le chêne d'Allouville(1981)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
La Puce et le privé (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1981)
Les fourberies de Scapin(1981)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Three Men to Kill(1980)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
L'Hôtel du libre échange (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)
The Escape(1978)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Madame le Juge (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)
Parisian Life (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1977)
Genre masculin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1977)
Don't Bite, We Love You (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Love and Cool Water (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Forget Me, Mandoline (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Let's Make a Dirty Movie(1976)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
La ville-bidon(1971)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Beyond Fear (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)
Tell Me You Love Me (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1974)
Molière pour rire et pour pleurer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)
Folie douce (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)
A Pain in the Ass(1973)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Suburbs Are Everywhere (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)
At the Meeting with Joyous Death (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)
La Main passe (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)
the famous escapes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)
Le viager(1972)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Old Maid (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)
Fric-Frac (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)
Graf Luckner (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)
The Wedding Ring (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)
Elise, or Real Life (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)
Et qu'ça saute ! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)
She Does Not Drink, Smoke or Flirt But... She Talks (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)
L'Amour des 4 colonels (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)
A Golden Widow(1969)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Fighting Cock (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)
Would-Be Gentleman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)
Azaïs (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)
The Tattoo(1968)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Les Aventures de Lagardère (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)
Lagardère (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)
Ami-Ami (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)
Four Queens for an Ace (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)
At Theatre Tonight (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)
Diamond Safari (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)
The Other Truth (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)
A Young World (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)
Lucky Jo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)
Monsieur (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)
Man Called Rocca(1961)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Les Trois Sœurs (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)
Two Men in Manhattan(1959)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 65 titles from 1959 to 1997; peak year 1972.
Film career
Peak 1972 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. 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.
- 1959Screen debut· Two Men in Manhattan
- 1973Career best· A Pain in the Ass
Billing
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 Motif, 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-Pierre Darras' films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Universally Panned2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 9 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 Motif; 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 Motif 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-Pierre Darras work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jean-Pierre Darras' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Pierre Tchernia shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Pierre TcherniaShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), Signé Furax (1981), Le viager (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Pierre Tchernia
- René GoscinnyShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), Le viager (1972)See all 2 shared titles with René Goscinny
- Alain DelonShared titles: To Kill a Cop (1981), Three Men to Kill (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Alain Delon
- Alphonse BoudardShared titles: Le chêne d'Allouville (1981), The Tattoo (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Alphonse Boudard
Actors
- Pierre TornadeShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), Le chêne d'Allouville (1981), Signé Furax (1981)See all 3 shared titles with Pierre Tornade
- Michel GalabruShared titles: Les fourberies de Scapin (1981), Signé Furax (1981), Le viager (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Michel Galabru
- Patrick PréjeanShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), The Tattoo (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Patrick Préjean
- Roger CarelShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), A Golden Widow (1969)See all 2 shared titles with Roger Carel
Cinematographers and editors
- Robert IsnardonShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), Le chêne d'Allouville (1981), A Pain in the Ass (1973)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Isnardon
- Jean TournierShared titles: To Kill a Cop (1981), Three Men to Kill (1980), Le viager (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Jean Tournier
- Monique IsnardonShared titles: Asterix Versus Caesar (1985), A Pain in the Ass (1973)See all 2 shared titles with Monique Isnardon
- Isabel García de HerrerosShared titles: Three Men to Kill (1980), Le viager (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Isabel García de Herreros
Producers
- Maurice JacquinShared titles: A Golden Widow (1969), The Tattoo (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Maurice Jacquin
Mixed roles
- Xavier GélinShared titles: Signé Furax (1981), La ville-bidon (1971)See all 2 shared titles with Xavier Gélin
