Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

together with Belgian actor Pascal Duquenne. He is also the winner of two César Awards for Best Actor, one in 1987 as Ugolin Soubeyran in '' Jean de Florette'' and '' Manon des Sources'' and one for his role in '' Girl on the Bridge''. For his role in '' Jean de Florette'' he also won the

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Auteuil is considered one of France's most respected actors.

Early life

Daniel Auteuil was born on 24 January 1950 in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, the son of opera singers. He grew up in

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

and Nancy,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He began his acting career in musical comedy and made his film debut in 1972. At age 16, thanks to André Benedetto, who led a company in

, Auteuil began stage acting in Chekhov's '' La Demande en mariage''.. To please his parents he began studies in topography, and he worked in a nightclub cloakroom on Saturday nights to earn money. In 1969, after attending high school in Avignon, he went to Paris with his friend Roger Miremont. He enrolled in a theatre course taught by Cours Florent. Despite several attempts, he was never accepted to the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique.

Career

In 1970, he made his debut in théâtre national populaire in ''Early Morning''. In 1972 and 1973 he appeared in the American musical '' Godspell''. Partnered with Edwige Feuillère's theatre (''La folle de Chaillot'') and Maria Pacôme's theatre (''Apprends-moi, Céline''), he co-starred with François Périer in ''Coup de chapeau'', which earned him the 1979 Gérard Philipe prize for the best actor in Parisian theatre of the year. He then appeared in ''Le Garçon d'appartement'', which

Gérard Lauzier Gérard Lauzier (30 November 1932 – 6 December 2008) was a French comics author and movie director, best known as one of the leading authors in the more adult-oriented Franco-Belgian comics, French comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Biography ...

adapted for the cinema in 1982 as ''T'empêches tout le monde de dormir''. In 1974, Auteuil made his debut on television under the direction of Marcel Jullian in the series ''Les Fargeot'' before continuing next to Rellys, Jackie Sardou and

Fernand Sardou Fernand Sardou (18 September 1910 – 31 January 1976La Gloire de Pagnol
p. 235.) was a French singer an ...

in ''Adieu Amélie'' by Jean-Paul Carrère. In 1977, he played the detective Camaret in the six-episode series ''Rendez-vous en noir'', based on the novel by

William Irish Cornell George Hopley Woolrich ( ; December 4, 1903 – September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich th ...

. In 1975, Gérard Pirès offered Auteuil the lead role in ''L'Agression'' with Catherine Deneuve and

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-World War II, war era. He starred in m ...

. Auteuil's starring role in the

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

film '' Jean de Florette'' (1986) and its sequel '' Manon des Sources'' (1986) brought him international recognition. Auteuil has since become one of the best-known, best-paid and most popular actors in France. Through his appearances in films including the swashbuckler '' Le bossu'' (1997), the

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

'' The Closet'' (2001), the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

'' After You...'' (2003), the thriller '' Caché'' (2005) and the

'' My Best Friend'' (2006), he has since gained greater international recognition. In 2013, Auteuil was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place from 15 to 26 May 2013. American filmmaker Steven Spielberg was the Jury President for the main competition. French actress Audrey Tautou hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. The French film ''Blu ...

Personal life

Auteuil has two daughters: Aurore Auteuil with his former partner, Anne Jousset, and Nelly from a ten-year relationship with actress Emmanuelle Béart, his co-star in the films '' A Heart in Winter'' and '' Manon des Sources'' (1986). He married Aude Ambroggi, a Corsican sculptor born in 1977, on 22 July 2006 in Porto-Vecchio,

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

Selected filmography

As actor

As filmmaker

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Auteuil, Daniel 1950 births 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors Pieds-noirs Cours Florent alumni Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners Best Actor César Award winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners David di Donatello winners European Film Award for Best Actor winners Best Actor Lumières Award winners French male film actors French male stage actors French male television actors Living people People from Algiers Male actors of Algerian descent