Born to a wealthy family in a small village, Maisons-Lafitte, near Paris, France, Jean Cocteau had a multi-faceted career as a stage designer, graphic artist, ceramist, sculptor, poet and film maker. He also had numerous love affairs with both males and females including Romanov princess, Nathalie Paley who became pregnant with his child and who, much to his dismay, terminated the pregnancy.

Actors Jean Marais and Edouard Dermit were long-lasting relationships, and Cocteau adopted Dermit and cast Marais in one of his plays, Beauty and the Beast. He was open about his homosexuality and did much writing to counter homophobia.

His writing and art expression was surreal, and he became an ongoing influent...