Born in a small village of the South of France, Jean-Claude Carrière had a traditional education, which led him to the ENS in Saint-Cloud.　　While still a student, he published his first novel, Lézard, before meeting Jacques Tati and Pierre Etaix.　　He wrote novelisations of Tati's films, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday and Man Oncle, both books illustrated by Pierre Etaix. Carrière and Etaix immediately found a rapport and together made two film shorts in 1961 - Rupture and Happy Birthday (Heureux Anniversaire), the latter gaining an Oscar in Hollywood.　　In 1962, they co-wrote the feature. The Suitor (Prix Louis Delluc) released in 1963 to a wide international audience. Then followed Yoyo, So Long as You 're Healthy, and The Great Love. They have continued to work together, on several occasions, on various film projects and books.　　In 1963, Jean-Claude Carrière met film director Luis Bunuel, with whom he collaborated for twenty years (Diary of a Chambermaid, The Discrete Charm of-the Bourgoisie, etc). He also collaborated with Milos Forman (Taking Off), Volker Schlondorff (The Tin Drum), Andrzej Wajda (Danton), Louis Malle (Viva Maria, Milou in May), Jacques Deray (The Swimming Pool, Borsalino) and Jean-Paul Rappeneau (Cyrano de Bergerac). He has written about fifteen films for television.　　For the theatre, following the production of his first play, The Memorandum (l 'Aide Memoire), he worked for thirty years as a playwright with Peter Brook, most notably on Mahabharata.　　He has never ceased writing and publishing books including booklets on opera and songs. For ten years he chaired and helped to establish the French National School of Cinema, FEMIS. He is also president of the association, Springtime of Actors, and The Montpelier Theatre Festival, and is on the board of directors of the Guimet Museum. He is an Officer of the Legion of Honour.