Jean Marais

Jean Marais is a French actor, sculptor and ceramist. Although he is best known for his work in the 7th art, notably in Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête in 1946. Jean Marais was an accomplished visual artist, producing numerous paintings and sculptures alongside his film career. His work is predominantly figurative, offering stylised representations of himself, his friends and coded iconography. Born on 11 December 1913 in Cherbourg, France, he left school at 16 to devote himself to the theatre and other creative activities. Marais’s artistic output often coincided with his eventful acting career, starting with film-maker Marcel L’Herbier, who discovered Marais when he bought one of his paintings in 1933. He continued to produce sculptures until his death in Cannes, France, on 8 November 1998.