Alain Chabat
Encyclopedia
Alain Chabat is a French actor
and director who appeared in La Cité de la peur
, French Twist
, The Taste of Others
and The Science of Sleep
.
, French Algeria
. He is Jewish.
His media career began in 1987 when he founded the comedy group "Les Nuls" with Bruno Carette, Chantal Lauby and Dominique Farrugia. Les Nuls' first appearance on French television, on the subscriber channel Canal Plus, was a sci-fi spoof entitled Objectif Nul. The show shares striking similarities with the British TV series Red Dwarf
, although both shows were released at roughly the same time and it is unlikely one influenced the other.
Both as a member of Les Nuls (in La Cité de la Peur) and in his solo efforts (including Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
, in which he both directed and acted), Chabat is one of the few French comedians who has managed to successfully emulate the heavily referential, pop-culture-based writing style of the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
trio and adapt it to the tastes of the French audience.
Chabat also voiced the title character in the French dubs of all three Shrek
films, replacing Mike Myers
. He won the César Award for Best Debut
in 1998 for Didier.
He also acted in Ils Se Marièrent et Eurent Beaucoup d'Enfants
(2004) and in Prête-moi ta main
(2006) alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg
. He played Napoleon Bonaparte
in the 2009 film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and director who appeared in La Cité de la peur
La Cité de la peur
La Cité de la peur, or Le film de Les Nuls, is a French comedy film written by the comedy group Les Nuls and directed by Alain Berbérian in 1994....
, French Twist
French Twist
French Twist , is a 1995 French comedy film. It was written and directed by co-star Josiane Balasko. The film was a hit in France gaining 3,790,381 Admissions and grossing $1,026,646 in the United States.-Synopsis:...
, The Taste of Others
The Taste of Others
The Taste of Others , is a 2000 French film. It was directed by Agnès Jaoui, and written by her and Jean-Pierre Bacri. It stars Jean-Pierre Bacri, Anne Alvaro, Alain Chabat, Agnès Jaoui, Gérard Lanvin and Christiane Millet....
and The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep is a 2006 French film written and directed by Michel Gondry. The film stars Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Miou-Miou, and Alain Chabat.-Plot:...
.
Life and career
Chabat was born in OranOran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
. He is Jewish.
His media career began in 1987 when he founded the comedy group "Les Nuls" with Bruno Carette, Chantal Lauby and Dominique Farrugia. Les Nuls' first appearance on French television, on the subscriber channel Canal Plus, was a sci-fi spoof entitled Objectif Nul. The show shares striking similarities with the British TV series Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
, although both shows were released at roughly the same time and it is unlikely one influenced the other.
Both as a member of Les Nuls (in La Cité de la Peur) and in his solo efforts (including Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, originally titled Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, is a 2002 French-German film based on the comic book Astérix et Cléopatre by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo and a sequel for the 1999 movie Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar. It was the most expensive French...
, in which he both directed and acted), Chabat is one of the few French comedians who has managed to successfully emulate the heavily referential, pop-culture-based writing style of the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker are an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specializes in slapstick comedy films during the 1980s and the early 1990s...
trio and adapt it to the tastes of the French audience.
Chabat also voiced the title character in the French dubs of all three Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
films, replacing Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
. He won the César Award for Best Debut
César Award for Best Debut
The César Award for Best Debut was an award given out at the annual César Awards between 1982 and 1999...
in 1998 for Didier.
He also acted in Ils Se Marièrent et Eurent Beaucoup d'Enfants
Ils Se Marièrent et Eurent Beaucoup d'Enfants
Happily Ever After, known in French as Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants , is a 2004 French film. The film is written and directed by Yvan Attal, produced by Claude Berri, and starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Yvan Attal.It was released in English in North America...
(2004) and in Prête-moi ta main
Prête-moi ta main
I Do or Rent a Wife , is a 2006 French romantic comedy directed by Eric Lartigau, based on an original idea by Alain Chabat. The film stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat and Bernadette Lafont...
(2006) alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult to commercial and critical success...
. He played Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
in the 2009 film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is an American adventure comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steve Coogan. The film is a sequel to Night at the Museum...
.