Jean Darnel (1923 – 20 November 2020) was a French actor and director.

Biography

Darnel grew up in the 1930s in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Eager to become an actor, he introduced himself to

Marcel Achard Marcel Achard (5 July 1899 – 4 September 1974) was a French playwright and screenwriter whose popular sentimental comedies Garzanti p. 3 maintained his position as a highly recognizable name in his country's theatrical and literary circles ...

to ask him for advice. Achard directed him to the

Théâtre des Mathurins The théâtre des Mathurins (), also called Les Mathurins, is a Parisian theatre located at 36, rue des Mathurins, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was established in 1897. Directions * 1898–1901: Marguerite Deval * 1901–1908: Ju ...

, where he made his debut on 1 July 1942. In 1945, at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

, he performed in a stage production for orphans of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

. Darnel created the new

Chorégies d'Orange The ''Chorégies d'Orange'' is a summer opera festival held each August in Orange located about 21 kilometres north of Avignon in southern France. Performances are presented in the ancient Roman theatre, the Théâtre Antique d'Orange, the orig ...

with Jacques Bourgeois in 1971. He also started the Festival de Nohant and the Musique en Côte Basque. In 1996, he started to host ''Libre journal du spectacle'' on Radio Courtoisie. Jean Darnel died in Paris on 20 November 2020.

Television

*'' Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (1970)

Theatre

Actor

*''L' Aiglon'' (1945) *''Pour le roi de Prusse'' (1954) *''César et Cléopâtre'' (1957) *''

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

'' (1959) *''

Ruy Blas ''Ruy Blas'' () is a tragic drama by Victor Hugo. It was the first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance and opened on November 8, 1838. Though considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama, the play was initially met with only ave ...

'' (1961)

Director

*''Hamlet'' (1959) *''Ruy Blas'' (1961–1963) *'' Dido and Aenaes'' (1963) *''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...

'' (1963) *''Ba-ta-clan'' (1963) *''Il Signor Bruschino'' (1963) *''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' (1964) *''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (1965) *''On ne badine pas avec l'amour'' (1966) *''

Phèdre ''Phèdre'' (; originally ''Phèdre et Hippolyte'') is a French dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Jean Racine, first performed in 1677 at the theatre of the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris. Composition and premiere With ...

'' (1966) *''

The Trojan War Will Not Take Place ''The Trojan War Will Not Take Place'' (, ) is a play written in 1935 by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux. In 1955 it was translated into English by Christopher Fry with the title ''Tiger at the Gates''. The play has two acts and follows the conve ...

'' (1966) *''Le Ventriloque'' (1967) *''L'Apostrophe'' (1967) *''

Marie Tudor ''Marie Tudor'' is an 1833 play by the French writer Victor Hugo. It is a historical work portraying the rise, fall and execution of Fabiano Fabiani, a fictional favourite of Mary I of England (1516–1558). Mary has Fabiani thrown in the Tower o ...

'' (1967) *''On ne badine pas avec l'amour'' (1967) *''

Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman Emperor Claudius and his third wife, Valeria Messalina. For a time, he was considered his father's heir, but t ...

'' (1967) *''La Fiancée de l'Europe'' (1968) *''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...

'' (1969) *''Les Fontaines de Madrid'' (1969) *''The Trojan War Will Not Take Place'' (1972)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darnel, Jean 1923 births 2020 deaths French actors French film directors 20th-century French male actors