Christopher Lambert
| Christopher Lambert | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lambert at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, 2009 |
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| Born | Christophe Guy Denis Lambert March 29, 1957 Great Neck, New York United States |
| Spouse | Diane Lane (1988–1994) Jaimyse Haft (1999–2000) |
| Partner | Sophie Marceau (2007–present) |
| Website | |
| Official site | |
Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (born March 29, 1957) is an American-born French actor who has appeared in French, European and American productions. He is best known for his role as Connor MacLeod, or simply "The Highlander", from the movie and subsequent movie franchise series of the same name. He is also known for his roles as Tarzan in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and as the thunder god Raiden in the first movie adaptation of the video game Mortal Kombat. He is credited in French-speaking countries as Christophe Lambert.
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[edit] Early life
Lambert was born in Great Neck, New York. His father was a French diplomat in the UN. Lambert grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, to where his family had moved when he was two, before returning to Paris when he was 16. He first gained an interest in acting after participating in a school play at the age of twelve. His parents however wanted him to have a job with security and saw acting as unsafe, so to please his parents he took a job with the London Stock Exchange, but after about six months he left the L.S.E. to help a friend run a shop in Paris. He also served in the French military at his father's insistence.
[edit] Career
After appearing in supporting parts in several French films, Christopher Lambert was discovered by international audiences when director Hugh Hudson cast him in the title role of Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). That same year, he also played his first lead role in a French film by appearing opposite Catherine Deneuve in Paroles et musique. In 1985, Lambert played the male lead in Luc Besson's Subway, for which he was awarded a César Award for Best Actor the next year.[1] Highlander (1986), in which he starred as Connor MacLeod, was an international success, as well as his most famous role. He appeared in all three sequels that were released in cinemas – although he was not in the 2007 movie made for the Sci-Fi Channel – and had a cameo appearance in the pilot of the television series.
The Sicilian, directed by Michael Cimino and starring Lambert as Salvatore Giuliano, was released in 1987, and was less successful than his previous pictures, receiving a lukewarm reception by critics and being only marginally profitable. To Kill a Priest, in which he played a character based on Jerzy Popiełuszko, was well-received by critics but was a financial failure. Lacking a recent box-office success, Lambert agreed to appear in the first Highlander sequel, Highlander II: The Quickening, which was met with a very poor reception.[2]
During the 1990s, Lambert starred in action, thriller and science fiction films such as Knight Moves, Fortress (1993), Gunmen (1994) and Mean Guns (1997), or the Italian-produced Nirvana (1997). His filmography included low-budget films such as Adrenalin: Fear the Rush, which were generally poorly-received by critics. Some of his films enjoyed only direct-to-video release.[3][4] In the course of that decade, Lambert also occasionally appeared in French films such as Max et Jérémie (1992).
In 1995, he played the role of the thunder god Raiden in a movie adaptation of the popular video game series Mortal Kombat. Lambert was interested in reprising his character in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but he was committed to his role in Beowulf (1999), and the role was given to James Remar.
In 2001, he played the lead role of Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in the France-Canada production Druids, which was a critical and financial failure.[5]
Lambert is also active as a film producer and has produced French films such as Patrick Braoudé's Génial, mes parents divorcent (1990) and Neuf mois (1994).[6]
In 2009, Lambert was a lead in Claire Denis' White Material; both the film and Lambert's performance received critical acclaim.[7][8][9]
Lambert has also been cast in the upcoming Marvel Comics film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.[10] His role has not yet been disclosed, though he has revealed that he was required to undergo "sword training for 3 months"[11] and shave his head.[12]
[edit] Personal life
Lambert was married to Diane Lane from 1988 to 1994.[13] Their daughter, Eleanor Jasmine, was born on September 5, 1993.[13] He married Jaimyse Haft in February 1999.[citation needed] Since 2007, Lambert has been in a relationship with Sophie Marceau, with whom he appeared in La disparue de Deauville.[14]
Lambert has profound myopia and cannot see without his glasses. Because he cannot wear contact lenses, he is often forced to act while virtually blind. This has led to injuries while performing his own stunts without glasses.[15] His myopia is often credited as being part of his appeal, by giving his stare a peculiar charm.[16]
[edit] Winery
Along with owning a mineral water business and food processing plant, Lambert produces Côtes-du-Rhône wines with partner Eric Beaumard at a vineyard located in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, France. The label, Les Garrigues de Beaumard-Lambert, tops out at 4,000 cases and is sold mostly in Europe. Beaumard has primary creative control of the winery, but Lambert conducts barrel tests and monitors the various stages of evolution.[17] Novus Vinum gave his vintage 1998 Les Garrigues a score of 13/20.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Ciao, les mecs | Un loubard à la soirée dansante | Film Debut (as Christophe Lambert) |
| 1980 | The Telephone Bar | Paul "Bébé" Franchi | (as Christophe Lambert) |
| 1981 | Douchka | TV Movie | |
