Actor, Director. He was a French actor, who with his wife founded a major theatrical company. Born the son of a pharmacist, his father was killed during World War I. He was educated at Lycée Chaptal before attending classes at École du Louvre. In 1931 he started studies and acting at Charles Dullin's Théâtre de l'Atelier for four years, sleeping on a cot in the theatre. His first film was "Les beaux jours" in 1935. Credited with fifty films, he appeared in other films such as "The Children of Paradise" in 1945 and "The Longest Day" in 1962. He married actress Madeleine Renaud in 1940; his bride was 40 years old. The same year, he joined the Comedie Francaise as both actor and director. After supporting the French Underground during World War II, he was dedicated to renewing French theatre after the war. He and his wife formed their own troupe, Compagnie Renaud-Barrault, in 1946 at Paris' Théâtre Marigny. This was one of many touring troupes that the couple operated during their careers. Their troupes performed "Christopher Columbus" in 1957 with his wife as Queen Isabella, "The Misanthrope" in 1957, and "The Marriage of Figaro" in 1964, to name a few of their collaborations. In 1952 he made his Broadway debut and in 1957 he received a special Tony Award for his work in the theatre. From 1959 until 1969, he was director of Théâtre de France. In 1971 he was reappointed director of Théâtre des Nations, retiring from the theatre in 1990. In 1951 he published his memoirs, "Reflections on the Theatre." He had a phenomenal success that gained public interest with the art of pantomime and subsequently influenced the popularity of legendary mime Marcel Marceau. He wrote two adaptions of movies for television His last film performance at age 78 was in "La lumière du lac" in 1988. Six years later, he died in Paris, and his wife died nine months later. The couple was childless.