Jean-Paul Rappeneau, a renowned French film director and screenwriter, was born on April 8, 1932.
He began his career in the film industry as an assistant and screenwriter, collaborating with Louis Malle on the films Zazie dans le métro in 1960 and Vie privée in 1961.
In 1964, Rappeneau co-wrote the screenplay for L'Homme de Rio, a film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo.
His first film as both writer and director was A Matter of Resistance, released in 1965. Although it received widespread critical acclaim and popularity, Rappeneau did not direct another film until 1971, when he directed Les Mariés de l'an II, again starring Belmondo and Marlène Jobert.
Since 1975, Rappeneau has written screenplays exclusively for his own films, including Le Sauvage, starring Yves Montand, and Tout feu, tout flamme (1981),which co-starred Montand and Isabelle Adjani.
In 1990, Rappeneau directed a lavish Technicolor film adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, based on the classic French play by Edmond Rostand, starring Gérard Depardieu. This film is the most elaborate and expensive French film ever produced, and it is the only rendition of the play in the original French language to be widely released.
At the 1991 César Awards, Rappeneau won the César Award for Best Director and César Award for Best Film for his work on Cyrano de Bergerac.
Rappeneau's 2003 comedy Bon voyage, co-written with Patrick Modiano, starred Depardieu alongside Isabelle Adjani. The film received 11 nominations at the 2004 César Awards.
