Jean-Claude Deret


Jean-Claude Deret, born Claude Breitman, was a French television writer, songwriter, actor, playwright, and author of children's books and detective novels.

Early life

Jean-Claude Deret was born as Claude Breitman on July 11, 1921. His family were secular Jews from Russia. One of his great-grandfathers was a psychiatrist. He lost a relative in The Holocaust.

Career

Deret started his career as a songwriter and singer in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the late 1940s. By 1950, he emigrated to Quebec, where he became a theatre and television actor. Nine years later, in 1959, he returned to France and within a few years he created Thierry la Fronde, a television series. Between 1963 and 1966, he wrote 52 episodes.
Deret founded Le Théâtre du cercle, a theatre company in Saint-Gervais-la-Forêt. Additionally, he authored children's books and detective novels. He also wrote plays, including Samuel dans l'île, which was nominated for a Molière Award in 2006. Meanwhile, he continued to act, for example starring in Beautiful Memories in 2001. He also continued to write songs, and he performed at the Théâtre de Poche Montparnasse in April 2014. He wrote 50 songs over the course of his career. In 2016, he directed Salauds de pauvres, a short film about poor people in France.

Personal life and death

Deret had three children, including actress Zabou Breitman with Céline Léger.
Deret died in Paris on December 12, 2016, aged 95. He was cremated at the Père Lachaise Cemetery on December 17.