Jean-Marie Besset was born in Carcassonne, France, and spent his childhood in the nearby small town of Limoux, in the Southwest region, until he completed his Baccalaureat in 1977.
After pursuing higher education in business at ESSEC in 1981 and political sciences at IEP Paris in 1984, Besset divided his time between Paris and New York for twelve years, where he developed a diverse range of skills and experiences.
In 1999-2000, he returned to France to become the artistic director of the Théâtre de l'Atelier, a historic Parisian theatre acquired by Laura Pels. Since 2000, in partnership with producer/director Gilbert Désveaux, he has formed the company BCDV theater to initiate and develop innovative projects, including a summer theatre festival, NAVA - New Authors in the Aude Valley.
From 2010-2013, Besset served as the artistic director of the National Theatre (CDN) in Montpellier, further solidifying his reputation as a visionary and accomplished theatre professional.
Throughout his career, Besset has written numerous plays, including Villa Luco, The Function, What You Get And What You Expect, The Best Of Schools, A Commentary On Love, Rue de Babylone, The Greeks, Perthus, The Girl On The Train, I Don't Want To Marry, and The Banquet At Auteuil.
In addition to his original works, Besset has also translated plays by renowned playwrights such as Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams, Will Eno, Alan Bennett, Michael Frayn, and Tom Stoppard into French.
Several of his plays or adaptations have been successfully adapted into films, including Grande Ecole (Dir. Robert Salis, 2004),The Girl On The Train (André Téchiné, 2008),and Life Of Riley (Alain Resnais, 2014).
