Lambert Wilson
Encyclopedia
Lambert Wilson is a French
actor
. He is internationally known for his portrayal of The Merovingian
in The Matrix
He was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine
, France
, the son of Georges Wilson
, who was an actor, theatrical manager and director of the Theatre National de Paris.
Wilson screen tested for The Living Daylights
(1987) for the role of James Bond
, appearing in test footage opposite Maryam D'Abo
(the Bond girl
in The Living Daylights
) as Tatiana Romanova, re-enacting scenes from From Russia with Love
(1963). Wilson was also featured in a series of Calvin Klein
ads featuring Christy Turlington
for Eternity
in 1991, as well as a poster ad for Eternity in 1998.
Wilson released the album Musicals on the EMI
label in 2004, with John McGlinn
conducting Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. It features him singing songs of the American Musical Theatre catalogue, those well-known ("Maria
" from West Side Story
, "There but for You Go I" from Lerner & Loewe's Brigadoon, "The Cafe Song" from Les Misérables
, "Johanna" from Stephen Sondheim
's Sweeney Todd), rare ("Love Song" from Kurt Weill
and Alan Jay Lerner
's Love Life, "It Must Be So" from Leonard Bernstein
's Candide, and "Silly People", which was cut from Sondheim's A Little Night Music
), and those in-between ("Finishing the Hat" from Sunday in the Park with George
, "You Do Something to Me" from Cole Porter
's Fifty Million Frenchmen
, "Never Will I Marry" from Frank Loesser
's Greenwillow
).
He has directed stage presentations of Alfred de Musset
's Les Caprices de Marianne
starring Laure Marsac at Paris' Bouffes du Nord
as well as Racine
's Bérénice
starring Kristin Scott Thomas
and Didier Sandre at Avignon
and then Chaillot.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is internationally known for his portrayal of The Merovingian
Merovingian (The Matrix)
The Merovingian, also known as the Frenchman, and called Merv by Trinity, is a fictional character in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, portrayed by Lambert Wilson in both films...
in The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
He was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the son of Georges Wilson
Georges Wilson
Georges Wilson was a French film and television actor. He is the father of French actor Lambert Wilson.Wilson was born in Champigny-sur-Marne, Seine , to a French father and an Irish mother...
, who was an actor, theatrical manager and director of the Theatre National de Paris.
Wilson screen tested for The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
(1987) for the role of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, appearing in test footage opposite Maryam D'Abo
Maryam d'Abo
Maryam d'Abo is an English film and television actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights.-Early life:...
(the Bond girl
Bond girl
A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
in The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
) as Tatiana Romanova, re-enacting scenes from From Russia with Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
(1963). Wilson was also featured in a series of Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
ads featuring Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
for Eternity
Eternity (perfume)
Eternity is fragrance introduced in 1988 by Calvin Klein.Created by perfumer Sophia Grojsman, Eternity won an award for the Most Successful Women’s Fragrance at the 1989 FiFi Awards, and in 2003 it was inducted in the Fragrance Hall of Fame. The masculine version of this fragrance was created by...
in 1991, as well as a poster ad for Eternity in 1998.
Wilson released the album Musicals on the EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
label in 2004, with John McGlinn
John McGlinn
John Alexander McGlinn III was an American conductor and musical theatre archivist. He was one of the principal proponents of authentic studio cast recordings of Broadway musicals, using original orchestrations and vocal arrangements.-Biography:John Alexander McGlinn III was born in Bryn Mawr,...
conducting Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. It features him singing songs of the American Musical Theatre catalogue, those well-known ("Maria
Maria (1956 song)
"Maria" is a song from the Broadway musical West Side Story, sung by the lead character Tony. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The song was published in 1956....
" from West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
, "There but for You Go I" from Lerner & Loewe's Brigadoon, "The Cafe Song" from Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, "Johanna" from Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Sweeney Todd), rare ("Love Song" from Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
and Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
's Love Life, "It Must Be So" from Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
's Candide, and "Silly People", which was cut from Sondheim's A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
), and those in-between ("Finishing the Hat" from Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
, "You Do Something to Me" from Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later...
, "Never Will I Marry" from Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
's Greenwillow
Greenwillow
Greenwillow is a musical with a book by Lesser Samuels and Frank Loesser and music and lyrics by Loesser.Based on the novel by B. J. Chute, the fantasy is set in the magical town of Greenwillow, where the eldest in each generation of Briggs men must obey the "call to wander," while the women they...
