Jean Dujardin

Jean Dujardin

Born 19 June 1972
Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Occupation
  • Actor
  • film director
  • producer
  • comedian
Years active 1996–present
Spouse(s)

Gaëlle (m. -2003)

Alexandra Lamy (m. 2009–13)
Children 2

Jean Dujardin (French: [ʒɑ̃ dy.ʒaʁ.dɛ̃]; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor, director, producer and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before starting his acting career guest-starring in comedic television programs and films. He starred in Michel Hazanavicius's OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies and its sequel OSS 117: Lost in Rio as secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath. He also starred in 99F (99 francs).

Dujardin garnered international fame and widespread acclaim with his performance of George Valentin in the 2011 award-winning silent movie The Artist. The role won him numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor. He became the first French actor in history to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Following his breakthrough success, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's 2013 black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street and George Clooney's 2014 historical drama The Monuments Men.

Early life

Jean Dujardin was born on 19 June 1972 and raised in Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France region), a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France.[1] After attending high school, he went to work for the construction company of his father, Jacques Dujardin.[2][3] Dujardin began contemplating a career in acting while serving his mandatory military service a few years later.[2]

Career

Jean Dujardin in 2014

Dujardin began his acting career performing a one-man show he wrote in various bars and cabarets in Paris.[2] He first gained attention when he appeared on the French talent show Graines de star in 1996 as part of the comedy group Nous C Nous, which was formed by members of the Carré blanc theater.

From 1999 to 2003, Dujardin starred in the France production of the originally Canadian comedy series Un gars, une fille, alongside his future wife Alexandra Lamy, before transitioning to a career in film. The TV series charted the path of a relationship; each episode was less than ten minutes long. In 2005, he portrayed the titular surfer in the popular comedic film Brice de Nice and performed on its accompanying soundtrack.

In 2006, Dujardin starred as racist, sexist secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath in the comedy OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, a role which earned him an Etoile D'Or Award and a César Award nomination for Best Actor. The film's success spawned a sequel, OSS 117: Lost in Rio. In 2007, directed by Jan Kounen, he starred in the film 99F (99 francs), a very successful existential parody of an advertising exec, adapted from the eponymous best-seller written by Frédéric Beigbeder. This same year, he ventured in drama for the first time on the silver screen, playing a tortured father and cop in Franck Mancuso's Contre-enquête. In 2009, he appeared in A Man and His Dog alongside screen legend Jean-Paul Belmondo, with whom he has often been compared. In 2010, he starred alongside Albert Dupontel, playing his character's cancer in The Clink of Ice, a French black comedy written and directed by Bertrand Blier.

In 2011, Dujardin starred as movie star George Valentin in the silent film The Artist, reuniting him with OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies director Michel Hazanavicius and his co-star in that film, Bérénice Bejo. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where he received the Best Actor Award.[4] His performance garnered much critical acclaim and he received numerous nominations, including the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor and the Screen Actors Guild for Best Actor. On 15 January 2012, Dujardin won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.[5] He later went on to win the Screen Actors Guild for Best Actor, and the BAFTA for Best Actor. He was also nominated for the César award of the best actor but lost it to Omar Sy for his role in the second most ever viewed movie in France Intouchables. Dujardin went on to win the Best Actor award at the 84th Academy Awards.[6] In effect he is the fourth French actor to be nominated for an Oscar and the first to win the Best Actor.[7] He has been described as France's answer to George Clooney.[8] Following his Oscar nomination for his role in The Artist, WME agency signed the actor.[9]

French film historian Tim Palmer has analyzed Dujardin's career and rise to success in France, noting how his formative roles were often unredeemable buffoons, very skilful portrayals of childlike men who aggressively and unabashedly reject the responsibilities and compromises of adult life. Dujardin's breakthrough roles as Brice de Nice and OSS 117 exemplified this tendency.[10]

In February 2012, Dujardin appeared in Les Infidèles with co-star and friend Gilles Lellouche. He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2012 along with 175 other individuals.[11] In 2013, Dujardin starred in Éric Rochant's Möbius with Cécile de France and Tim Roth.[12] His second film of the year was Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, playing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Kyle Chandler, among others.[13] He appeared in The Monuments Men, directed by George Clooney, and co-starring Clooney, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett,[14] and will star in the French film Le Petit Joueur.[15]

In late 2014, Dujardin's next film, La French, will be released in Europe and subsequently in the United States in early 2015. Dujardin plays a French police magistrate who tries to dismantle the French Connection and bring down the Unione Corse.

