Eriq Ebouaney (born 3 October 1967) is a French actor. He is best known for his portrayal as the Congolese Prime Minister

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

in the 2000 film '' Lumumba'', as "Blacktie" in

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...

's ''

Femme Fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

'' and as "Ice" in the 2008 action film '' Transporter 3'' in which he starred opposite Jason Statham. Recently, Eriq appeared in the 2025 Indian-

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

film ''L2: Empuraan'', playing the role of Kabuga.

Early life

Ebouaney was born in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, France, the son of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

ian immigrants. As a child he didn't show an interest in acting and was set on becoming a businessman. However, at the age of 30, he joined a theatre company and left his job as a sales manager to become a professional actor.

Career

He made his film debut in 1996 in the

Cédric Klapisch Cédric Klapisch ( ; born 4 September 1961) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Klapisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to ...

directed film '' Chacun cherche son chat''. He landed a leading role in the 2000 film Lumumba in which he portrayed Prime Minister

. The film was shot in

Beira, Mozambique Beira () is the capital and largest List of cities in Mozambique, city of Sofala Province, in the central region of Mozambique. Beira is where the Pungwe River meets the Indian Ocean. It is the fourth-largest city by population in Mozambique, af ...

. In 2002, he starred in

's ''

'' alongside

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

. In 2004, he played the character of Jean Claude in Mark Bamford's debut feature ''

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

''. In 2005 he starred in the award-winning

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

film, '' Kingdom of Heaven'', in which he starred alongside

Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage roles in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1992), ''Don't Fool wi ...

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series (2001–03). He reprised his r ...

, David Thewlis, Martin Hancock and

Nathalie Cox Nathalie Claire Cox (born 1 September 1978) is a British actress and Model (person), model. She is best known for her role as Juno Eclipse in the video game ''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' and its Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, sequel, as ...

. In 2006, he starred in '' The Front Line'' and La piste. In 2008, he played a supporting role in the critically acclaimed Australian film '' Disgrace'' featuring American actor

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

, a small role in the Italian film '' Bianco e nero'' and later was cast as "Ice" in '' Transporter 3'', featuring

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

actor Jason Statham.

Filmography

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebouaney, Eriq 1967 births Cameroonian emigrants to France Living people Black French male actors French male film actors French people of Cameroonian descent Male actors from Paris Cameroonian male actors 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors Actors from Angers Male actors from Pays de la Loire