| Asphalt | Un médecin à l'hôpital/The doctor | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| Une sale affaire | Mullard | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| Putain d'histoire d'amour | Inspecteur de police | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 1982 | Légitime violence | Jockey | (as Christophe Lambert) |
| Cinéma 16 | Marcel | TV (1 Episode) | |
| 1984 | Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | John Clayton/Tarzan | |
| 1985 | Paroles et musique | Jeremy | (as Christophe Lambert) |
| Subway | Fred | Nominated César Award for Best Actor (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 1986 | Highlander | Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash | |
| I Love You | Michel | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 1987 | The Sicilian | Salvatore Giuliano | |
| 1988 | Love Dream | Menrou | |
| To Kill a Priest | Father Alek | ||
| 1990 | Why Me? | Gus Cardinale | |
| 1991 | Highlander II: The Quickening | Connor MacLeod | |
| 1992 | Knight Moves | Peter Sanderson | |
| Highlander: The Series | Connor MacLeod | TV (1 Episode) | |
| Max & Jeremie | Jeremie Kolachowsky | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| Fortress | John Henry Brennick | ||
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Man with Car Phone | (Uncredited) |
| 1994 | Gunmen | Dani Servigo | |
| Roadflower | Jack | ||
| Highlander III: The Sorcerer | Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash | ||
| 1995 | The Hunted | Paul Racine | |
| Mortal Kombat | Lord Raiden | ||
| 1996 | North Star | Hudson Saanteek | (as Christophe Lambert) |
| Adrenalin: Fear the Rush | Lemieux | ||
| Hercule & Sherlock | Vincent | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 1997 | Nirvana | Jimi Dini | |
| Arlette | Frank Martin | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| Mean Guns | Lou | ||
| 1999 | Operation Splitsville | Max, P.E. Teacher | |
| Resurrection | John Prudhomme | ||
| Beowulf | Beowulf | ||
| Gideon | Gideon Oliver Dobbs | ||
| 2000 | Fortress 2 | John Henry Brennick | |
| Highlander: Endgame | Connor MacLeod | ||
| 2001 | Aparté | Short Film | |
| Vercingétorix | Vercingetorix | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| Mazinkaiser | Additional Voices | Video Game (unnacredited) | |
| The Point Men | Tony Eckhardt | ||
| 2002 | King of Bandit Jing | Additional Voices | TV Miniseries (as Chris Lambert) |
| The Piano Player | Alex Laney | ||
| 2003 | Absolon | Detective Norman Scot | |
| Janis and John | Léon | ||
| 2004 | Á ton image | Thomas | |
| 2005 | Dalida | Richard Chanfray, dit le comte de Saint-Germain | TV Miniseries |
| 2006 | Day of Wrath | Ruy de Mendoza | |
| Southland Tales | Walter Mung | ||
| Le lièvre de Vatanen | Tom Vatanen | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 2007 | Metamorphosis | Constantine Thurzo | |
| Trivial | Jacques | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 2008 | The Chauffeur | Devereaux | |
| 2009 | White Material | Andre Vial | (as Christophe Lambert) |
| Les associés | Philippe Kaminski | TV Movie (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| L'homme de chevet | Leo | (as Christophe Lambert) | |
| 2010 | The Secret of the Whales | Chris Cassell | TV Movie |
| 2011 | The Last Tango | Roberto | Pre-Production |
| Dark Star Hollow | David Sinclair | Pre-Production | |
| 2012 | Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance | A Monk | Post-Production |
| The Expendables 2 | Nicky | Post-Production (Rumored) |
[edit] References
- ^ César Awards official site, last accessed November 21, 2007
- ^ Ecranlarge.com – Portrait : Christophe Lambert
- ^ Christopher Lambert interview
- ^ What Ever Happened To... Christopher Lambert?
- ^ Peplums info : Vercingétorix
- ^ Christophe Lambert : portrait d'un acteur français de talent
- ^ "Review: Running Scared: Claire Denis' White Material". http://www.indiewire.com/article/white_material. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ "How Christophe Lambert went from action flops to arthouse acclaim". The Guardian. June 17, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jun/17/christophe-lambert-white-material-highlander. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_material/. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
- ^ "Announcement of Ghost Rider 2 casting". Official Christopher Lambert Website. November 17, 2010. http://www.debzdesignz.com/christopherlambert/. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ^ "Ghost Rider 2 Casting Updates: Ciaran Hinds, Iris Elba, Johnny Whitworth & Christopher Lambert". Fusedfilm.com. October 12, 2010. http://www.fusedfilm.com/2010/10/ghost-rider-2-casting-updates-ciaran-hinds-idris-elba-johnny-whitworth-christopher-lambert/. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ "La bonne étoile de Christophe Lambert (French language)". TVMag.com. February 25, 2011. http://tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/article/people/59695/la-bonne-etoile-de-christophe-lambert.html. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Dougherty, Margot; David Hutchings (1989-02-13). "Diane Lane, with a New Husband and No Fear of Flying, Takes Wing Again in Lonesome Dove". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20119558,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- ^ Atkinson, Michael. "Exile cinema: filmmakers at work beyond Hollywood" in SUNY Press, 2008, pp. 82-86.
- ^ From Apeman to Mogul EW.com (September 23, 1993)
- ^ La Disparue de Deauville
- ^ "Les Garrigues de Beaumard-Lambert: A Remarkable Wine Pairing". http://gayot.com Gayot. September 17, 2008. http://www.novusvinum.com/interviews/beaumard-lambert.html. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
[edit] External links
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Miles O'Keeffe in Tarzan, the Ape Man |
Actors to portray Tarzan 1984 in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes |
Succeeded by Joe Lara in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures |
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