Marc Allégret was a French screenwriter and film director. He was born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer. Allégret became André Gide's lover when he was fifteen and Gide was forty-seven. Later, Marc was to fall briefly under the spell of Cocteau, who Gide feared would "corrupt" him.

Marc's father, Elie Allégret, had originally been hired by André Gide's mother to tutor André in light of his weak grades in school, after which he and his charge became fast friends. In 1895 Elie Allégret was best man at André Gide's wedding.