Rappeneauis a director and screenwriter. He studied literature and, afterwards, law. He began his film career in 1958 with his short film Chronique provinciale. His other films include Gracious Living (La vie de château, 1965), Scoundrel (Les mariés de l’an II, 1971), The Savage (Le sauvage, 1975), All Fired Up (Tout feu, tout flamme, 1981). He is famous for his outstanding work with actors (Catherine Deneuve, Marlčne Jobert, Isabelle Adjani, Jean-Paul Belmondo...). He wrote the screenplays for Zazie in the Subway (Zazie dans le métro, 1960) and A Very Private Affair (Vie privée, 1961) together with Louis Malle. In 1990, he made Cyrano de Bergerac.