Denis Lavant
| Denis Lavant | |
|---|---|
 Lavant in 2010 at the Deauville American Film Festival |
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| Born | July 17, 1961 Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
Denis Lavant (born 17 June 1961) is a French film 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 starring roles in Claire Denis' Beau Travail and Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely, which features Carax in a supporting role.
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[edit] Biography
Lavant was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine in France. Lavant began acting professionally in 1982 and appeared in minor roles before making his breakthrough in 1984 as the lead in Boy Meets Girl, the directorial debut of Leos Carax, with whose films he 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 iconic 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.[1] 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.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1982 | L'ombre sur la plage |
| 1982 | Les Misérables |
| 1983 | After Midnight |
| 1983 | Paris ficelle |
| 1983 | At First Sight |
| 1983 | The Wounded Man |
| 1984 | Long Live Life |
| 1984 | Boy Meets Girl |
| 1985 | Going and Coming Back |
| 1986 | Mauvais Sang |
| 1987 | L'étendu |
| 1989 | Once Around the Park |
| 1989 | Mona and I |
| 1991 | C'est merveilleux |
| 1991 | Les Amants du Pont-Neuf |
| 1992 | Drôle d'immeuble |
| 1993 | Fuis la nuit |
| 1993 | Forced to Be with Others |
| 1994 | The Chess Game |
| 1995 | L'ennemi |
| 1995 | Obviously I Need You |
| 1997 | Wild Animals |
| 1998 | Don Juan |
| 1998 | Le monde à l'envers |
| 1998 | Melody for a Hustler |
| 1999 | Beau travail |
| 1999 | Tuvalu |
| 2000 | Deep in the Woods |
| 2000 | The Squale |
| 2001 | Married/Unmarried |
| 2001 | Affaire Libinski |
| 2002 | Sous-commandant Père Noël |
| 2002 | La merveilleuse odyssée de l'idiot Toboggan |
| 2004 | Low Street |
| 2004 | Luminal |
| 2004 | A Very Long Engagement |
| 2004 | Le soldat inconnu vivant |
| 2005 | Wild Camp |
| 2006 | Elegant |
| 2007 | Le passeur |
| 2007 | Mister Lonely |
| 2007 | Captain Ahab |
| 2007 | Iyi Seneler Londra |
| 2008 | Tokyo! (Segment "Merde") |
| 2008 | Comment Albert vit bouger les montagnes |
| 2009 | Les Williams |
| 2009 | Tamanrasset |
| 2009 | The Temptation of St. Tony |
| 2009 | Les cow-boys n'ont pas peur de mourir |
| 2009 | Obsession(s) |
| 2010 | Bury our Dogs |
| 2010 | Je, François Villon, voleur, assassin, poète |
| 2010 | Tandis qu'en bas des hommes en armes |
| 2010 | Hitler in Hollywood |
| 2011 | My Little Princess |
| 2011 | Les amours perdues |
| 2011 | Le petit poucet |
| 2011 | L'oeil de l'astronome |
| 2012 | Holly Motors |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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