Jean Dasté

Biography

Jean Dasté (born Jean Georges Gustave Dasté; 18 September 1904 – 15 October 1994) was a French actor and theatre director.

Although Jean Dasté is best known for his career on stage as both an actor and director in a variety of works including those by Shakespeare and Molière, he made his first appearance on screen in a 1932 Jean Renoir film (Boudu sauvé des eaux), and 57 years later appeared in his final film at the age of 85. He played also the main character in two Jean Vigo movies, L'Atalante and Zéro de conduite. Later, he worked also with Alain Resnais and François Truffaut.

He married Danish-born actress Marie-Hélène Copeau (1902–1994), the daughter of the influential French writer, editor, and drama critic Jacques Copeau (1879–1949) and Agnès Thomsen. In 1947, he became the founding director of the Comedie de St.-Etienne stage company in the town of Saint-Étienne in the Loire department. A college and a theatre in the town are named in his honour.

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