Jean-Louis Barrault

Highly gifted French stage actor whose gentle features, flexible voice, and sensitive, skilled mime enhanced slightly over two dozen films from the mid-1930s through the late 60s. Devoted primarily to his stage work, especially acting and directing for the Comedie Francaise and for his own company, he nevertheless performed for such directors as Abel Gance ("The Life and Loves of Beethoven" 1936), G.W. Pabst ("Mademoiselle Docteur" 1937), Sacha Guitry ("Pearls of the Crown" 1937), Jean Delannoy ("La part de l'ombre/Blind Desire" 1945), Max Ophuls ("La ronde" 1950) and Jean Renoir ("Le testament du Dr. Cordelier" 1960, in an especially bizarre and delightful Jekyll-and-Hyde performance).