Biography

Jean-Paul Rappeneau was born on April 8, 1932 in Auxerre, Yonne, France. He was a writer and director, known for Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), A Matter of Resistance (1966) and Bon Voyage (2003). He was married to Claude-Lise Cornély. He died on September 1, 2026 in Paris, France.

He directed 9 different actors in César-nominated performances: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Jacques Weber, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Carré , Grégori Derangère and Yvan Attal. Depardieu, Weber and Derangère won Césars for their performances in one of Rappeneau movies.

Member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 44th Cannes International Film Festival in 1991.

Father of writer Julien Rappeneau and musician Martin Rappeneau.

Brother of Élisabeth Rappeneau.

Directed one Oscar nominated performance: Gérard Depardieu in Cyrano de Bergerac (1990).

The work is really in the writing. I write again and again and again. I edit, I design each shot, and so by the time I arrive on set, I'm completely precise and prepared. But in my direction with actors? They have a little room. The precision is in the writing and preparation.[2015]