Olivier Martinez
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Olivier Martinez (born 12 January 1966) is a French actor. He became well known after roles in several French films such as '' Un, deux, trois, soleil'' (1993), which garnered him the César Award for "Most Promising Actor", '' The Horseman on the Roof'' (1995), and '' The Chambermaid on the Titanic'' (1997). He has also appeared in Hollywood-produced features, including the drama '' Before Night Falls'' (2000), the erotic thriller '' Unfaithful'' (2002) and playing the role of a French drug lord in the action-crime-thriller ''
S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
'' (2003).


Early life

Martinez was born in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, France, to a working-class family. His father was a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
professional boxer and his mother was a French secretary. He studied at the CNSAD and began his acting career in his native France in 1990. Martinez was raised
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.


Career

In 1994, Martinez won a César Award as "Most Promising Actor" for his role in the film '' Un, deux, trois, soleil'' (1993). This was followed by a leading role in the
Jean-Paul Rappeneau Jean-Paul Rappeneau (born 8 April 1932) is a French film director and screenwriter. Career He started out in film as an assistant and screenwriter collaborating with Louis Malle on ''Zazie dans le métro (film), Zazie dans le métro'' in 1960 a ...
period film '' The Horseman on the Roof'' (''Le Hussard sur le Toit'') in 1995 in which he starred alongside
Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
as an Italian nobleman. The film was hailed as the most expensive French film at that time in history but failed to reach its $35 million budget. In 1996/7 he appeared in
Bertrand Blier Bertrand Blier (; born 14 March 1939) is a French film director and writer. His 1978 film '' Get Out Your Handkerchiefs'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards. He is the son of famous French actor Bern ...
's romantic comedy '' My Man'' (''Mon Homme'') alongside
Anouk Grinberg Anouk Grinberg (born 20 March 1963) is a French actress. She is the daughter of Michel Vinaver, born Michel Grinberg, a French writer and dramatist, and the great-granddaughter of the pre-1917 Russian politician Maxim Vinaver. She has appeared ...
,
Gérard Lanvin Gérard Lanvin (; born 21 June 1950) is a César Award-winning French actor. He quit his studies when he was 17 to become an actor. He took on a role in '' Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine'' in 1977 on an offer from the actor Coluche. H ...
, and
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, also written Bruni-Tedeschi (; born 16 November 1964), is an Italian-French actress, screenwriter and film director. Her 2013 film, '' A Castle in Italy,'' was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festiva ...
. Later in 1997 he played a leading role in
Bigas Luna José Juan Bigas Luna (19 March 1946 – 5 April 2013) was a Spanish film director, designer and artist. His films are typically characterised by a strong emphasis on the erotic, often related to food, something for which he admitted a strong pa ...
's drama '' The Chambermaid on the Titanic'' (''La Femme de chambre du Titanic'') alongside
Romane Bohringer Romane Bohringer (; born 14 August 1973) is a French actress, film director, screenwriter, and costume designer. She is the daughter of Richard Bohringer and sister of Lou Bohringer. Her parents named her after Roman Polanski. She won the Cé ...
, set during the time of the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...
''s sinking voyage in 1912. Martinez portrays a French foundry worker who wins a strongman contest and the prize of a trip to view the departing maiden voyage of the ill-fated Titanic. The film was well-received; Mick LaSalle of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
'' praised what he felt was a rare honest portrayal of male sexuality by Martinez. Martinez first came to mainstream attention in Hollywood films with his performance in
Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings" — with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been ...
's '' Before Night Falls'' (2000) opposite
Javier Bardem Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (; born 1 March 1969) is a Spanish actor. Known for his roles in blockbusters and foreign films, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the psychopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in ...
and Johnny Depp. The screenplay is based on the autobiography of the same name of
Reinaldo Arenas Reinaldo Arenas (July 16, 1943 – December 7, 1990) was a Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright known as a vocal critic of Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolution, and the Cuban government. His memoir of the Cuban dissident movement and of being a ...
, which was published in English in 1993. The film was highly critically acclaimed, although Martinez's performance was overshadowed by that of Bardem in the eyes of critics. He was later noted for his performance opposite
Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film '' A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to st ...
in '' Unfaithful'' (2002). He has since appeared in a television adaptation of '' The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone'' (2003), ''
S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
'' (2003) and '' Taking Lives'' (2004). He also starred as Gabriel in the 2007 movie adaptation of '' Blood and Chocolate'', a popular book. Martinez plays Mauritius, prefect of
Mamertine Prison The Mamertine Prison ( it, Carcere Mamertino), in antiquity the Tullianum, was a prison (''carcer'') with a dungeon (''oubliette'') located in the Comitium in ancient Rome. It is said to have been built in the 7th century BC and was situated on ...
in '' Paul, Apostle of Christ'' (2017).


Personal life

Martinez began a relationship with Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue after meeting her at the 2003 Grammy Awards ceremony. They ended their relationship in February 2007. Martinez began dating American actress Halle Berry in 2010 after meeting on the set of the action thriller film ''
Dark Tide ''Dark Tide'' is a 2012 American action horror thriller film directed by John Stockwell, produced by Jeanette Buerling (aka Jeanette B. Milio) and Matthew E. Chausse and written by Ronnie Christensen and Amy Sorlie. The film is based on a story ...
'' (2012). They confirmed their engagement in March 2012. On 22 November 2012, Martinez was treated at a
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
hospital after being injured in a physical altercation with
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
model
Gabriel Aubry Gabriel Aubry (born August 30, 1976)Date of birth formerly given as January 4, 1976. is a Canadian model. Early life Born in Montreal, Quebec, to French-Canadian parents, Aubry is one of nine siblings. Modeling career He has modeled for Tommy ...
, Berry's former partner and father of her daughter. Aubry and Berry had been involved in a
custody battle Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...
centered on Berry's desire to move with their daughter and Martinez to his native France, a request denied by a judge less than two weeks prior to the altercation, on the grounds that it would interfere with Berry and Aubry's
joint custody Joint custody is a form of child custody pursuant to which custody rights are awarded to both parents. Joint custody may refer to ''joint physical custody'', ''joint legal custody'', or both combined. In joint legal custody, both parents of a ...
arrangement. The custody dispute was resolved at the end of November. Berry and Martinez married in a private ceremony in France on 13 July 2013. Their son was born in October 2013 in Los Angeles. They announced their divorce in 2015, and it was reported to have been finalized in December 2016. However, as of November 2020, the case is ongoing. Apart from his native French, he is also fluent in
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, due to his
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
n and
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...
n heritage, and English.Acceso Total - Olivier Martinez
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Filmography


Film


Television


Awards


References


External links

*
"Olivier!"
Cinetropic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Olivier 1966 births Living people Most Promising Actor César Award winners French male film actors French Roman Catholics Male actors from Paris French people of Spanish descent French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni