France's rich and captivating cinema history has given birth to a plethora of extraordinary actors and actresses, each contributing to the cultural tapestry of French cinema.
The country has nurtured and showcased incredible talent from the early days of silent films to the revolutionary New Wave cinema and the vibrant contemporary French cinema. Here, we present 15 of France's most iconic film actors, inviting you to explore French cinema in its original language with the help of Superprof, a platform that connects learners with experienced tutors.
Louis de Funès (1914-1983)
Louis de Funès was born on 31 July 1914 in Courbevoie, just northwest of Paris, to Spanish parents who had eloped to France at the start of the century.
His career started in the theatre, but as an actor in films, he was most famous for films like "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob" (1973), "La Grande Vadrouille" (1966), and "The Gendarme of Saint-Tropez" (1964).
He was a hilarious actor famed for his energetic and expressive comedic performances in France and many countries worldwide.
Learn to speak this beautiful language yourself with French classes Sydney here on Superprof.
Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-2021)
Jean-Paul Belmondo, a man of many talents, was born on 9 April 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, one of France's wealthiest residential areas. Technically outside of Paris, it borders Paris' 16th and 17th arrondissement.
Belmondo was famous for movies like "Breathless" (1960), "Pierrot le Fou" (1965), and "The Professional" (1981).
Before becoming an actor, Belmondo was interested in becoming a boxer. If his boxing was anywhere near as good as his acting, he'd have been a champ!
Sadly, Jean-Paul Belmondo is no longer with us. The legendary actor died in 2021, aged 88, following a long and impressive acting career.
Alain Delon (1935- )
The French actor Alain Delon, a true icon of the silver screen, was born on 8 November 1935 in Sceaux, southwest of Paris.
A highly decorated actor, he was most active during the 1960s and 1970s, but his profound influence on the acting world spans several decades.
Delon's most famous films include "Purple Noon" (1960), "The Leopard" (1963), and "Le Samouraï" (1967).
After Sean Connery, Alain Delon was offered the role of James Bond in 1979, and we could have seen a French James Bond in the 1980s.
Jean-Pierre Léaud (1944- )
The French actor Jean-Pierre Léaud was famous for movies like "Stolen Kisses" (1968), "Day for Night" (1973) and most notably "The 400 Blows" (1959), which is often considered one of the Best French films ever.
He's probably most famous for playing Antoine Doinel in the semi-autobiographical series of films by one of the legendary French New Wave directors François Truffaut.
At the time, he was just 14.
Throughout his career, he's won several awards, including the Silver Bear for Best Actor in the film Masculin Féminin (1966) at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Jean Reno (1948- )
Jean Reno is another French actor recognised in the English-speaking world. Jean Reno was born in Morocco to Spanish parents who'd moved there to escape Francoist Spain.
Jean Reno adopted the French version of his name once he started getting acting jobs in France.
He's most famous for films like "Léon: The Professional" (1994), "The Big Blue" (1988), and "The Da Vinci Code" (2006).
Reno speaks fluent French, Spanish, Italian, and English.
Gérard Depardieu (1948- )
For most people in the English-speaking world, Gérard Depardieu is one of the most famous French actors, if not the most famous.
Depardieu was born on 27 December 1948 in Châteauroux in central France.
With over 250 acting credits and a career that started in the late 1960s, we could name plenty of different films Depardieu starred in.
However, his most famous films include "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1990), "The Last Metro" (1980), "Green Card" (1990).
Depardieu has been nominated 17 times for France's César Award and won it twice.
Fabrice Luchini (1951- )
The French actor Fabrice Luchini was born in Paris' 9th Arrondissement on 1 November 1951.
He's most famous for the films "The Women on the 6th Floor" (2010), "In the House" (2012), and "Gemma Bovery" (2014).
He's also a huge fan of French literature, a successful actor on stage, and has appeared in many TV series.
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Vincent Cassel (1966- )
Born on 23 November 1966 in Paris, Vincent Cassel is a French actor famous for French and English-language films.
His most famous French film is likely 1995's "La Haine", but he also starred in "Ocean's Twelve" (2004) and "Black Swan" (2010).
Vincent Cassel often performs his own stunts, and he performed the acrobatic moves from Ocean's Twelve himself.
He was married to Monica Bellucci for over a decade.
