Mathieu Amalric

Mathieu Amalric   born 25 October 1965 is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Munich, and for his role in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he drew critical acclaim. He has also won several César Awards and the Lumières Award.

Early life

Amalric was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, the son of journalists Nicole Zand, a literary critic for Le Monde, and Jacques Amalric, who has worked as a foreign affairs editor for Le Monde and Libération. Amalric’s father is French while his mother was born in Poland, to Jewish parents, and moved to France at the outbreak of World War II.

Career

Amalric first gained fame in the film Ma Vie Sexuelle (My Sex Life…or How I Got Into an Argument), for which he won a César Award.

He was selected to play the James Bond villain Dominic Greene alongside Daniel Craig (with whom he had previously starred in Munich) in the 2008 film Quantum of Solace.

In 2007, he starred in the critically acclaimed movie Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, to critical praise.

His 2010 film, On Tour, premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and won Amalric the Best Director Award.

The 2014 film The Blue Room, which he directed and starred in, was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life

Amalric has three sons, two with his ex-wife Jeanne Balibar, and one with his former partner, a writer. He is currently in a long-term relationship with Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan. 

He is also an emphatic supporter of Girondins de Bordeaux.

Filmography

As actor

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Favorites of the Moon Julien
1991 Vert quoi vers où Short
1992 The Sentinel A medical student
La Chasse aux papillons
1993 Les Yeux au plafond Short; also director and screenwriter
1994 Lettre pour L… Also assistant director
1995 Tom est tout seul Uncredited; also assistant director
1996 Le Journal du séducteur Sebastien Nominated—Acteurs à l’Écran for Best Actor
My Sex Life… or How I Got Into an Argument Paul Dedalus César Award for Most Promising Actor
1997 Genealogies of a Crime Yves
1998 L’Interview Julien Short
On a très peu d’amis Ivan
Dieu seul me voit (Versailles-Chantiers) Atchoum
Late August, Early September Gabriel
Alice and Martin Benjamin Sauvagnac
1999 Trois ponts sur la rivière Arthur Echéant
Farewell, Home Sweet Home Drinker at bar
2000 False Servant Lélio
La Bréche de Roland Roland
L’Affaire Marcorelle Fourcade
2001 Boyhood Loves Paul
Zaïde, un petit air de vengeance Luigi Scarofolo Telefilm
2002 Lundi matin Nicolas Voice
Les Naufragés de la D17 René
Lulu The advocate
C’est le bouquet! Stéphane
2003 A Man, a Real One Boris
Mes enfants ne sont pas comme les autres Gérald
Inquiétudes Art teacher
2004 Cuadrilátero Short
Les Parallèles Simon Short
Kings and Queen Ismaël Vuillard César Award for Best Actor
Lumières Award for Best Actor
Le Pont des Arts Un spectateur du Nô
Au large de Bad Ragaz Alex
2005 I Saw Ben Barka Get Killed Philippe Bernier
Les Matines Serge Short
La Moustache Serge Schaeffer
Munich Louis Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place)
Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place)
Comme James Dean Robert Benchetrout Short
Avaler des couleuvres Tom Short
2006 Marie Antoinette Man at Masked Ball
When I Was a Singer Bruno
Les Signes Man Short
Fragments sur la grâce A reader
Un lever de rideau Pierre Short
Le Grand Appartement Martin
2007 Michou d’Auber Jacques
Heartbeat Detector Simon Copenhagen International Film Festival – Best Actor
Gijón International Film Festival – Best Actor
Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor
Actrices Denis
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Jean-Dominique Bauby César Award for Best Actor
Étoiles d’Or for Best Best Actor
Lumières Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor
L’Histoire de Richard O. Richard O.
A Secret François Grimbert à 37 ans
2008 57000 km entre nous Simon
A Christmas Tale Henri
On War Bertrand
Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One François Besse Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor
Quantum of Solace Dominic Greene
2009 Park Benches The father in pram
Face Man in bushes
Happy End Robinson
Wild Grass Bernard de Bordeaux
2010 The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Dieuleveult
On Tour Joachim Zand Also director and screenwriter
RiverRun International Film Festival – Best Actor
The Rabbi’s Cat Le prince Voice
The Silence of Joan The Preacher
La Chanson du dimanche Danny Monaco TV series
2011 Chicken with Plums Nasser-Ali
2012 You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet! Himself
Cosmopolis André Petrescu
Camille Rewinds French teacher
Le Reste du monde Paul Telefilm
Les Gouffres Georges
Lines of Wellington Barão Marbot
2013 Venus in Fur Thomas Nominated—César Award for Best Actor
Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian George Devereux
Love Is the Perfect Crime Marc
Les Anonymes Roger Marion Telefilm
The Dune Moreau
Petit matin Patrick Short
2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel Serge X Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
If You Don’t, I Will Pierre
The Blue Room Julien Gahyde Also director and screenwriter
Bird People The narrator Voice
Les Jours venus
2015 Wolf Hall Eustace Chapuys TV miniseries
The Forbidden Room Thadeusz M____ / Ostler
My Golden Days Paul (adult)
Families Jérôme Varenne
The Very Private Life of Mister Sim Samuel
Winter Song
D’ombres et d’ailes Short; voice
Spectrographies The filmmaker
Hitchcock/Truffaut Narrator
2016 Le Cancre Boris
Spiritismes
Le Fils de Joseph Oscar Pormenor
La Loi de la jungle Galgaric
The Woman in the Silver Plate
Never Ever Rey
Demain et tous les autres jours
2017 Espèces menacées
Barbara Also director and screenwriter
Ismael’s Ghosts Ismaël
2018 Sink or Swim Bertrand
2019 Sound of Metal Richard Berger
TBA The French Dispatch Post-production
O2 Post-production

