Jean-Marie Patte

Biography

Jean‑Marie Patte (born 9 June 1941) is a French playwright, stage director and actor. Coming from a theatre background, he developed an active directing career from the 1960s onward, working on both classical texts and contemporary writing. His path led him to collaborate with major cultural institutions such as the Festival d’Automne, the MC93 in Bobigny and the Théâtre National de la Colline, where he regularly premiered his own plays. Alongside his work as a writer and director, Patte made occasional screen appearances. He is best known for portraying Louis XIV in Roberto Rossellini’s The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (1966), where his austere, restrained performance aligns with the film’s quasi‑documentary style. He later appeared in Freya of the Seven Isles (1972). Author of an extensive dramatic body of work — from Le Concert to Mes Fils and Demi‑jour — Jean‑Marie Patte holds a distinctive place in French theatre as a demanding creator, committed to exploring form, precision of language and a stripped‑down approach to staging.