Jean Vilar (; 25 March 1912 – 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. He was the founder of the Festival d'Avignon and the Théâtre National Populaire.Drain, Richard (1995) Twentieth-Century Theatre: A Sourcebook, Routledge
Career
Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles 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 annual drama festival at Avignon.
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 the Théâtre National Populaire. His policy was to make theatre accessible to the greatest possible number of people.
Commemoration Like Paul Valery, he is buried in the Cimetiere Marin, Sete. On 18 July 1979 the theatre department of the Bibliothèque 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.
Personal life He was married to the artist Andrée Vilar (1916-2009) and worked with his sister in law Valentine Schlegel at the Festival d'Avignon.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1946 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 Voice1969 Des Christs par milliers Jean 1971 Raphael, or The Debauched One Horace 1971 Le petit matin Paul (final film role)
References
Other sources Bardot, Jean Claude (1991) Jean Vilar. Paris: Colin. Shevtsova, Maria (2005) Jean Vilar in Fifty Key Theatre Directors, eds Mitter, S., & In Shevtsova, M., Routledge Téphany, J., & Barthes, R. (1995). Jean Vilar. Paris: Editions de l'Herne.