Jean Dujardin (1971- )
Jean Dujardin was born on 19 June 1972 in Rueil-Malmaison, France, to the west of Paris.
Dujardin was the first French actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2011 film “The Artist”.
In addition to “The Artist”, Dujardin is probably most famous for appearing in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) and “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” (2006).
He was initially famous for appearing in the comedy TV show "Un gars, une fille" with his then-partner.
Guillaume Canet (1973- )
Guillaume Canet was born in the wealthy Boulogne-Billancourt commune to the west of Paris on 10 April 1973.
His most famous films include “Love Me If You Dare” (2003), "The Beach" (2000), and "Little White Lies" (2010), though he's also a successful director.
He directed the film "Tell No One" (2006) and won a César Award for Best Director.
He married the German actress Diane Kruger for 5 years but has been with one of France's greatest actresses, Marion Cotillard, since 2007.
Romain Duris (1974- )
Romain Duris was born on 28 May 1974 in Paris. He's most famous for appearing in the Spanish Apartment trilogy, which includes L'Auberge Espagnole (2002), Russian Dolls (2005), and Chinese Puzzle (2013). The first of these films is quintessential for ERASMUS and foreign exchange students in Europe.
L'Auberge Espagnole was released as “The Spanish Apartment” in Australia.
He's also famous for films like "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (2005) and "Heartbreaker" (2010).
Before becoming an actor, Duris was in art and design.
Omar Sy (1978- )
Omar Sy was born on 20 January 1978, in Trappes, north of Paris.
He's most famous for films like "The Intouchables" (2011), "Jurassic World" (2015), and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014).
He was the first black actor to win the César Award for Best Actor in "The Intouchables".
He also appears in the Netflix series Lupin, where he plays the main character who takes after the fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin from the French series of novels.
Tahar Rahim (1981- )
Tahar Rahim was born on 4 July 1981 in Belfort in northeastern France.
He's most famous for "A Prophet" (2009), "The Past" (2013), and "The Mauritanian" (2021), learning the Corsican language for his role in "A Prophet".
TV viewers may recognise him as the murderer Charles Sobhraj from The Serpent.
Louis Garrel (1983- )
Louis Garrel was born on 14 June 1983 in Paris.
His most famous films include "The Dreamers" (2003), "Love Songs" (2007), and "Little Women" (2019), the latter directed by Greta Gerwig.
His entire family are in the film industry. His father, Philippe Garrel, is a director, and his mother, Brigitte Sy, is an actress.
Gaspard Ulliel (1984-2022)
Gaspard Ulliel is another French actor from Neuilly-sur-Seine. Ulliel was born on 25 November 1984.
Famous for his appearances in films such as "Hannibal Rising" (2007), "Saint Laurent" (2014), and "It's Only the End of the World" (2016).
In 2015, he received his first César nomination for Best Actor for his role in "Saint Laurent." Two years later, he won the award for his portrayal of a terminally ill playwright in "It's Only the End of the World" (2016). That same year, France honoured him as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Sadly, Ulliel, died on 19 January 2022 in a skiing accident.
Learn French with a Private Tutor on Superprof
While many of these great actors have performed in English-language roles, many of their most outstanding performances have been in French.
Naturally, the best way to enjoy French cinema is in the original language. While you can undoubtedly watch dubbed versions or with subtitles thanks to online streaming platforms like Netflix, the original versions are always the best.
Don't worry if you need to speak more French to understand these films. With the help of a dedicated French tutor, you might be surprised how quickly you can learn a foreign language.
Search for "French" on the Superprof website, and you can start browsing the profiles of local and online private tutors. You can see what they teach, how much they charge, and what their other students think of them.
While face-to-face tutoring is better for hands-on subjects and skills, you can learn almost as effectively from online tutoring. When it comes to learning languages, it helps to look for private tutors who speak the language natively, which could include tutors from the same places as some of these incredible actors.
Many tutors offer their first session for free, so you can try a few out before picking one that's right for you and how you like to learn.
Start your search for a French tutor and enroll in a French course on Superprof today!
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Verrry good. Yayy popossps
Who is Marion Cotillard?
Hi! We have an article focused on famous French actresses right here: https://www.superprof.com.au/blog/famous-french-actresses/. Hope you enjoy it!
What about Yves Montand; Maurice Chevalier; Louis Trintingnan; Charles Boyer, and a few others? Your list is lacking!