Toutain is known for playing the aviator André Jurieux in Jean Renoir's film The Rules of the Game (La Règle du jeu).

[1] The role suited him: Toutain was also an avid hobby aviator, as well as an acrobat.

He first gained fame as an actor in the adventure film The Mystery of the Yellow Room [fr] and its sequel The Perfume of the Lady in Black [fr].

[2] His film career slowed down in the late 1940s and he made his final movie in 1956.

He was a good friend of fellow actor Jean Marais,[3] who organized his funeral.