Jean Desailly (Paris, August 24, 1920 – Paris, June 11, 2008) was a prominent French actor in the 20th-century theatrical and cinematic landscape. A member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 to 1946, he later founded the Desailly-Valère company with his wife and artistic partner, Simone Valère, managing major Parisian theaters such as the Théâtre Hébertot and the Théâtre de la Madeleine. His film career is marked by collaborations with internationally renowned directors. Among his most memorable roles are the adulterous protagonist in François Truffaut's *The Soft Skin* (1964) and his appearances in films such as Jean-Pierre Melville's *Le Doulos* (1962) and René Clair's *The Grand Maneuver* (1955). His deep and unmistakable voice is also inextricably linked to the narration of Alain Resnais's celebrated Holocaust documentary *Night and Fog* (1956). As a capstone to his long and prestigious career, he was awarded an honorary Molière Award in 2002.