Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré (17 August 1926 – 14 March 1992), was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play '' La Cage aux Folles''.

Early career

Poiret was born in Paris, and first rose to prominence in 1951 playing the role of Fred Transport, one of the heroes of Pierre Dac and Francis Blanche's radio series ''Malheur aux Barbus''. In 1952, he met his future co-star of ''La Cage'' Michel Serrault at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. Together, they starred in the sketch "Jerry Scott, Vedette Internationale". In 1961, Poiret, as a member of the French cinematic society Pathé, wrote and recorded ''La Vache à Mille Francs'', a parody of ''La Valse à Mille Temps'' by

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

. In 1973, he married actress Caroline Cellier, with whom he had one child.

''La Cage aux Folles''

In 1973, Poiret wrote and starred in the stage play '' La Cage aux Folles''. Its film adaptation in 1978 eventually brought Poiret immense success. Although Poiret was replaced by Italian actor

Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...

in the role of Renato Baldi, Serrault reprised his stage-role of Zaza Napoli and won a

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ce ...

for his work.

Later career

In 1992, Poiret directed his first and only film, ''Le Zèbre'' (''The Zebra''). This adaptation of

Alexandre Jardin Alexandre Jardin (born 14 April 1965) is a French writer, film director and winner of the Prix Femina, 1988, for ''Le Zèbre''. Filmography * 1992 : ''Le Zèbre'' - Writer (novel) * 1993 : ''Fanfan Christine Fan (born March 18, 1976), better ...

's novel starred Thierry Lhermitte and Caroline Cellier and was one of the top ten grossing films in France for the year and the highest-grossing debut European film for the year with a gross of $12 million. Poiret died of a heart attack in Paris on 14 March 1992, three months before the film's premiere. He is buried at the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.

Filmography

*1953: ''Le Gang des pianos à bretelles'' (by Gilles de Turenne) - Le présentateur de 'La nuit brune' (uncredited) *1953: '' Les 3 Mousquetaires'' (by André Hunebelle) *1956: '' Cette sacrée gamine'' (by Michel Boisrond) - first inspector *1956: '' La Vie est belle'' (by Roger Pierre and Jean-Marc Thibault) - maracas player *1956: ''

Assassins et voleurs An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviidae ...

'' (by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French actor, Lucien Guitry, and follo ...

) - Philippe d'Artois *1956: '' The Terror with Women'' (by Jean Boyer) - gendarme *1957: '' Adorables démons'' (by Maurice Cloche) - Julien Willis Jr *1957: '' Le naïf aux quarante enfants'' (by

Philippe Agostini Philippe Agostini was a French cinematographer, director and screenwriter born 11 August 1910 in Paris (France), died 20 October 2001. He was married to Odette Joyeux until the end of her life. Biography Founder of École Louis-Lumière (situ ...

) - Master Bardine *1957: '' Ça aussi c'est Paris'' (Short, by Maurice Cloche) - reporter *1957: '' Clara et les méchants'' (by Raoul André) - Chantuer - un gangster *1959: ''

Nina Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms * National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology * No incom ...

'' (by Jean Boyer) - Adolphe Tessier *1959: '' Oh ! Qué Mambo'' (by John Berry) - inspector Sapin *1959: '' Messieurs les ronds de cuir'' (by

Henri Diamant-Berger Henri Diamant-Berger (9 June 1895 – 7 May 1972) was a French director, producer and screenwriter. In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he directed 48 films between 1913 and 1959, produced 17 between 1925 and 1967 and wrote 21 screen ...

) - René Lahrier *1959: '' Vous n'avez rien à déclarer ?'' (by Clément Duhour) - Robert de Trivelin *1960: ''

La française et l'amour ''Love and the Frenchwoman'' is the US title of a 1960 French anthology film originally entitled ''La française et l'amour''. It starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Dany Robin. The movie was a big hit in France with admissions of 3,056,736.

'' (by Charles Spaak) - Michel's lawyer (sketch ''Le divorce'') *1960: ''

Candide ou l'optimisme du XXe siècle ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, ...

