Guillaume Canet (; born 10 April 1973) is a French actor, film director and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, and show jumper. Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film. He starred in several films like '' Joyeux Noël'', '' Love Me If You Dare'' and '' The Beach''. In 2006, he turned to writing and directing with '' Tell No One'' and won a César Award for Best Director.

Early life and career

Guillaume Canet 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 ...

on 10 April 1973 to a family of horse breeders. Canet intended to become a show jumper and was a member of the junior French National Equestrian Team. However, after a fall from his horse at age 18 he turned to acting and enrolled in the Cours Florent drama school. In 1994, he appeared in the Théâtre Hébertot production of '' La Ville dont le prince est un enfant'' with Christophe Malavoy. After working in various television shows and commercials, Canet made his film debut in the short film ''Fils unique''. In 1997, he appeared in the thriller film ''Barracuda'' for which he won a prix d'interprétation (best actor award) at the Festival

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; ,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eu ...

in 1999. The same year he was nominated for a César Award for his role as Vincent Mazet in the comedy film ''En plein cœur''. He then traveled abroad to film

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

's '' The Beach''. After completing ''The Beach'', Canet starred opposite

Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...

in ''La fidélité'' and in Jerry Schatzberg's '' The Day the Ponies Come Back''. In 2002, Canet starred with Gérard Depardieu in the science fiction film '' Vidocq''. He also directed and wrote his first feature film the same year, '' Mon Idole'', which also starred his wife Diane Kruger. In 2003, he appeared opposite Marion Cotillard in

Yann Samuell Yann Samuell (born 7 June 1975) is a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Samuell went to film school and was a storyboard artist before becoming a director. He had his directing debut in 2003 with ''Love Me If You Dare (film), ...

's '' Love Me If You Dare'' which became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

. Canet next appeared in the international production '' Joyeux Noël'' which tells the story of the World War I Christmas cease fire. The film—which also featured Kruger—was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. Canet released his second feature film in 2006, ''Tell No One'', an adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel of the same name. ''Tell No One'' was the ninth top grossing French film of 2006 and went on to win four César awards, including a César Award for Best Director for Canet. His film '' Blood Ties'' was selected to be screened Out of Competition 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

In 1999, he started a relationship with German-born model and actress Diane Kruger. They were married on 1 September 2001. In January 2006, Canet and Kruger filed for divorce. Kruger later said that the marriage was not successful because their careers had kept them occupied in different parts of the world. After his divorce, Canet started a relationship with Italian model

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; ; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the List of spouses or partners of the president of France, first lady of Fran ...

that was widely reported by the French media, and later he was in a relationship with French actress Élodie Navarre. Canet has been in a relationship with French actress Marion Cotillard since October 2007. They had known each other since 1997, and years later starred together in the 2003 film '' Love Me If You Dare''. They later co-starred in the 2009 film '' The Last Flight''. The couple has attracted considerable attention from the French media, but for a long time they did not discuss their relationship and did not appear together on a red carpet event until 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 ...

in 2009. Canet and Cotillard have two children together, a son, born on 19 May 2011, and a daughter, born in 2017. Canet and Cotillard are not married. Though since 2010 Cotillard has been spotted wearing a diamond solitaire on her left hand – a present from Canet – they are not engaged either. In 2014, Cotillard denied being married to Canet, instead referring to him as "my boyfriend" in interviews. Canet lives in Paris with Cotillard and their children. In July 2012, paparazzo Jean-Claude Elfassi accused Canet of violence during an altercation as Canet and Cotillard arrived home from the hospital maternity ward with their newborn son in May 2011. According to the photographer, Canet left his house with an iron bar and threatened him before police stepped in. Elfassi's son filmed the actor with his cell phone and while Canet made sure the footage was erased from the web, photos were published on French magazine Entrevue. Elfassi and his son attempted to sue the actor for "violence" and "theft" and their case was not only dismissed, but Elfassi faces charges for "false accusation" and could spend nine months in jail. Canet is an accomplished show jumper and between 2012 and 2017 participated in 623 competitions, winning 33 of them and taking nearly €67,000 in prize money. He was notably placed in competitions at international shows in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

La Baule La Baule-Escoublac (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Écoubiâ'', , ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a communes of France, commune in Loire-Atlantique, a departments of France, department in Pays de la Loire, western France. History Seaside re ...

and Chantilly Jumping.

Filmography

As actor

* 1995 : ''Fils unique'', directed by Philippe Landoulsi (short-film) * 1997 : ''Barracuda'', directed by Philippe Haïm, prix d'interprétation au Festival de Saint-Jean-de-Luz * 1998 : ''Sentimental Education'', directed by C. S. Leigh * 1998 : ''Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train'', directed by

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; ; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ''I ...

