 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Jean Vilar" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Jean Vilar | |
|---|---|
 Vilar in 1955 | |
| Born | 25 March 1912 |
| Died | 28 May 1971 (1971-05-29) (aged 59) Sète, Hérault, France |
| Occupation(s) | Actor and director |
Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director.[1]
Vilar trained under actor and theatre directorCharles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a small theatre in Paris. In 1947, he accepted an invitation to direct the first annualdrama festival atAvignon.
Frustrated with what he felt was the narrow élitist horizons of the theatre, he devoted himself to creating a "people's theatre" and became a dominant force in the decentralization of theatre. He created two major theatrical institutions, the Festival d'Avignon and theThéâtre National Populaire. His policy was to make theatre accessible to the greatest possible number of people.
Like Paul Valery, he is buried in the Cimetiere Marin, Sete. On 18 July 1979 the theatre department of theBibliothèque nationale de France, the city of Avignon and the Association Jean Vilar opened the Maison Jean-Vilar in the Hôtel de Crochans in Avignon to further Vilar's work, the Festival d'Avignon, the 'OFF' and theatre and performance in Avignon and the surrounding region.[2]
He was married to the artistAndrée Vilar (1916-2009) and worked with his sister in lawValentine Schlegel at the Festival d'Avignon.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Gates of the Night | Le clochard / La fortune | |
| 1947 | The Sharks of Gibraltar | Percy Carters | |
| 1948 | The Bouquinquant Brothers | Le prêtre | |
| 1948 | Carrefour du crime | Inspecteur Dominique | |
| 1948 | Bagarres | L'innocent | |
| 1949 | Les eaux troubles | Ulysse | |
| 1949 | La ferme des sept péchés | L'homme gris / Grey man | |
| 1950 | Thirst of Men | Le typographe | |
| 1950 | Justice Is Done | Le prêtre à l'imprimerie | |
| 1951 | Casabianca | Submarine Commandant Jean L'Herminier | |
| 1951 | Les mousquetaires du roi | ||
| 1952 | Jocelyn | Le supérieur du nouveau séminaire | |
| 1956 | Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle | Le duc d'Albe | |
| 1958 | Arènes joyeuses | ||
| 1961 | Enclosure | Narrator | Voice |
| 1969 | Des Christs par milliers | Jean | |
| 1971 | Raphael, or The Debauched One | Horace | |
| 1971 | Le petit matin | Paul | (final film role) |
