Biography: life and films
The actor Denis Podalydès was born in Versailles, just outside
Paris, on 22nd April 1963. He grew up in Versailles, with his
brother Bruno, who was also destined for a career in cinema, as a film
director. Having graduated from the Paris Conservatoire of
Dramatic Art, he made his first film appearance in Patrice Vivancos'
Xenia (1989). This he followed by
taking the lead role in his brother's short film,
Versailles Rive-Gauche (1992),
which first revealed his potential as a comic actor. The
Podalydès brothers would work together on several subsequent
films, most notably
Dieu seul me voit (1998),
Liberté-Oléron
(2001) and
Bancs publics (Versailles rive droite)
(2009). One of their most successful collaborations was the
comedy thriller
Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (2003),
in which Denis Podalydès resurrected a hero of the silent era,
the journalist-sleuth Rouletabille.
Having established himself in the mid-1990s, Podalydès had no
difficulty attracting offers of work, often from distinguished
filmmakers such as Diane Kurys (
Les Enfants du siècle,
1999), Robert Guédiguian (
À l'attaque!, 2000) and
Bertrand Tavernier (
Laissez-passer, 2002).
With his everyman persona and a penchant for subtle self-mockery,
Podalydès was a gift for auteur filmmakers like Arnaud
Desplechin (
Comment je me suis disputé... (ma
vie sexuelle), 1996), Pascal Bonitzer (
Rien sur Robert, 1999), Michel
Deville (
Un monde presque paisible,
2002) and Michael Haneke (
Caché, 2005). He
is also impressive in straight dramatic roles, evidenced by his
contributions to François Dupeyron's
La Chambre des officiers (2001)
and Yves Angelo's
Les Âmes grises (2005).
Podalydès' role in Michel Blanc's comedy
Embrassez qui vous voudrez
(2002) earned him his first César nomination and it is for
comedy that the actor is probably best-suited, never more so than in
the films directed by his brother Bruno. In 2012 he was nominated
for the Best Actor César for his far from flattering portrayal
of Nicholas Sarkozy in Xavier Durringer's
La Conquête (2011).
In addition to pursuing a busy film career, Podalydès has also
kept up his stage work, directing and appearing in several stage plays,
including an acclaimed production of
Cyrano
de Bergerac (2006) which played to packed houses for two years.
© James Travers 2013
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