Jean-Yves Dubois
Acting
Biography
Jean‑Yves Dubois (1958–2003) was a French film and theatre actor, born on 27 February 1958 in Chartres. After spending his childhood in West Africa, he began studying medicine before turning to theatre. He then entered the Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique in Paris, where he studied under Pierre Debauche, Jean‑Paul Roussillon and Antoine Vitez, who cast him in several of his productions in the early 1980s. In 1984, he joined the Comédie‑Française, becoming its 482nd sociétaire in 1990, a status he retained until his death. On stage, he performed both classical works (Molière, Shakespeare, Corneille, Chekhov, Claudel…) and contemporary plays, and was admired for his sensitivity and strong stage presence. In cinema, he appeared notably in Ballade à blanc (1983), Vive la sociale ! (1983), La Servante aimante (1996), and Port Djema (1997). Jean‑Yves Dubois died prematurely on 16 January 2003 in Paris, at the age of 44. He is buried in the cemetery of Villerville.
Known For
An expatriated French novelist returns to Paris when she learns that her childhood home is being placed on the auction block.
The Proprietor
A young man returns to the family home to face a childhood trauma: his brother's suicide, but nobody in the family is willing to help him.
Mange ta soupe
A student demonstration in Paris leads to an unexpected reunion between two childhood friends.
Vive la sociale !
A doctor from Paris travels to North Africa to investigate the murder of a friend and find a lost boy.
Port Djema
Jean, a young Breton working at the shipyards in Toulon, chafes under routine and confinement. Living with his cousin Simone, he one day vanishes—leaving behind her money and a gun. He embarks on a wanderlust‑fuelled journey, hitchhiking into the unknown, guided only by chance encounters and longing for freedom.
Ballade à blanc
Coraline, a young servant in love with Florindo, will thwart the plans of Beatrice, the second wife of Ottavio, father of Florindo, who wants to capture the legacy of Florindo for his own advantage and that of his own son.
La serva amorosa
Voluptuous and bored, rebellious sixteen-year-old Sabine is interested in sex and clubbing, and not much else. But when she leaves home to move to Paris, she finds herself plunged into a world harsher than she ever imagined, a minefield of exploitation that will test her courage.
A Big Girl Like You
Mise-en-scène, at the Comédie-Française, of La Vie de Galilée by Bertolt Brecht. This is the last staging by Antoine Vitez.
La vie de Galilée
A historical television film directed by Jean‑Dominique de La Rochefoucauld, Richelieu, or The Day of the Dupes recounts the political tensions that came to a head in November 1630, when Marie de’ Medici attempted to remove Cardinal Richelieu from power. Blending court intrigue, the king’s illness, and decisive reversals, the film portrays the struggle for influence that ultimately cemented Louis XIII’s trust in his minister. Led by Didier Sandre, Patrick Raynal, and Dominique Blanchar, the telefilm offers a meticulous reconstruction of the events that shaped the kingdom’s balance of power.