Background
Jean Maunier was born to Thierry Maunier, a cameraman, and Muriel Maunier. His father sang in a well-known church choir (Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint Marc).
Jean Maunier was born to Thierry Maunier, a cameraman, and Muriel Maunier. His father sang in a well-known church choir (Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint Marc).
Jean-Baptiste attended a Roman Catholic school in Lyon, France. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York between 2008 and 2009 to perfect his acting and English, returning to France to sing in Les Enfoirés charity concerts. Christophe Barratier, the director of Les Choristes, chose Maunier because "he had the right look" and a marvellous voice.
He has a younger brother, Benjamin. Maunier gained fame for his starring role in the 2004 French film Les Choristes, in which he plays Pierre Morhange, a delinquent with an exceptional singing voice at the correctional school Fond de L"Étang. He was also exceptionally appealing for the role.
Following the release of the film, Maunier and the choir took part in numerous concerts all over the world, including Japan and Canada.
In February 2005, he left the choir in order to devote more time to his studies and to his acting career. In April and August 2005, he took part in a four-episode television series for France 2, Le Cri, playing a young steelworker.
The series was released in 2006. Maunier appears in Le Grand Meaulnes (2006) as Francois Seurel.
In Piccolo, Saxo et compagnie (2006), an animated film, he lent his voice to the character "Saxo".
In the summer of 2006, Maunier acted in Hellphone, a full-length film directed by James Huth. In this film, Maunier plays the role of Sid. The film was released in March 2007.
In L"Auberge rouge, directed by Gérard Krawczyk (an adaptation of the 1951 version) Maunier stars as Octave.
lieutenant opened in theaters in France on 5 December 2007. Jean-Baptiste spent a year studying at New York"s Lee Strasberg Institute in 2008 to unleash his acting potentials.
Staying in the United States of America allowed him to perfect his English. He returned to France in 2010, and performed in the Enfoirés charity concert of 2010.
Upon entering collège (middle school), Maunier was asked to make a choice between various activities.
In the choir, he was tutored by Nicolas Porte. In Les Choristes, the film that made him widely famous for his singing skills, both Maunier"s solo and the chorus of "Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc" are featured on the original soundtrack. In 2005, to keep a souvenir of his voice before it broke, Maunier decided to sing with Clemence Saint-Preux and had released the single, Concerto pour deux voix, which was in turn an adaptation of Concerto pour une Voix.
Since 2005 he has participated in Les Enfoirés, an ensemble of notable singers and performers in France that periodically performs charity concerts.
He chose singing and became a member of Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc (full name is "Louisiana Chorale des Petits Enfants De Saint-Marc").