This article was published in a collection of bibliographical entries on French actors. Drawing from my PhD on iconic French actor Jean-Pierre Léaud, this piece explores his early career, Léaud as alter-ego of François Truffaut in the Doinel cycle and beyond, and Léaud beyond Truffaut, having worked with many other prominent filmmakers over the coures of his career, including Jean-Luc Godard, Jean Eustache, Jerzy Skolimivoski, Bernardo Bertolucci, Pier Paolo Pasolini among many others.