Denis Lavant

Denis Lavant (born 17 June 1961) is a French actor known for his distinctive face and the physically demanding aspects of the roles he plays, which often involve slapstick, acrobatics or dance, as well as for his long-standing association with director Leos Carax. Lavant has played the lead role in all but one of Carax's films. Lavant is also known for his roles in Claire Denis' Beau Travail, and Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely.

Denis Lavant
Born (1961-06-17) 17 June 1961
OccupationActor
Years active1982–present

Life and career

Lavant was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, in France. At 13, he took courses in pantomime and the circus, fascinated by Marcel Marceau. He trained at the Paris Conservatoire under Jacques Lassalle,[1] and began his professional career in 1982 in theatre, acting in Shakespeare's Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. In 1982 he appeared in the television film L'Ombre sur la plage, before playing the minor part of Montparnasse in Robert Hossein's Les Misérables,[1] which was entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a Special Prize.[2] He appeared in several further minor roles before making his breakthrough in 1984 as the lead in Boy Meets Girl, playing a depressed, aspiring filmmaker who falls in love with a suicidal young woman. The film marked the directorial debut of Leos Carax, with whose films Lavant has been associated ever since.

In 1986, Lavant and Carax worked together again on the thriller Mauvais Sang and again in 1991 on Carax's third film, Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. In both Mauvais Sang and Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, Lavant starred opposite Juliette Binoche. In 1998, Lavant appeared in the Jonathan Glazer-directed video for the UNKLE song Rabbit in Your Headlights, and in 1999, he played one of the lead roles in Beau Travail, directed by Claire Denis. In 2007, he appeared in Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely, in which he portrayed a Charlie Chaplin impersonator. Lavant, who does not speak English, took an intensive language course in preparation and learned his lines phonetically.[3] His longtime associate Leos Carax appears in a supporting role as the main character's talent agent.

In 2008, Lavant and Carax re-united for the anthology film Tokyo!, which marked their first work together since Lovers on the Bridge and Carax's first major directing work in nearly a decade. Carax's segment for the film, called "Merde," starred Lavant as a violent monster who lives in the sewers of Tokyo and speaks in a gibberish language, venturing out occasionally to attack passersby.

In 2012 he starred in Leos Carax' film Holy Motors where he plays a "chameleonic actor on assignment, ferried around Paris in a white limousine and changing en route from beggar-woman to satyr to assassin to victim."[4] The film was an entrant at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2016 he starred in a 30-second clip directed by Yorgos Lanthimos to accompany the song Identikit by Radiohead.

