Kad Merad (born Kaddour Merad, ; 27 March 1964)
is a French-Algerian writer and actor.
Life and career
Kad Merad was born in
Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria, on 27 March 1964 to an Algerian father and a French mother.
During his teens, he played drums and sang with various rock bands. Soon afterwards, he started playing roles at
Club Med
Club Med SAS, commonly known as Club Med and previously known as Club Méditerranée SA, is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. Founded in 1950, the company has been primarily ow ...
alongside the Gigolo Brothers troupe.
In 1990, he was hired by
Ouï FM, the Paris rock radio station where he met
Olivier Baroux. The duet most known as Kad & Olivier began working together and started their own show, the ''Rock'n Roll Circus'', introducing some of their most famous sketches (Pamela Rose, Teddy Porc Fidèle...). The early success of the show allowed them to meet
Jean-Luc Delarue who brought their act to TV.
In 1999, they began appearing on the French Satellite TV channel
Comédie+ on their own show, ''La Grosse Emission''. At the same time, Merad started his Cinema career with a lot of secondary roles.
In 2003, he scored his First box-office success with ''
Mais Qui a tué Pamela Rose?'', co-written with Baroux.
In 2007, Kad received the
César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in
Je vais Bien, ne t'en fais pas! and appears in
AaRON
According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...
's film soundtrack video clip. His best challenger was
Dany Boon. During the shooting of
Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, this friendly struggle was a running joke between the two of them.
That same year, he made his first appearance with
Les Enfoirés music troop and is still one of its members. He was also inducted as the Godfather of the
Telethon
A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause.
Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
.
The next year, he starred as Phillipe Abrams in the French movie
Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis. The film was a surprise - and phenomenal - success in France and Europe, becoming the best-attended movie ever made in France, with 21 million moviegoers.
Filmography
As actor
Director / Writer
Theater
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merad, Kad
1964 births
Living people
Algerian emigrants to France
People from Sidi Bel Abbès
French male film actors
French male television actors
Algerian people of French descent
Algerian screenwriters
French male voice actors
20th-century French male actors
21st-century French male actors
French film directors
French male screenwriters
French screenwriters
Best Supporting Actor César Award winners
Male actors of Algerian descent