Jean-Marc Barr
Jean-Marc Barr (born September 27, 1960) is a French-American film actor and director. He is best known for working on several films from Danish film director and frequent collaborator Lars von Trier since Europa (1991).
Jean-Marc Barr

Georges Biard · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 27 September 1960
- Birthplace
- Bitburg, West Germany
- Education
- Guildhall School of Music and Drama
- Occupation
- Film, stage, television actor, director, screenwriter, film producer
- Spouse
- Irina Dečermić (divorced)
- Nationality
- United States · France
- Languages
- French · English
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Jean-Marc Barr (born September 27, 1960) is a French-American film actor and director. He is best known for working on several films from Danish film director and frequent collaborator Lars von Trier since Europa (1991).
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Barr worked across actor, stage actor, television actor, film director and film actor and 2 further recorded occupations. This article rests on 4 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 27 September 1960 • Birthplace — Bitburg, West Germany • Education — Guildhall School of Music and Drama • Occupation — Film, stage, television actor, director, screenwriter, film producer • Years Active — 1985 - present • Spouse — Irina Dečermić (divorced)
Early life and education
Early life and education
Barr was born to a French mother and an American father working in the United States Armed Forces. He is fluent in both French and English. Barr was born in West Germany where his father was stationed, and lived an itinerant childhood. His family moved to France in 1968, then to California in 1974. Barr's parents wished for him to join the armed forces, but he was unwilling to follow in his father's footsteps. He studied philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles, then at the Paris Conservatoire and the Sorbonne. He moved to London to pursue an education in drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Career
Career
Barr began working in theatre in France in 1986. After finding work in television (including a small role in Hotel du Lac (1986), the BBC's version of the Booker prize-winning novel by Anita Brookner), and film (in particular Hope and Glory (1987) by John Boorman), he was cast in the tremendously successful The Big Blue (1988). Luc Besson cast him in the role of French diver Jacques Mayol, alongside Rosanna Arquette and Jean Reno. The Big Blue was the most financially successful film in France in the 1980s. In 1991, Barr starred in Danish director Lars von Trier's Europa, marking the beginning of a long friendship (he is the godfather of von Trier's children) as well as a significant professional relationship. He went on to appear in von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2004), Manderlay (2005), The Boss of It All (2006) and Nymph maniac (2013). In 2005 he starred in the French film Crustacés et Coquillages. In 1999 he starred in the French cinéma du corps/cinema of the body drama film, Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday (French: J'aimerais pas crever un dimanche), directed by Didier Le Pêcheur. Barr's collaboration with von Trier put him on track to start directing his own work. He debuted in 1999 as a director, screenwriter and producer with the intimate love story Lovers. The film became the first part of a trilogy; the films that followed were the drama Too Much Flesh (2000) and the comedy Being Light (2001), which he co-directed with Pascal Arnold. Barr and Pascal also directed the 2006 film Chacun sa nuit (eng: One to another), where they first discovered Lizzie Brocher, Arthur Dupont and Karl E. Landler. This was followed by another collaboration in 2012, Sexual Chronicles of a French Family. In 1997, Barr appeared in The Scarlet Tunic, produced by Zigi Kamasa. He appeared as Hugo in The Red Siren in 2002 and played divorce lawyer Maître Bertram in the 2003 Merchant Ivory film le Divorce. He appeared as the titular character in the video for Blur's 1996 single, "Charmless Man". In 2010, he starred in Kim Nguyen's film City of Shadows (La Cité). Barr played author Jack Kerouac in the 2013 film adaptation of the Beat Generation autobiographical novel Big Sur.
Filmography
Filmography
• Illustration — Barr at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
Theatre
Theatre
• Year — Title — Role — Theatre • 1988-89 — Orpheus Descending — Valentine Xavier — Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1985 — Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson Story — Scott — Television film • 1986 — Screen Two — Alain — Episode: "Hotel du Lac" • 1996 — Reckoning — Patrick LeMay — Television film • 1997 — Les Infidèles — Farid • 1997 — Balkan Island: The Last Story of the Century — Addy • 2005 — Venus and Apollo — Vincent — Episode: "Soin pare chocs" • 2007 — Martin Paris — Martin Paris — Television film • 2011 — XIII: The Series — Prêtre — 2 episodes • 2011 — The Wyvern's Lair — Paul Pratt — 4 episodes • 2011–2016 — Blood on the Docks — Capitaine Richard Faraday — 12 episodes • 2018 — The Miracle — Serge — Episode: "La Conservazione della Materia" • 2018–2020 — Bad Banks — Robert Khano — 12 episodes • 2020 — Little Birds — Secretary Pierre Vaney — 6 episodes • 2021 — Kralj — Ferdinand Foch — 3 episodes • 2021 — The Rope — Serge Morel • 2022 — Je te promets — Jean-Marc Barr — Episode: "L'Idole de la Famille" • 2023 — Rivages — 6 episodes • 2024 — Anthracite — Solal Heilman — Limited series
Life and work
Life and work
Jean-Marc Barr was born on 27 September 1960 in Bitburg. Barr held the nationality of United States and France. Barr was educated at University of Paris, University of California, Los Angeles, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Mission Bay High School. Barr worked as actor, stage actor, television actor and film director, and the authority record catalogues a further 3 occupations under the same name, among them film actor, film producer and screenwriter. Barr worked in French and English.