As filmmaker

Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Screenwriter Other
1985 Marre de café Yes Yes Short
1986 La Seule différence c’est que les cafés sont plus chers Yes Short
1987 Au revoir les enfants Yes Third assistant director
1990 La Passion Van Gogh Yes Assistant director and assistant editor
1990 Sans rires Yes Yes Short
1992 Border Line Yes Second assistant director
1992 The Absence Yes Assistant director
1993 Les Yeux au plafond Yes Yes Short
1993 8 bis Yes Yes Short
1993 The Diary of Lady M Yes Assistant director
1993 Lettre pour L… Yes Assistant director
1994 Bête de scène Yes Short; assistant director
1995 Tom est tout seul Yes Assistant director
1997 Mange ta soupe Yes Yes
2001 Le Stade de Wimbledon Yes Yes
2003 La Chose publique Yes Yes Telefilm
2003 Malus Yes Yes Documentary short
2004 14,58 euros Yes Yes Short
2007 Deux cages sans oiseaux Yes Yes Short
2007 À l’instar du Père Noël et de la pizza Yes Yes Short
2007 Laissez-les grandir ici Yes Documentary short
2010 On Tour Yes Yes Cannes Film Festival – Best Director
Cannes Film Festival – FIPRESCI Prize
Nominated—César Award for Best Director
Nominated—César Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Film
Nominated—Gopo Award for Best European Film
Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Director
2010 Joann Sfar (dessins) Yes Yes Documentary short; also cinematographer
2010 L’Illusion comique Yes Yes Telefilm
2012 Next to Last (automne 63) Yes Yes Short
2012 La Richesse du loup Yes Co-producer
2014 La Magie de Noël Yes Short
2014 The Blue Room Yes Yes Mar del Plata Film Festival – Best Director
Nominated—Cannes Film Festival – Prix Un certain regard
Nominated—César Award for Best Adaptation
2015 C’est presque au bout du monde Yes Short
2017 Barbara Yes Yes Prix Louis-Delluc 2017