Jean Cocteau

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, artist and filmmaker. An important exponent of avant-garde art, Cocteau had great influence on the work of others, including a group of composers known as 'Les six'.

His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Marcel Proust, Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Guillaume Apollinaire, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Erik Satie, Amedeo Modigliani, and Raymond Radiguet.

Cocteau is best known for his novel Les Enfants Terribles (1929), and the films The Blood of a Poet (1930), Beauty and the Beast (1946) and Orpheus (1949). His versatile, unconventional approach and enormous output in various artistic mediums brought him international acclaim.

(Source: MAL)