* 1998 : ''En plein cœur'', directed by

Pierre Jolivet Pierre Jolivet (; born 9 October 1952) is a French director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. His film ''Zim and Co.'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and his film ''The Night Watchman (2015 film) ...

, adapted from the novel by

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...

, ''En cas de malheur'' * 1999 : ''Trait d'union'', directed by Bruno García (short-film) * 1999 : ''Je règle mon pas sur le pas de mon père'', directed by Rémi Waterhouse * 2000 : ''J'peux pas dormir...'', directed by Guillaume Canet ( short-film) * 2000 : '' The Beach'' (''La Plage''), directed by

* 2000 : ''

Fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of '' fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word , meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London financial m ...

'' (''La Fidélité''), directed by

Andrzej Żuławski Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director and writer best known for his 1981 psychological horror film ''Possession (1981 film), Possession''. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in ...

* 2000 : '' The Day the Ponies Come Back'', directed by Jerry Schatzberg * 2001 : ', directed by Antoine de Caunes * 2001 : '' Vidocq'', directed by Pitof * 2002 : ''Le Frère du guerrier'', directed by

* 2002 : ''Mille millièmes'', directed by Rémi Waterhouse * 2002 : '' Mon Idole'', directed by Guillaume Canet * 2003 : '' Love Me If You Dare'' (''Jeux d'enfants''), directed by

* 2003 : ''Les Clefs de bagnole'', directed by Laurent Baffie (only a cameo, as himself) * 2004 : '' Narco'', directed by Tristan Aurouet and Gilles Lellouche * 2005 : '' Joyeux Noël'', directed by Christian Carion * 2005 : ''

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

'' (''L'Enfer''), directed by Danis Tanović * 2005 : ''Un ticket pour l'espace'', directed by Éric Lartigau * 2006 : '' Tell No One'' (''Ne le dis à personne''), directed by Guillaume Canet * 2006 : ''

Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

'' (French voice of Flash McQueen) * 2007 : '' Ensemble, c'est tout'', directed by Claude Berri * 2007 : ''Darling'', directed by Christine Carrière * 2007 : '' La clef'', directed by Guillaume Nicloux * 2008 : ''

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

'', directed by Jacques Maillot * 2008 : ''Voyage d'affaires'', directed by Sean Ellis * 2009 : ''Espion(s)'', directed by Nicolas Saada * 2009 : '' L'affaire Farewell'', directed by Christian Carion * 2009 : '' The Last Flight'', directed by Karim Dridi * 2010 : '' Last Night'', directed by Massy Tadjedin * 2011 : ''

Une vie meilleure ''Une vie meilleure'', also known by its English release title ''A Better Life'', is a 2011 France, French film directed by Cédric Kahn and starring Guillaume Canet, Leïla Bekhti and introducing Slimane Khettabi. Plot Yann (Guillaume Canet) and ...

'', directed by

Cédric Kahn Cédric Kahn (; born 17 June 1966) is a French screenwriter, film director and actor. Career His films include ''L'Ennui'' (1998), based on the Alberto Moravia novel ''Boredom'', and ''Red Lights (2004 film), Red Lights'' (2004), based on the Geor ...

* 2011 : '' La nouvelle guerre des boutons'', L'instituteur * 2012 : '' The Players'', Thibault * 2013 : '' Jappeloup'' as Pierre Durand, Jr. * 2013 : '' Turning Tide'' as Frank Drevil * 2014 : '' In the Name of My Daughter'' as Maurice Agnelet * 2014 : '' Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart'' as Franck * 2015 : '' The Program'' as Michele Ferrari * 2015 : '' Minions'' as Herb Overkill * 2016 : '' Arctic Heart'' as Quignard * 2016 : '' Cézanne and I'' as

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

* 2016 : '' The Siege of Jadotville'' as Rene Faulques * 2017 : '' Mon garçon'' as Julien * 2017 : '' Rock'n Roll'' as Guillaume Canet * 2018 : '' Sink or Swim'' * 2018 : ''

Non-Fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...

'' * 2018: '' Paris Pigalle'' * 2019 : '' La Belle Époque'' * 2019 : '' In the Name of the Land'' * 2021 : ''Lui'' * 2023 : '' Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom'', directed by Guillaume Canet * 2023 : ''

Acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

'' * 2023 : '' Out of Season'' * 2024: '' The Flood'' * 2025: '' Ad Vitam''

As director

Frequent casting

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canet, Guillaume 1973 births Living people Best Director César Award winners Male actors from Boulogne-Billancourt French male film actors French male television actors French film directors 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors Cours Florent alumni French-language film directors English-language film directors French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters 21st-century French screenwriters French film producers French show jumping riders