'' (by Norbert Carbonnaux) - 1st policeman *1961: '' Ma femme est une panthère'' (by

Raymond Bailly Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

) - psychiatrist *1961: ''

Auguste Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold and ...

'' (by

Pierre Chevalier Pierre Chevalier may refer to: *Pierre Chevalier (caver) (1905–2001), French caver, mountaineer and explorer *Pierre Chevalier (director) (1915–2005), French film director *Pierre Chevalier (politician) (born 1952), Belgian politician *Pierre M ...

) - Georges Flower *1962: ''

Les parisiennes ''Tales of Paris'' (french: Les parisiennes) is a 1962 comedy-drama anthology film consisting of four segments. Plot Cast ''Sophie'' * Catherine Deneuve as Sophie * Johnny Hallyday as Jean Allard * Elina Labourdette as Jacqueline * Gillian ...

'' (by Michel Boisrond, Francis Cosne and Annette Wademant) - Jean-Pierre Leroy (segment "Antonia") *1962: '' The Dance'' (by Norbert Carbonnaux) - Old man *1962: ''

It's Not My Business ''It's Not My Business'' (French: ''C'est pas moi, c'est l'autre'') is a 1962 French comedy film directed by Jean Boyer and starring Fernand Raynaud, Jean Poiret and Micheline Dax.Krawc p.221 The film's sets were designed by the art director Rob ...

'' (by Jean Boyer) - Jean Duroc *1962: '' How to Succeed in Love'' (by Michel Boisrond) - Bernard Monod *1962: ''

Les quatre vérités ''Three Fables of Love'' (french: Les Quatre Vérités, it, Le quattro verità, es, Las cuatro verdades) is a 1962 internationally co-produced comedy film starring Leslie Caron, Anna Karina and Monica Vitti. It was shown as part of a retrospe ...

'' (by

Hervé Bromberger Hervé Bromberger (11 November 1918 – 25 November 1993) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed 16 films between 1951 and 1982. His 1951 film '' Paris Vice Squad'' was entered into the 1951 Cannes Film Festival. Selected ...

) - Renard (Fox) (segment "Le corbeau et le renard") *1963: '' Les vierges'' (by

Jean-Pierre Mocky Jean-Pierre Mocky (6 July 1929 – 8 August 2019), pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Mocky was born in Nice, France to Polish immigrant parents, Jeanne Zylinska ...

) - the banker Marchaix *1963: '' Un drôle de paroissien'' (by

) - Raoul *1963: '' La foire aux cancres'' (by

Louis Daquin Louis Daquin (20 May 1908 – 2 October 1980) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 14 films between 1938 and 1963. He also appeared in 11 films between 1937 and 1979. Selected filmography * '' The Man from Nowhere ...

) - Collin *1964: '' Les durs à cuire ou comment supprimer son prochain sans perdre l'appétit'' (by

Jacques Pinoteau Jack Pinoteau (20 September 1923 – 6 April 2017) or Jacques Pinoteau was a French film director born at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines. A brother of Claude Pinoteau and Arlette Merry, he is mostly known for his direction of the film ', after a novel ...

) - Louis *1964: '' Jealous as a Tiger'' (by Darry Cowl) - doctor Raymond *1964: ''

La grande frousse LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (by

) - Loupiac *1965: '' Les baratineurs'' (by Francis Rigaud) - André *1965: ''

La bonne occase LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (by Michel Drach) - Grégoire *1965: ''

La tête du client LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (by

Jacques Poitrenaud Jacques Poitrenaud (born 22 May 1922, Lille – died 5 April 2005, Paris) was a French film director and actor. Director *1956: '' Saint-Germain-en-Laye, cité royale'' (Short) *1957: '' Enfants, Touraine'' (Short) *1960: '' La revenante'' (Short ...

) - Philippe / Monsieur Paul *1965: '' Le petit monstre'' (by

Jean-Paul Sassy Jean Paul or ''variation'' may refer to: Places * Rue ''Jean-Paul-II'', several streets, see List of places named after Pope John Paul II * Place ''Jean Paul II'', several squares, see List of places named after Pope John Paul II People Given nam ...