).
He has directed stage presentations of Alfred de Musset
Alfred de Musset
Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.Along with his poetry, he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle from 1836.-Biography:Musset was born on 11 December 1810 in Paris...
's Les Caprices de Marianne
Les caprices de Marianne
Les caprices de Marianne is a two-act opéra comique by Henri Sauguet with a French libretto by Jean-Pierre Grédy after Alfred de Musset. It was first performed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1954, with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire conducted by Louis de Froment with...
starring Laure Marsac at Paris' Bouffes du Nord
Bouffes du Nord
The Bouffes du Nord is a theater at 37 bis, boulevard de la Chapelle in the 10th arrondissement of Paris located near the Gare du Nord. It is registered as a historic monument.-History:...
as well as Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
's Bérénice
Bérénice
Berenice is a five-act tragedy by the French 17th-century playwright Jean Racine. Berenice was not played often between the 17th and the 20th centuries. Today it is one of Racine's more popular plays, after Phèdre, Andromaque and Britannicus.It was first performed in 1670...
starring Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
and Didier Sandre at Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
and then Chaillot.
Filmography
- Julia (1977) - Walter Franz
- Lady Oscar (1979) - Cocky soldier
- La Boum 2La boum 2La boum 2 is a 1982 French language motion picture comedy directed by Claude Pinoteau and starring Claude Brasseur, Brigitte Fossey, Sophie Marceau, and Lambert Wilson. La boum 2 is the sequel to La boum...
(1982) - Félix Maréchal - Five Days One SummerFive Days One SummerFive Days One Summer is a 1982 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Sean Connery. It was the last film that Zinnemann directed.-Cast:* Sean Connery - Douglas Meredith* Betsy Brantley - Kate* Lambert Wilson - Johann Biari...
(1982) - Johann Biari - SaharaSahara (1983 film)Sahara is a 1983 film starring Brooke Shields, Lambert Wilson, John Mills and Horst Buchholz. It was filmed in Israel and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone...
(1983) - Jaffar - The Blood of OthersThe Blood of Others (film)The Blood of Others is a 1984 film directed by Claude Chabrol. It is based on the 1945 novel The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir. The film was originally made as a three hour television mini-series and then recut down 40 minutes for a theatrical release-Plot:In Nazi occupied France, Jean...
(1984) - Paul - La femme publiqueLa femme publiqueThe Public Woman is a 1984 French drama film inspired by Dostoevsky's novel The Devils and directed by Andrzej Żuławski, starring Valérie Kaprisky, Lambert Wilson and Francis Huster as the lead actors. The film had a total of 1,302,425 admissions in France where it was the 28th highest grossing...
(1984) - Milan Mliska - Rendez-vousRendez-vous (film)Rendez-vous is a 1985 French drama film directed by André Téchiné. The film stars Juliette Binoche, Lambert Wilson, Wadeck Stanczak and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Rendez-vous premiered at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Director. The film had a total of 766,811 admissions...
(1985) - Quentin - Red KissRed KissRed Kiss is a 1985 French drama film directed by Véra Belmont. It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, where Charlotte Valandrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.-Cast:* Charlotte Valandrey as Nadia...
(1985) - The Belly Of An ArchitectThe Belly of an ArchitectThe Belly of an Architect is a 1987 film drama written and directed by Peter Greenaway, featuring original music by Glenn Branca and Wim Mertens....
(1987) - Caspasian Speckler - Les Possedes (film) (1988) - Stawrogin
- El DoradoEl Dorado (1988 film)El Dorado is a 1988 Spanish film written and directed by Carlos Saura. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Synopsis:The film is about an expedition down the Orinoco and Amazon rivers in 1560 by Spanish soldiers searching for the fabled city of gold, El Dorado...
(1988) - Pedro de UrsúaPedro de UrsúaPedro de Ursúa was a Spanish Basque conquistador from Baztan in the 16th century. In Panama, Ursúa subdued a Cimarron revolt by tricking Cimarron leader Bayano into coming unprepared to negotiate a truce, but then captured him and sent him back to King Philip II of Spain... - Jefferson in ParisJefferson in ParisJefferson in Paris is a 1995 Franco-American historical drama film directed by James Ivory . The screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is a semi-fictional account of Thomas Jefferson's tenure as the Ambassador of the United States to France prior to his Presidency, and his alleged relationships with...
