Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He has won several

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

and the Lumière Awards. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he played the lead villain,

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's ''

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

'',

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

's '' The Grand Budapest Hotel'' and '' The French Dispatch'', and for his lead performance in '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'', for which he drew critical acclaim.

Early life

Amalric was born on 25 October 1965 in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, a suburb of Paris. He is the son of Jacques Amalric, a French native who worked as a foreign affairs editor for ''Le Monde'' and ''

Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...

'', and Nicole Zand, a literary critic for ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'', who was born in Poland to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents and moved to France at the outbreak of World War II.

Selected films

Amalric first gained fame in the film '' Ma Vie Sexuelle'' (''My Sex Life...or How I Got Into an Argument''), for which he won a

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

. In 2007, he starred in the critically acclaimed movie '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,'' portraying Jean-Dominique Bauby, a journalist who learned to communicate through partner-assisted scanning after a stroke left him suffering from locked-in syndrome. Amalric's performance was universally acclaimed, and he won the Cesar Award for Best Actor. He was selected to play the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

villain Dominic Greene alongside Daniel Craig (with whom he had previously starred in ''

'') in the 2008 film '' Quantum of Solace''. His 2010 film, '' On Tour'', premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and won Amalric the Best Director Award. The 2014 film '' The Blue Room'', which he directed and starred in, was selected to compete in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life

Amalric has three sons, two with French actress and singer Jeanne Balibar, and one with another former partner, the theater director and writer Stéphanie Cléau. From 2019 - 2024 he was in a long-term relationship with Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan. He supports the Girondins de Bordeaux football club.

Filmography

As actor

As filmmaker

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amalric, Mathieu 1965 births Living people Jewish French male actors Male actors from Neuilly-sur-Seine French Ashkenazi Jews French people of Polish-Jewish descent Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners Most Promising Actor César Award winners Best Actor César Award winners Best Actor Lumières Award winners French film directors French male screenwriters French screenwriters French male film actors French male television actors 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors French film producers French male stage actors French-language film directors