Pierre Niney (; born 13 March 1989) is a French actor. He made his acting debut in the two-part miniseries ''La dame d'Izieu'' in 2007, followed by films such as '' LOL (Laughing Out Loud)'' (2008), '' The Army of Crime'' (2009), '' Romantics Anonymous'' (2010) and '' Just Like Brothers'' (2012). In 2014, Niney starred as fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in a

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

, for which he won a

César Award for Best Actor This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actor (). History Superlatives Winners 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nominations The following individuals received two or more Best ...

. He also co-created, co-wrote and starred in

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's '' Fiasco'' (2024), and was

Edmond Dantès Edmond Dantès () is a title character, Byronic hero and the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 adventure novel ''The Count of Monte Cristo''. Within the story's narrative, Dantès is an intelligent, honest and loving man who turns bitter and ...

in ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...

'' (2024).

Early life

Niney was born in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

, France. His family is of

Sephardic Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

( Turkish-Jewish) and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

background. His father, , is a film professor at Normale Sup, La Fémis and

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

. His mother was born in Belgium and is an author of creative leisure manuals.

Career

Niney studied at the French drama school

Cours Florent The Cours Florent is a private drama school in Paris, France, established in 1967 by French theater actor François Florent. The school's facilities are located on three sites in the 19th arrondissement of Paris: Rue Archereau, Rue Mathis, and ...

in 2007. He made his acting debut in the two-part television miniseries ''La dame d'Izieu'' in 2007, followed by films such as '' LOL (Laughing Out Loud)'', '' The Army of Crime'', '' Romantics Anonymous'' and ''Comme des frères''. In October 2010, at age 21, Niney became the youngest member of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

. In 2014, Niney starred as fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the biopic of the same name directed by

Jalil Lespert Jalil Lespert (born 11 May 1976) is a French actor, screenwriter and director. He has been described as "one of the best actors of his generation." Early life and education Lespert was born in Paris to a Pied-Noir, ''pied-noir'' father, actor J ...

, for which he won a

. This role marked his first portrayal of an openly gay character and earned him widespread critical acclaim. In 2024, Niney portrayed

in the film ''

'', and also starred in '' Fiasco'', a 7-episode comedy miniseries that he co-created and co-wrote with Igor Gotesman for

. Late that year it was announced that Niney will be re-collaborating with the team from ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' for an ambitious new adaptation of ''

Maurice Druon Maurice Druon (; 23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999. Life and career Born in Paris, France, Druon was the ...

’s The Accursed Kings'' novels. The series takes place during the 14th century succession crisis among the Capetian dynasty but Niney’s role was not disclosed upon announcement.

Personal life

Since 2008, Niney has been in a relationship with Australian actress and photographer Natasha Andrews, with whom he has two daughters, born in 2017 and 2019.

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Niney, Pierre 1989 births 21st-century French male actors Cours Florent alumni French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni French male film actors French male stage actors French male television actors Living people Male actors from Boulogne-Billancourt Troupe of the Comédie-Française Best Actor César Award winners French people of Egyptian-Jewish descent 21st-century French Sephardi Jews 21st-century Mizrahi Jews