(1995) - Marquis de Lafayette - The Leading ManThe Leading ManThe Leading Man is a 1996 British romantic drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1996 but was not released in the United States until March 1998. The film is set in London in the winter.-Plot:...
(1996) - Felix Webb - MarquiseMarquise (film)Marquise is a 1997 French dramatic film directed by Véra Belmont, and starring Sophie Marceau, Bernard Giraudeau, and Lambert Wilson. The film is set in seventeenth century France and includes several historical figures, such as Moliere, Racine, and King Louis XIV.- Plot :While four actresses from...
(1997) - RacineJean RacineJean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition... - On connaît la chansonOn connaît la chansonOn connaît la chanson is a 1997 French film. It was directed by Alain Resnais, and written by Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. Jaoui and Bacri also starred in the film with Sabine Azéma, Lambert Wilson, André Dussollier and Pierre Arditi.- Plot :Odile , a business executive, is married to weak,...
(1997) - Marc Duveyrier - The Last SeptemberThe Last SeptemberThe Last September is a novel by the Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen published in 1929, concerning life at the country mansion of Danielstown, Cork during the Irish War of Independence.-Plot summary:Preface...
(1999) - Hugo Montmorency - Jet Set (2000) - Arthus de Poulignac
- Don QuixoteDon Quixote (2000 TV film)Don Quixote is a 2000 television film adaptation of the classic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, made by Hallmark Entertainment and distributed by Turner Network Television A dubbed-into-Spanish version was distributed by Divisa Home Video . It was shown in three parts in...
(2000) - The Duke (Made-for-TV film, directed by Peter YatesPeter YatesPeter James Yates was an English director and producer. He was born in Aldershot, Hampshire.The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager...
) - Far from China (2001) - Jean-Pierre (directed by C.S. Leigh)
- The Matrix ReloadedThe Matrix ReloadedThe Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
(2003) - The MerovingianMerovingian (The Matrix)The Merovingian, also known as the Frenchman, and called Merv by Trinity, is a fictional character in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, portrayed by Lambert Wilson in both films... - The Matrix RevolutionsThe Matrix RevolutionsThe Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
(2003) - The Merovingian - TimelineTimeline (film)Timeline is a 2003 science fiction action film, directed by Richard Donner. It stars Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Gerard Butler and Anna Friel. It is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton...
(2003) - Lord Arnaut - Pas sur la bouche (2003) - Eric Thomson
- CatwomanCatwoman (film)Catwoman is a 2004 American superhero film and quasi-spinoff of the Batman film series directed by Pitof and released by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures on July 23, 2004....
(2004) - Georges Hedare - Palais Royal! (2005) - Prince Arnaud
- SaharaSahara (2005 film)Sahara is a 2005 action-comedy adventure film directed by Breck Eisner and based on the best-selling book of the same name by Clive Cussler...
(2005) - Yves Massarde - Coeurs (2006) - Dan
- FlawlessFlawless (2007 film)Flawless is a 2007 British fictional crime film directed by Michael Radford, written by Edward Anderson, and starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore....
(2007) - Finch - Dante 01Dante 01Dante 01 is a science fiction film by French director Marc Caro. It is the first solo directing effort by Caro, who is well-known for his directing collaborations with Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The film was released in 2008.-Plot:...
(2008) - Saint Georges - Babylon A.D.Babylon A.D. (film)Babylon A.D. is a 2008 science fiction action film based on the novel Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec. The film was directed by Mathieu Kassovitz and stars Vin Diesel, Mélanie Thierry, Michelle Yeoh and Lambert Wilson...
(2008) - Dr. Arthur Darquandier - Comme les autres (2008) - Dr Emmanuel Bernier
- The Lazarus Project (2008) - Avery
- Victor (2009) - Courcelle
- Of Gods and MenOf Gods and Men (film)Of Gods and Men is a 2010 French drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois, starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale. Its original French title is Des hommes et des dieux, which means "Of Men and of Gods" and refers to a verse from the Bible shown at the beginning of the film...
(2010) - The Princess of MontpensierThe Princess of MontpensierThe Princess of Montpensier is a 2010 French period romance film directed by Bertrand Tavernier, inspired by a short story anonymously published by Madame de La Fayette. It stars Mélanie Thierry in the title role, alongside Gaspard Ulliel, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Lambert Wilson and Raphaël...
(2010)