Actor · Director
Jean Renoir
Born 15 September 1894 · Paris, France — died 12 February 1979
Jean Renoir (1894–1979) was a French director, screenwriter and actor, and son of the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. He was a leading figure of 1930s poetic realism, with humane films that examine class divisions. His The Rules of the Game is regularly ranked among the greatest films ever made.
Key films
Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)
Anarchic comedy about a tramp upending a bourgeois household, showing Renoir's early mastery of social satire.
Grand Illusion (1937)
WWI prisoner-of-war drama about class and friendship across enemy lines; an international landmark of humanist cinema.
La Bête Humaine (1938)
Dark railway-set adaptation of Zola, a key work of poetic realism with Jean Gabin.
The Rules of the Game (1939)On Cinespective
Satire of high society, now often named among the greatest films ever made.
The River (1951)
His first colour film, shot in India, marking a lyrical late phase in his career.
Key awards
- 1937 Venice Film Festival: Best Artistic Ensemble (Grand Illusion)
- 1938 Academy Award nomination, Best Picture (Grand Illusion)
- 1975 Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 72
- 1915Those of Our Land · as SelfActor
- 1925Whirlpool of FateDirector
- 1926NanaDirector
- 1927Charleston Parade · as AngelActor
- 1927Charleston ParadeDirector
- 1927La P’tite Lili · as Man with Bowler HatActor
- 1927BackbitersDirector
- 1927Backbiters · as le sous-préfetActor
- 1927MarquittaDirector
- 1928The Little Match GirlDirector
- 1928The Sad SackDirector
- 1928The TournamentDirector
- 1929Le BledDirector
- 1930The Pursuit of HappinessActor
- 1930Little Red Riding Hood · as Compère le LoupActor
- 1931La ChienneDirector
- 1931Baby's LaxativeDirector
- 1931Mam'zelle Nitouche · as Master sergeant (uncredited)Actor
- 1932Boudu Saved from DrowningDirector
- 1932Night at the CrossroadsDirector
- 1933Chotard and Co.Director
- 1934Madame BovaryDirector
- 1935ToniDirector
- 1935A Bum DealDirector
- 1936The Crime of Monsieur LangeDirector
- 1936The Lower DepthsDirector
- 1936Life Is Ours · as Le patron du bistrotActor
- 1936Life Is OursDirector
- 1937Grand IllusionDirector
- 1937The Spanish Earth · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1938La Bête HumaineDirector
- 1938La Bête Humaine · as CabucheActor
- 1938La MarseillaiseDirector
- 1939The Rules of the Game · as OctaveActor
- 1939The Rules of the GameDirector
- 1941Swamp WaterDirector
- 1943This Land Is MineDirector
- 1944A Salute to FranceDirector
- 1945The SouthernerDirector
- 1946A Day in the Country · as Père PoulainActor
- 1946A Day in the CountryDirector
- 1946The Diary of a ChambermaidDirector
- 1947The Woman on the BeachDirector
- 1950The Ways of LoveDirector
- 1951The RiverDirector
- 1952The Golden CoachDirector
- 1955French CancanDirector
- 1956Elena and Her MenDirector
- 1956L'album de famille de Jean Renoir · as SelfActor
- 1959Picnic on the GrassDirector
- 1960Experiment in EvilDirector
- 1961Jean Renoir parle de son art · as IntervieweeActor
- 1962The Elusive CorporalDirector
- 1967Jean Renoir, le patron, 2e partie: La direction d'acteur · as Self - IntervieweeActor
- 1967Jean Renoir, le patron, 1re partie: La recherche du relatif · as SelfActor
- 1967Jean Renoir, le patron, 3e partie: La règle et l'exception · as SelfActor
- 1968Louis Lumière · as SelfActor
- 1969Directing Actors by Jean Renoir · as SelfActor
- 1969D'un Céline l'autre · as SelfActor
- 1969Postface: La Petite Marchande d'allumettes · as Jean RenoirActor
- 1970Langlois · as SelfActor
- 1971The Christian Licorice Store · as SelfActor
- 1974The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir · as The Narrator/HostActor
- 1974The Little Theatre of Jean RenoirDirector
- 1987La règle du jeu de Jean Renoir: Une analyse du film par l'image · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1993Jean Renoir: Part One - From La Belle Époque to World War II · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1994Un tournage à la campagne · as SelfActor
- 2012Cinéastes de notre temps : Erich von Stroheim · as SelfActor
- 2014François Truffaut l'insoumis · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2017Quand Jean devint Renoir · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2021The Emma Bovary Trial · as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)Actor
- 2021Le Parti du cinéma · as Self (voice) (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.