Entered films in the early 1930s, wrote his first feature in 1936 and began a fruitful, lasting collaboration with co-writer Pierre Bost on "Douce" (1943). The team wrote numerous scripts for directors Claude Autant-Lara ("The Devil in the Flesh" 1946, "The Red Inn" 1951), Rene Clement ("The Walls of Malpaga" 1949, "Forbidden Games" 1951, "Gervaise" 1956) and Jean Delannoy ("God Needs Men" 1950).

Though the work of Bost and Aurenche came to typify the "quality" films so despised by the New Wave directors, their earlier screenplays had often been iconoclastic, dealing with controversial subjects and espousing progressive politics. After a series of generally undistinguished films in the 1960s, the team re-established its critical reputation with two fine, intricate dramas for Bertrand Tavernier, "The Watchmaker" (1973) and "The Judge and the Assassin" (1976).