Jean-Pierre Darras

Actor · 1927–1999 · Paris, France

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.

Acted in 65

1990s

1997
Georges Dandin de Molière
Monsieur de Sottenville
1995
Le Groom
Movie · Comedy · Made-for-TV
1990
My Father's Glory
Marcel Pagnol, elderly, narrator (voice)

1980s

1987
Diary of a Madman
The director
La Calanque
Francis Cambalette · 42 episodes
1986
L'Amour à la lettre
Quentin Granier
1985
Asterix vs. Caesar
(voice)
67
1984
Le Voleur de feuilles
Mr. Marguerite
1983
Le Braconnier de Dieu
Frisou
1982
Te marre pas... c'est pour rire !
Flavacourt
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme
Le maître de philosophie
1981
For a Cop's Hide
Commissaire Chauffard
63
Signé Furax
Socrate
52
Le Chêne d'Allouville
Minister of Culture
La Puce et le privé
Colonel Jean-Hilaire Marcellin
Société Amoureuse à Responsabilité Limitée
Gonzague de Saint-Truc
The Impostures of Scapin
Argante
1980
Three Men to Kill
Chocard
62

1970s

1979
L'Hôtel du libre échange
Mathieu
1978
Out of It
Jacques Panivaux, Owner of the Rolls-Royce
Madame le Juge
le commissaire · 6 episodes
1977
Parisian Life
Le baron de Gondremark
Genre masculin
Adolphe
1976
Don't Bite, We Love You
'Papy'
Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's
Le ministre
Love and Cool Water
Clément
Forget Me, Mandoline
Gérard Gouttières, aka 'G.G.'
Let's Make a Dirty Movie
Co-Producer
La Décharge
M. Brunet
1975
Beyond Fear
Bourrier
1974
Tell Me You Love Me
Lucien Dorgeval
1973
Molière pour rire et pour pleurer
Molière · 6 episodes
Folie douce
Jérôme
A Pain in the Ass
Dr. Edgar Fuchs
The Suburbs Are Everywhere
Ducros
At the Meeting with Joyous Death
Peron
1972
La Main passe
Étienne Massenay
the famous escapes
Saint-Marc · 1 episode
The Annuity
Emile Galipeau
68
The Old Maid
Sacha
1971
Fric-Frac
Marcel
Graf Luckner
Wallace · 1 episode
The Wedding Ring
M. Duvernet
1970
Elise, or Real Life
Le commissaire
Et qu'ça saute !
Jorge Blanco
She Does Not Drink, Smoke or Flirt But... She Talks
Georges, 'Monsieur le Comte'