Work for the screen
Work for the screen
Barr worked for the screen, as film director, film producer and screenwriter. 6 films survive in the institutional catalogues, spanning 1999 to 2012. They are Lovers (1999), Too Much Flesh (2000), Being Light (2001), One to Another (2006), American Translation (2011) and Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012).
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1960
Jean-Marc Barr born at Bitburg.
Film
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1985 — King David — Absalom • 1986 — The Frog Prince — James • 1987 — Hope and Glory — Bruce • 1987 — Maurice — French Colleague — Uncredited • 1988 — The Big Blue — Jacques Mayol • 1991 — Le brasier — Victor • 1991 — Europa — Leopold Kessler • 1992 — The Plague — Jean Tarrou • 1994 — Iron Horsemen — Robert • 1994 — Les faussaires — Baker • 1994 — The Favourite Son — Philippe • 1996 — L'échappée belle — Emmanuel Barnes • 1996 — Marching in Darkness — Silvio Roatta • 1996 — Breaking the Waves — Terry • 1996 — Mo — Sam Follow • 1998 — The Scarlet Tunic — Matthaus Singer • 1998 — Préférence — Simon • 1998 — Folle d'elle — Marc • 1998 — Ça ne se refuse pas — Alex • 1998 — Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday — Ben • 1998 — St. Ives — Jacques de Keroual de Saint-Yves • 2000 — Dancer in the Dark — Norman • 2000 — Too Much Flesh — Lyle • 2001 — Being Light — Jack Lesterhoof • 2002 — Marie's Sons — Paul • 2002 — The Red Siren — Hugo Cornelius Toorop • 2003 — Dogville — The Man with the Big Hat • 2003 — Saltimbank — Frédéric Saltim • 2003 — The Divorce — Maitre Bertram • 2003 — The Car Keys — Un comédien • 2004 — CQ2 (Seek You Too) — Steven • 2005 — Crustacés & Coquillages — Didier • 2005 — Manderlay — Mr. Robinsson • 2005 — Tara Road — Andy Vine • 2006 — One to Another — Phillipe • 2006 — The Boss of It All — Spencer • 2008 — Baby Blues — Dan • 2008 — The Anarchist's Wife — Pierre • 2008 — Parc — Paul Marteau • 2008 — Nucingen House — William Henry James III • 2009 — Making Plans for Lena — Nigel • 2010 — The City of Shadows — Maxime Vincent • 2011 — His Mother's Eyes — Jean-Paul Tremazan • 2011 — American Translation — William • 2011 — Practical Guide to Belgrade with Singing and Crying — Brian • 2012 — Niccolò Machiavelli il Principe della politica — Niccolò Machiavelli • 2012 — They Call It Summer — Dino • 2013 — Big Sur — Jack Kerouac • 2013 — Manhattan Romance — Alex • 2013 — Vandal — Paul, l'oncle • 2013 — Nymphomaniac — Debtor Gentleman • 2014 — The Last Mirage — Justin Livingstone • 2015 — WAX: We Are the X — Jean-Christophe Touchalier • 2017 — uk18 — The Foreigner • 2017 — After the War — Jérome • 2017 — Grain — Erol • 2017 — Cut Off — Trevor De Blanc • 2018 — The Cellar — Milan • 2018 — The House that Jack Built — Leopold Kessler — Archive footage only; uncredited • 2020 — My Best Part — Le réalisateur • 2021 — Aleksandar od Jugoslavije — Ferdinand Foch • 2021 — Silent Land — Arnaud • 2023 — The Pod Generation — The Founder
Films and moving-image works
Catalogued output
Films and moving-image works
These entries are catalogued as moving-image works. The 2000s are the densest part of the run, with 3 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself.
6 films carry dates between 1999 and 2012
The run opens with Lovers and closes with Sexual Chronicles of a French Family
Lovers
1999
Too Much Flesh
2000
Being Light
2001
One to Another
2006
American Translation
2011
Sexual Chronicles of a French Family
2012
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 13541380t
General reference · Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Discogs authority file 440410
General reference · Discogs
- FAST authority file 1553588
General reference · FAST
- GND (German National Library) authority file 132170043
General reference · GND (German National Library)
- IdRef (French universities) authority file 050722328
General reference · IdRef (French universities)
- ISNI authority file 0000000121416724
General reference · ISNI
reference work
- “Jean-Marc Barr”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Authority records
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 13541380tBibliothèque nationale de France
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
GND (German National Library) authority file 132170043GND (German National Library)
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
IdRef (French universities) authority file 050722328IdRef (French universities)
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Library of Congress authority file no00006004Library of Congress
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Secondary witness
Every cited source · 11
- 01
Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 13541380t
institutional register · General reference · Bibliothèque nationale de France
Consult the source - 02
- 03
- 04
GND (German National Library) authority file 132170043
institutional register · General reference · GND (German National Library)
Consult the source - 05
IdRef (French universities) authority file 050722328
institutional register · General reference · IdRef (French universities)
Consult the source - 06
ISNI authority file 0000000121416724
institutional register · General reference · ISNI
Consult the source - 07
Library of Congress authority file no00006004
institutional register · General reference · Library of Congress
Consult the source - 08
MusicBrainz authority file
institutional register · General reference · MusicBrainz
Consult the source - 09
- 10
“Jean-Marc Barr”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
reference work · Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Consult the source - 11
Wikidata, structured authority record Q551683: Jean-Marc Barr
institutional register · General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
Consult the source
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Formation and teaching. Barr studied at University of Paris, University of California, Los Angeles, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Mission Bay High School. Recorded as having studied at University of Paris, University of California, Los Angeles and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Activity and practice
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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