) - the godfather *1966: '' Your Money or Your Life'' (by

) - Lucien Pélépan *1967: '' Le grand bidule'' by Raoul André) - Verdier *1967: '' Ces messieurs de la famille'' (by Raoul André) - Bernard Le Gall *1968: ''

La grande lessive (!) LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (by

) - Jean-Michel Lavalette *1969: '' Aux frais de la princesse'' (by Roland Quignon) - Santos *1969: ''

Trois hommes sur un cheval ''Trois'' is a 2000 erotic thriller film directed by Rob Hardy and produced by William Packer. It stars Gary Dourdan, Kenya Moore and Gretchen Palmer. The film was given a limited theatrical release and was one of the years highest grossing Afr ...

'' (by Marcel Moussy) - Tout / Freddy *1969: '' Ces messieurs de la gâchette'' (by Raoul André) - ''Bernard Le Gall'' *1970: '' Le Mur de l'Atlantique'' (by Marcel Camus) - Armand *1971: '' Mais qu'est-ce qui fait courir les crocodiles ?'' (by

) - Gontran *1979: '' La Gueule de l'autre'' (by Pierre Tchernia) - Jean-Louis Constant *1980: '' Le Dernier Métro'' (by

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

) - Jean-Loup Cottins *1982: ' (by Denys Granier-Deferre) - André Joeuf *1984: ' (by

Claude Pinoteau Claude Pinoteau (25 May 1925 – 5 October 2012) was a French film director and scriptwriter. Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts de Seine, Île-de-France, France. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, aged 87. (in French) His sister was the actress ...

) - Jean Michelis *1985: '' Poulet au vinaigre'' (by

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues a ...

) - Inspector Jean Lavardin *1985: ' (by Jean Yanne) - the caliph *1986: ''

Inspecteur Lavardin ''Inspecteur Lavardin'' is a 1986 crime film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. It is the sequel to his 1984 film ''Cop au vin''. Synopsis The titular inspector travels to a small coastal town to investigate the puzzling death of a devout ...

'' (by

) - Inspector Jean Lavardin *1986: ' (by

Gérard Krawczyk Gérard Krawczyk (17 May 1953, Paris) is a French film director. He is of Polish descent (his grandparents were from Częstochowa). Filmography Director * ''Homicide by Night'' (1984) * ''Je hais les acteurs'' (a.k.a. ''I hate actors'') (1986) ...

) - Orlando Higgin *1987: ''

Le Miraculé ''The Miracle'' (french: Le Miraculé) is a 1987 French comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Mocky. It was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Michel Serrault as Ronald Fox Terrier * Jean Poiret as Papu * Jeanne Mo ...

'' (by

) - Papu *1988: '' Les saisons du plaisir'' (by

) - Bernard Germain *1988: '' Corentin'' (by

Jean Marboeuf Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

) - the exorcist *1988: ''

Une nuit à l'Assemblée Nationale ''Une nuit à l'Assemblée Nationale'' (''A Night at the National Assembly'') is a 1988 French comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Mocky. Plot Walter Arbeit, an ecologist practising naturism, accompanies his mayor and MP, Dugland, to Paris where ...

'' (by

) - Octave Leroy *1988: ''

La petite amie LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (by Luc Béraud) - Martin Morel *1990: '' Lacenaire'' (by

Francis Girod Francis Girod (9 October 1944 – 19 November 2006) was a French film director, actor, and screenwriter. He directed 20 films between 1974 and 2006. His film ''L'enfance de l'art'' was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. In 1994 he w ...

) - Aliard *1992: '' Sup de fric'' (by Christian Gion) - Cyril Dujardin *1991: ' (by Christoph Böll) - Herzog Max *2007: '' La méthode Barnol'' (by

) - M. Hubert (final appearance)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poiret, Jean 1926 births 1992 deaths French male film actors French male stage actors 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery 20th-century French male actors