Jean Bernard Luc ( Lucien Boudousse ) was born in Guatemala in 1909.

His father, who was from the Bearn, had emigrated to Central America to set up an import/export business.

At the age of three he came to France with his parents, and was to remain there.

His childhood years were divided between the South West( with his grand-parents in MAUBOURGUET ) and the capital.

His secondary education took place in Paris at Janson de Sailly, followed by Business Studies at the Ecole Superieure of Trade.

But he did not plan to follow in his father's footsteps, and began to write.

En 1936, marriage with Denise,law student and top model, also from Pyrenees ( A son , John, Spanish teacher )

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His first play, DON JOSE, was created at the THEATRE ROYAL DU PARC in Brussels for Rene Lefevre in 1936.

When war broke out he was taken prisoner but escaped to the unoccupied zone, where he wrote his first significant film-scripts.

At the Liberation his first play to be performed in France (at the MICHODIERE) was THE FAMILY DINNER, with Gabrielle Dorziat and Michel Vitold. It was a great success.

His next success came in 1947 : LOVE COMES WITH LOVING ( EDOUARD VII ) starring Danielle Darrieux and Claude Dauphin.

In 1949 his tragic two-hander THE NIGHT OF THE MEN, one and a half hours in length, performed by Michel Vitold and Jacques Dumesnil, was a unanimous critical success ( ATELIER ).

This was also the period of some major films: THE VISITOR, directed by Jean Dreville with Pierre Fresnay and the singers Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois.

He collaborated with Jean Anouilh on the script for MONSIEUR VINCENT (1947) which gave Pierre Fresnay one of his finest roles,

and PATTES BLANCHES with Michel Bouquet and Suzy Delair, still a favourite at Film clubs.

After, PRÉLUDE A LA GLOIRE with Roberto Benzi, prodigy conductor

Later , a journey to United States and to his native Guatemala .

In the 50s, Jean Bernard-Luc became famous for his satires, in which
people saw the work of a follower of Moliere.

He shot his first barbs at Freud and the psychoanalystes in THE PHILEMON’S COMPLEX which was a triumph at the MONTPARNASSE-GASTON BATY in Paris in 1950,

then went all round the world ( USA including Broadway, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Spain ) and was made into a Fernandel film.

Next he attacked the famous Kinsey report on the sex-life of Americans with THE VINELEAF, another hit, MADELEINE (1952 ) .

An ensemble of stars took part in his next play CARLOS AND MARGUERITE in the same theatre in 1953 : Jean-Pierre Aumont, Gaby Sylvia, Claude
Rich and Roger Hanin.

In 1955 he had another run of critical successes : THE MOON IS BLUE, a free adaptation of the play by the American author Hugh Herbert, enchanted audiences at the MICHEL theatre,

and THE AMATEUR LOVERS with Alice Cocea and Claude Rich at the MONTPARNASSE was not unlike Le Cocu Magnifique and Les Amants Magnifiques .

In 1957 came the comedy that was to become so famous: HIBERNATUS, originally performed at the ATHENEE,

subsequently filmed with Louis De Funes in the leading role

during a rehearsal

From 1960 Jean Bernard-Luc started writing films which have lasted :

THE BEAUTY AND THE EMPEROR

with Romy SCHNEIDER

LAFAYETTE

about the American War of Independance, with Vittorio DE SICA, Jack HAWKINS, Orson WELLES

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

LE CAID ( Fernandel )

LE TRACASSIN OU

LES PLAISIRS DE LA VILLE

with André BOURVIL

LES CRACKS

with André BOURVIL

and HIBERNATUS

with Louis DE FUNES adapted from his play .

In 1965 he collaborated with Jean-Pierre Conty on

WHEN DO YOU MARRY MY WIFE ?

a farce which became a classic of the genre, at the VAUDEVILLE with Michel SERRAULT and Jean-Pierre DARRAS. The success of that comedy went on and on.

Finally he wrote several historical TV movies, one with Jean Delannoy, and a science-fiction novel which was nominated at the Fantasy-Fiction festival at Avoriaz in 1981:

THE ENDLESS MAN

Following a long illness, Jean Bernard-Luc died at Pontoise in 1985.

His plays and films have lived on despite the changing taste of a new audience.