Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, and visual artist whose work moved across literature, theatre, cinema, and drawing. A prominent figure in Parisian avant‑garde circles, he collaborated with leading artists and composers, including Sergei Diaghilev and Igor Stravinsky, and wrote the libretto for Erik Satie’s ballet *Parade* (1917). Cocteau achieved wide recognition for films such as *La Belle et la Bête* (1946) and *Orphée* (1950), and for his novel *Les Enfants terribles* (1929). He was elected to the Académie française in 1955.