**Jean-Louis Barrault** (1910-1994) was a French actor and director who, despite a predominantly theatrical career, left an indelible mark on cinema.

He is most remembered for his iconic role as the mime Baptiste Deburau in Marcel Carné's *Les Enfants du Paradis* (1945). His mime training and profound sensitivity created a melancholic and poetic character, an emblem of idealized love and the tormented artist.

Among his most important films are Carné's *Drôle de Drame* (1937) and *Le Quai des brumes* (1938), and Max Ophüls's *La Ronde* (1950). Barrault excelled at portraying complex and introspective roles, with an ethereal grace and refined physical expressiveness. His acting, often silent but eloquent, made him a key figure in French poetic cinema.