Personal life

Dujardin has been married two times and has two children. His first marriage, to Gaëlle, ended in 2003. They have two sons, Simon, born in 2000 and Jules, born in 2001. In 2003, he started dating his on-screen partner Alexandra Lamy of the comedy series Un gars, une fille. They married in Anduze in the Gard department in southern France, on 25 July 2009. In November 2013, it was announced that he and Alexandra had separated.[16] In 2014, he started dating the French ice dancer Nathalie Péchalat.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Director Notes
2002 À l'abri des regards indiscrets Jean-Luc Ruben Alves
Hugo Gélin
Short
If I Were a Rich Man Weston the seller Gérard Bitton
Michel Munz
2003 Toutes les filles sont folles Lorenzi Pascale Pouzadoux
Bienvenue chez les Rozes Mathieu Gamelin/MG Francis Palluau
Les Clefs de bagnole Himself Laurent Baffie
2004 Cash Truck Jacques Nicolas Boukhrief
Mariages ! Alex Valérie Guignabodet
Les Dalton Cowboy Philippe Haïm
Rien de grave The travelling salesman Renaud Philipps Short
2005 La vie de Michel Muller est plus belle que la vôtre Himself Michel Muller
Brice de Nice Brice of Nice/Brice Agostini James Huth Also co-writer
NRJ Ciné Award for Best Look
NRJ Ciné Award for Best Quote
L'Amour aux trousses Franck Philippe de Chauveron
Il ne faut jurer de rien ! Valentin Eric Civanyan
2006 OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath/OSS 117 Michel Hazanavicius Étoile d'Or Award for Best Actor
Nominated—César Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Globe de Cristal for Best Actor[17]
Nominated—NRJ Ciné Award for Actor of the Year
Nominated—NRJ Ciné Award for Best Look
Nominated—NRJ Ciné Award for Best Kiss
Nominated—NRJ Ciné Award for Best Quote[18]
Nominated—Raimu Award for Comedy[19]
2007 Contre-enquête Richard Malinowski Franck Mancuso
Hellphone The warrior of the cellar James Huth
Deux sur la balançoire Jerry Ryan Yves Di Tullio
Bernard Murat
TV Movie
Cherche fiancé tous frais payés The host club Aline Issermann
99 Francs Octave Parango Jan Kounen Raimu Award for Comedy[19]
Nominated—Étoile d'Or Award for Best Actor
2008 Ca$h Cash Éric Besnard
2009 A Man and His Dog The Worker Francis Huster
OSS 117: Lost in Rio Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath/OSS 117 Michel Hazanavicius Nominated—Globe de Cristal for Best Actor[17]
Lucky Luke Lucky Luke James Huth Also co-writer
2010 Little White Lies Ludo Guillaume Canet
The Clink of Ice Charles Faulque Bertrand Blier
Un balcon sur la mer Marc Palestro Nicole Garcia Swann d'Or for Best Actor[17]
2011 The Artist George Valentin Michel Hazanavicius Academy Award for Best Actor
AACTA International Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award[20]
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Hollywood Film Festival Spotlight Award
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Cinema Vanguard Award
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Étoile d'Or Award for Best Actor
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screen Couple (with Bérénice Bejo)
Nominated—Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—César Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (runner-up)
Nominated—Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—European Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (second runner-up)
Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (runner-up)
Nominated—Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
2012 Les Infidèles Fred/Olivier/François/Laurent/James Emmanuelle Bercot
Jean Dujardin
Michel Hazanavicius
Jan Kounen
Gilles Lellouche
Also co-director, co-writer and co-producer
2013 Möbius Moïse Éric Rochant
The Wolf of Wall Street Jean-Jacques Saurel Martin Scorsese
9 Month Stretch Sign Language Interpreter Albert Dupontel
2014 The Monuments Men Jean-Claude Clermont George Clooney
La French Pierre Michel Cédric Jimenez

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1996–1999 Carré Blanc / Nous C Nous Various TV sketches
1997–1998 Farce Attaque Himself Also co-writer
1999–2003 Un gars, une fille Jean Lead role opposite later lover and wife Alexandra Lamy
2007 Palizzi Also creator and director
2012 Saturday Night Live George Valentin-like character Appeared in the "Les jeunes de Paris" sketch[21]
2013 Le débarquement Various TV Series (2 Episodes)
Platane Himself TV Series (1 Episode: "La fois où il a cru que le signe c'était un zodiac")

Music video

References

  1. "Jean Dujardin: Biography, Latest News & Videos". TV Guide. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Golden Globes: Jean Dujardin wins best actor in a comedy or musical". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  3. "Jean Dujardin, un gars dans les étoiles". Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  4. AFP: Jean Dujardin: one of France's most bankable stars. Google.com (22 May 2011). Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  5. Kaufman, Amy (15 January 2012). "Golden Globes: Jean Dujardin wins best actor in a comedy or musical". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  6. "The Artist Wins Big as Oscar Romances Past". Wall Street Journal. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  7. "Oscars: Live Report". AFP. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  8. Bull, Sarah (16 January 2012). "George who? The 'French Clooney' Jean Dujardin takes home a Golden Globe as he continues to wow critics with The Artist". Daily Mail (UK). Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  9. Jay A. Fernandez; Borys Kit (31 January 2012). "WME Signs 'The Artist' Actor Jean Dujardin (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  10. Palmer, Tim (2011). Brutal Intimacy: Analyzing Contemporary French Cinema, Wesleyan University Press, Middleton CT. ISBN 0-8195-6827-9.
  11. "Academy Invites 176 to Membership". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  12. Goldberg, Matt (8 November 2011). "Jean Dujardin and Cecile de France to Star in Romantic Thriller MOBIUS". Collider. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  13. Miller, Daniel (14 June 2012). "Jean Dujardin in Talks to Join Martin Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  14. "George Clooney's 'The Monuments Men' Eyeing Jean Dujardin (Exclusive)". The Wrap. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  15. "Jean Dujardin May Head Back to His Roots in 'Le Petit Joueur'". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  16. "Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin announces divorce from wife of four-years Alexandra Lamy". Daily Mail. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Jean Dujardin >récompenses et nominations". AlloCiné. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  18. "NRJ Ciné Awards 2006". AlloCiné. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Raimu de la Comédie – Palmares". Prixraimudelacomedie.fr. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  20. Chang, Justin (22 May 2011). "'Tree of Life' wins Palme d'Or". Variety. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  21. Ryan, Mike (12 February 2012). "SNL Scorecard: Zooey Deschanel Brings the Quirk". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2012.

External links

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