Jean-Pierre Darras
Born: 1927-11-26 in Paris, France
Died: 1999-07-05
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
2009
- Comiques de toujours (Vol. 1 à 4) as Self (archive footage)
1997
- Georges Dandin de Molière as Monsieur de Sottenville
1995
1990
- My Mother's Castle as Narrator, Marcel Pagnol (voice)
- My Father's Glory as Marcel Pagnol, elderly, narrator (voice)
1987
- La Calanque as Francis Cambalette
- Diary of a Madman as The director
1986
- L'Amour à la lettre as Quentin Granier
1985
- Asterix vs. Caesar as (voice)
1984
- Le Voleur de feuilles as Mr. Marguerite
1983
- Le Braconnier de Dieu as Frisou
1982
- Champs-Elysées as Self
- Le Bourgeois gentilhomme as Le maître de philosophie
- Te marre pas... c'est pour rire ! as Flavacourt
1981
- For a Cop's Hide as Commissaire Chauffard
- Le Chêne d'Allouville as Minister of Culture
- Signé Furax as Socrate
- The Impostures of Scapin as Argante
- Société Amoureuse à Responsabilité Limitée as Gonzague de Saint-Truc
- La Puce et le privé as Colonel Jean-Hilaire Marcellin
1980
- Three Men to Kill as Chocard
1979
- L'Hôtel du libre échange as Mathieu
1978
- Madame le Juge as le commissaire
- Out of It as Jacques Panivaux, Owner of the Rolls-Royce
1977
- Genre masculin as Adolphe
- Parisian Life as Le baron de Gondremark
1976
- Don't Bite, We Love You as 'Papy'
- Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's as Le ministre
- Forget Me, Mandoline as Gérard Gouttières, aka 'G.G.'
- La Décharge as M. Brunet
- Let's Make a Dirty Movie as Co-Producer
- Love and Cool Water as Clément
1975
- Apostrophes as Self
- Numéro un as Self
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
- Beyond Fear as Bourrier
1974
- Tell Me You Love Me as Lucien Dorgeval
1973
- Molière pour rire et pour pleurer as Molière
- A Pain in the Ass as Dr. Edgar Fuchs
- Folie douce as Jérôme
- At the Meeting with Joyous Death as Peron
- The Suburbs Are Everywhere as Ducros
1972
- Midi trente as Self
- Le Grand Échiquier as Self
- the famous escapes as Saint-Marc
- The Annuity as Emile Galipeau
- The Old Maid as Sacha
- La Main passe as Étienne Massenay
1971
- Samedi soir as Self
- Graf Luckner as Wallace
- Fric-Frac as Marcel
- The Wedding Ring as M. Duvernet
1970
- Et qu'ça saute ! as Jorge Blanco
- She Does Not Drink, Smoke or Flirt But... She Talks as Georges, 'Monsieur le Comte'
- Elise, or Real Life as Le commissaire
1969
- A Golden Widow as Rapha
- L'Amour des 4 colonels as L'homme
- The Fighting Cock as Paoli
1968
- The Tattoo as Lucien, facteur de Montignac
- Les Aventures de Lagardère as Peyrolles
- Would-Be Gentleman as Le maître de ballet
- Azaïs as Félix, professeur de piano
1966
- At Theatre Tonight as Alexandre
- Diamond Safari as Pascal Moratti
- A Young World as Le professeur d'art dramatique
- The Other Truth as The commissioner
- Four Queens for an Ace as Detective in Interrogation Room
1961
- A Man Named Rocca as Névada
1960
- Les Trois Sœurs as Koulyguine
1959
- Discorama as Self - Co-Host
- Two Men in Manhattan