Jean Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, playwright, artist, and filmmaker. He is best known for his novel Les Enfants Terribles, the film Beauty and the Beast, and the play The Human Voice. He was also a prolific writer of poetry, plays, and essays. Cocteau was an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde movement of the 1920s and 1930s. He was a major influence on the Surrealist movement and his works have been widely celebrated for their wit and beauty.