Filmography

Year Title Role Director Notes
1982 L'ombre sur la plage Mathieu Luc Béraud TV Movie
Les Misérables Montparnasse Robert Hossein
1983 Entre Nous A military Diane Kurys
The Wounded Man Patrice Chéreau
Paris ficelle Joe Laurence Ferreira Barbosa Short
Au-delà de minuit Voice Pierre Barletta Short
1984 Viva la vie Caviar delivery man Claude Lelouch
Boy Meets Girl Alex Leos Carax
1985 Partir, revenir Simon Lerner's patient Claude Lelouch (2)
Hôtel du siècle The statue Jean Kerchbron TV Series (1 Episode)
1986 Cinéma 16 Jean-Pierre François Dupont-Midi TV Series (1 Episode)
Mauvais Sang Alex Leos Carax (2)
1987 L'étendu Gilles Marchand Short
1988 Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret P'tit Louis Jean Kerchbron (2) TV Series (1 Episode)
1989 Un tour de manège Berville Pierre Pradinas
Mona et moi Pierre Patrick Grandperret
1991 Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Alex Leos Carax (3) Nominated - European Film Award for Best Actor
C'est merveilleux Solange Martin Short
1992 Drôle d'immeuble Simon Pradinas Short
1993 De force avec d'autres Denis Simon Reggiani
Fuis la nuit Patrick Brunie Short
1994 La partie d'échecs Max Yves Hanchar Short
1995 L'ennemi Higra Hervé Renoh Short
Visiblement je vous aime Denis Jean-Michel Carré
1997 Wild Animals Emil Kim Ki-duk
1998 Don Juan Pierrot Jacques Weber
Le monde à l'envers Yann Rolando Colla
Cantique de la racaille The hitchhiker Vincent Ravalec
1999 Beau travail Galoup Claire Denis
Tuvalu Anton Veit Helmer Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema - Best Actor
2000 Deep in the Woods Stéphane Lionel Delplanque
La squale The joker Fabrice Genestal
2001 Married/Unmarried Love Noli
Sofor The driver Guldem Durmaz Short
Affaire Libinski Anatoli Libinski Delphine Jaquet, Philippe Lacôte Short
2002 Sous-commandant Père Noël Christophe Vindis Short
La merveilleuse odyssée de l'idiot Toboggan Voice Vincent Ravalec (2)
2004 Luminal Ryu Andrea Vecchiato
A Very Long Engagement Six-Soux Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Le soldat inconnu vivant Voice Joël Calmettes TV Movie
Low Street Old Man Tom Petch Short
2005 Camping sauvage Blaise Christophe Ali, Nicolas Bonilauri
2006 Elegant Daniel Wiroth Short
2007 Le passeur Philippe Lacôte (2) Short
Mister Lonely Charlie Chaplin Harmony Korine
Capitaine Achab Captain Ahab Philippe Ramos
Iyi Seneler Londra Gerard Berkun Oya
2008 Tokyo! Merde Leos Carax (4)
Comment Albert vit bouger les montagnes Harold Vasselin
2009 Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie André Custe Eric Woreth TV Series (1 Episode)
Les Williams Alban Mench Short
Tamanrasset Philippe Merzak Allouache TV Movie
The Temptation of St. Tony Count Dionysos Korzybski Veiko Õunpuu
Les cow-boys n'ont pas peur de mourir Voice Anne-Laure Daffis, Léo Marchand Short
Obsession(s) Marc Douelec Frédéric Tellier TV Movie
2010 Via Denis Leonore Mercier Short
Je, François Villon, voleur, assassin, poète Bezon Serge Meynard TV Movie
Tandis qu'en bas des hommes en armes Vilard Samuel Rondière Short
HH, Hitler à Hollywood Himself Frédéric Sojcher
Io sono con te Sapiente Guido Chiesa
Enterrez nos chiens Lucas Frédéric Serve
2011 Atlantika Jack Igor Voloshin Short
My Little Princess Ernst Eva Ionesco
Les amours perdues Vincent Samanou Acheche Sahlstrøm Short
Le petit poucet The Ogre Marina de Van
Waster Philippe Prouff, Virginie Nallet Short
2012 L'oeil de l'astronome Kepler Stan Neumann
Holy Motors Mr. Oscar Leos Carax (5) Chicago International Film Festival - Best Actor
Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Indiewire Critics' Poll - Best Performance
International Cinephile Society Awards - Best Actor
Nominated - César Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Italian Online Movie Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Actor
Nominated - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Village Voice Film Poll - Best Actor
Nominated - International Online Cinema Awards - Best Actor
L'étoile du jour Elliot Sophie Blondy
2013 Barricade: le film Short
Fatigués d'être beaux The duke Anne-Laure Daffis (2), Léo Marchand (2) Short
Marussia The tramp Eva Pervolovici
Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas The theologist Arnaud des Pallières
Les grandes marées Marc Mathias Pardo Short
Méandres Voice Elodie Bouedec, Florence Miailhe, Mathilde Philippon-Aginski Short
Je sens plus la vitesse Joanne Delachair Short
Jiminy Otto Hoffmann Arthur Môlard Short
2014 Dassault, l'homme au pardessus Marcel Dassault Olivier Guignard TV Movie
Journey to the West Dragon Tsai Ming-liang
Liberté, égalité, cheveux lissés The white man Elefterios Zakaropoulos Short
Agafay Olivier Nikolcic Short
Poddubnyy Poddubny's coach Gleb Orlov
Le mystère des jonquilles Sam Jean-Pierre Mocky
Pitchipoï Pierre Schulmann Charles Najman
Fracas Kévin Noguès Short
2015 Graziella Antoine Mehdi Charef
Eva no duerme Pablo Agüero
Phasme Jean Maéva Ranaivojaona Short
History's Future Lottery Ticket Seller Fiona Tan
Me and Kaminski Karl-Ludwig Wolfgang Becker
21 Nights with Pattie André Arnaud Larrieu & Jean-Marie Larrieu
Full House The Hangman Quentin Bocksberger Short
2016 Boris Without Béatrice (Boris sans Béatrice) The Unknown Denis Côté
Louis-Ferdinand Céline, deux clowns dans la catastrophe Emmanuel Bourdieu
2018 À nos pères Franchin Don
2018 The Mountain Jack Rick Alverson
2018 The Night Eats the World Alfred Dominique Rocher
2020 Night of the Kings (La Nuit des rois) Philippe Lacôte

References

  1. "Denis Lavant" (in French). Allocine.fr. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  2. "13th Moscow International Film Festival (1983)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  3. Interview with actor Denis Lavant
  4. BBrooks, Xan (11 June 2012), Kylie should be so lucky as film hits the jackpot, The Guardian
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