Melvil Poupaud

Melvil Poupaud
Poupaud in 2006
Born
Melvil Matthias Julien Poupaud

(1973-01-26) 26 January 1973 (age 51)
Paris, France
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
  • director
Years active1983–present
Spouse
Georgina Tacou
(m. 1999, divorced)
Children1
MotherChantal Poupaud

Melvil Matthias Julien Poupaud (born 26 January 1973) is a French actor.

Early life

Poupaud was born in Paris, the son of Michel Poupaud and publicist Chantal Poupaud. He has an elder brother, Yarol, who is a musician.

Career

Poupaud made his film debut at the age of 10 in Raúl Ruiz's City of Pirates (1983), whom he met through his mother.[1] He subsequently appeared in nine more of Ruiz's films, including The Insomniac on the Bridge (1985), Treasure Island (1986), Genealogies of a Crime (1997), Time Regained (1999) and Love Torn in a Dream (2000).[2] For his roles in Jacques Doillon's The 15 Year Old Girl (1989) and Laurence Ferreira Barbosa's Normal People Are Nothing Exceptional (1993), Poupaud received two nominations for the César Award for Most Promising Actor.

He starred in François Ozon's Time to Leave,[3] and co-starred with Parker Posey in Zoe Cassavetes' Broken English.[4]

He also appeared in films such as Eric Rohmer's A Summer's Tale,[5] Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale,[6] and François Ozon's The Refuge.[7]

He co-starred with Suzanne Clément in Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways.[8]

Personal life

Poupaud dated actress Chiara Mastroianni for four years from the age of 16 to 20.[9] Though the two split up they remained friends and collaborators for decades with Mastroianni crediting Poupaud with encouraging her to pursue acting as a career and Poupaud crediting Mastroianni for his friendship with her ex-husband Benjamin Biolay.[10]

Poupaud was previously married to writer Georgina Tacou, with whom he has a daughter.[11]

Filmography

As actor

Year Title Role Notes
1983 City of Pirates Malo
1984 Qui es-tu Johnny Mac ? Johnny Mac Short (also as director and screenwriter)
1985 Treasure Island Jim Hawkins
The Insomniac on the Bridge Michel
Ces jours où les remords font vraiment mal au cœur The boy Short (also as director and screenwriter)
1986 Dans un miroir
1988 3 jours... Melvil Short (also as director and screenwriter)
1989 The 15 Year Old Girl Thomas Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actor
1992 Archipel Michel
The Lover The Younger Brother
1993 À la belle étoile Mathieu
Les gens normaux n'ont rien d'exceptionnel Germain Also as composer
Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actor
1994 Fado majeur et mineur Antoine
Boulevard Mac Donald Short (also as director, screenwriter and composer)
1995 Élisa Pharmacist's Son
Innocent Lies Louis Bernard
Those Were the Days Axel
Hillbilly Chainsaw Massacre Short
La Vie de Marianne Valville TV movie
3000 scénarios contre un virus TV series (1 episode)
1996 Souvenir Charles
A Summer's Tale Gaspard
Le journal du séducteur Gregoire
Three Lives and Only One Death Martin
1997 Marianne Valville
Le ciel est à nous Lenny
Genealogies of a Crime René
1998 Les kidnappeurs Armand Carpentier
1999 Time Regained Prince de Foix
Quelque chose The man Short (also as director, screenwriter and cinematographer)
2000 A Raiz do Coração Vicente Corvo
La Chambre obscure Bertrand
Love Torn in a Dream Paul
2001 A Hell of a Day Ben
Rémi Rémi Short (also as director and screenwriter)
2003 Feelings François
Le Divorce Charles-Henri de Persand
Shimkent hôtel Alex
Pronobis Philippe Short (also as director and screenwriter)
2004 Eros thérapie Bruno
Monde extérieur Régis Short
Qui a tué Johnny Mac ? Johnny Mac Short (also as director, screenwriter and cinematographer)
2005 Time to Leave Romain Valladolid International Film Festival - Best Actor
2006 Melvil Melvil Also as director, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor
2007 A Lost Man Thomas Koré
Towards Zero Guillaume Neuville
Broken English Julien
2008 The Broken Stefan Chambers
Speed Racer Johnny 'Goodboy' Jones
A Christmas Tale Ivan Vuillard
Crime Is Our Business Frédéric Charpentier
2009 The Refuge Louis
Lucky Luke Jesse James
44 Inch Chest Loverboy San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble
2010 La lisière François
Black Heaven Vincent
Mysteries of Lisbon Colonel Ernesto Lacroze
The Counterfeiters Edouard TV movie
2011 L'orpheline avec en plus un bras en moins Robinson
The Argument Man Short
2012 Laurence Anyways Laurence Alia Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival - Best Actor
Nominated - Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Canadian Film
Lines of Wellington Marechal Massena
2014 Fidelio: Alice's Odyssey Gaël
2015 Mad Love The Priest
Face Down Samy
By the Sea François
The Great Game Pierre Blum
2016 In Bed with Victoria Vincent Kossarski Nominated — César Award for Best Supporting Actor
2017 The Lady in the Portrait Jean Denis Attiret
La pimbêche à vélo Melvil Short
2018 La belle et la belle Marc
By the Grace of God Alexandre Guérin Nominated — César Award for Best Actor
Les grands squelettes
Insoupçonnable Paul Brodsky TV series (10 episodes)
Nominated - ACS Award for Best Actor
2019 Golden Youth Hubert Robert
J'accuse Maître Labori
2020 Summer of 85 M. Lefèvre
2021–2022 UFOs Didier Mathure TV series (24 episodes)
ACS Award for Best Actor (2021)
Nominated - ACS Award for Best Actor (2022)
2022 Brother and Sister Louis[12]
2022 One Fine Morning Clément
2023 Jeanne du Barry Le Comte du Barry
Just the Two of Us Grégoire
Coup de chance Jean

As filmmaker

Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer Cinematographer
1984 Qui es-tu Johnny Mac ? Yes Yes No Short
1985 Ces jours où les remords font vraiment mal au cœur Yes Yes No Short
1988 3 jours… Yes Yes No Short
1994 Boulevard Mac Donald Yes Yes No Short (also as composer)
1999 Quelque chose Yes Yes Yes Short
2001 Rémi Yes Yes No Short
2003 Pronobis Yes Yes No Short
2004 Qui a tué Johnny Mac ? Yes Yes Yes Short
2006 Melvil Yes Yes Yes Also as editor

Bibliography

Melvil Poupaud, Quel est Mon noM, Paris, Éditions Stock, coll. « La Bleue », 7 septembre 2011, 288 p. (ISBN 978-2-23407-030-1).[13]

Other awards

References