Jean-Pierre Darroussin

Biography: life and films

Few French actors today are as well-loved and as busy as Jean-Pierre Darroussin, a man who is so naturally self-effacing and accessible that it is easier to think of him as a friend than a movie star. He no doubt owes his modest persona and his work ethic to his humble origins as the son of a tinsmith. He was born on 4th December 1953 in Courbevoie, Seine, the region of France where he grew up. After discovering a passion for the histrionic art at school, he entered the Cours Florent, a private drama school, in 1974, and thereafter gained admission to the Paris Conservatoire two years later. It was here that he first came into contact with Catherine Frot and Ariane Ascaride, who would frequently work with him over the course of his incredibly prolific career.

From 1978 to 1986, Darroussin worked in the theatre, notably with Pierre Pradinas's Chapeau Rouge troupe, whilst making his tentative entry into cinema. After making his screen debut with a bit part in Jean-Jacques Annaud's Coup de tête (1979), Darroussin first captured the public's attention in Philippe de Broca's comedy Psy (1980). Then came smallish parts in Bertrand Blier's Notre histoire (1984) and François Leterrier's Tranches de vie (1985), before he joined Robert Guédiguian's regular troupe of actors (along with Ariane Ascaride and Gérard Meylan) in Ki lo sa (1985). The following year, Darroussin lost interest in acting and spent the next eighteen months working as a teacher. It was the director Jean-Marie Poiré who coaxed him back onto the big screen with a notable part in his ensemble comedy Mes meilleurs copains (1988).

By the early 1990s, Darroussin's stage and screen career had suddenly started to take off. In 1991, he appeared on stage in an acclaimed production of Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri's play Cuisine et dépendances, and reprised the same role in the film adaptation of the play the folloiwng year. The same thing happened with Jaoui and Bacri's next play, Un air de famille, only this time Darroussin was honoured with the Best Supporting Actor César for his performance in the screen version. By now, the actor was an essential member of Robert Guédiguian's happy company, appearing in almost every one of his films, including À la vie, à la mort! (1995), Marius et Jeannette (1997) and L'Armée du crime (2009).

After spending the first two decades of his career confined to minor or supporting roles, Jean-Pierre Darroussin finally had his first leading role in Guillaume Nicloux's Le Poulpe (1998), for which he received his first Best Actor César nomination. He found himself as part of another memorable ensemble in Marc Esposito's Le Coeur des hommes (2002), a film that was such a hit that it resulted in two sequels, with Darroussin gladly reprising his role as Manu. In Jean Becker's Dialogue avec mon jardinier (2007), he starred alongside Daniel Auteuil, who later gave him the role of Honoré Panisse in his subsequent Marius / Fanny diptych in 2013. Darroussin made his directing debut in 2006 with Le Pressentiment, the film that won him the prestigious Prix Louis-Delluc in 2006.

Although predominantly a cinema actor, Jean-Pierre Darroussin has also appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies and recently starred in the popular television series, Le Bureau des légendes (2015/6) with Mathieu Kassovitz. In the past forty years, Jean-Pierre Darroussin has notched up over a hundred credits on film and television, steering a respectable course between mainstream cinema and film d'auteur that few could reproach. From serious fare such as Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre (2011) and Stéphane Brizé's Une vie (2016) to crowdpleasers like Michel Munz's Erreur de la banque en votre faveur (2009) and Richard Berry's L'Immortel (2010), Darroussin has shown himself to be an actor of exceptional range and ability, as well as a humane and sensitive individual that anyone can relate to.

Filmography

Click here to view complete list of films...