Vincent Cassel
 |
Vincent Cassel | |
|---|---|
 Cassel at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | Vincent Crochon 23 November 1966 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Director |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Monica Bellucci (1999–present) |
| Website | http://www.vincentcassel.com |
Vincent Cassel (French pronunciation: [vɛ̃sɑ̃ kasɛl]; born 23 November 1966) is a Cesar award winning French actor probably best known to English-speaking audiences through his performances in the Ocean's Trilogy of films and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.
Personal life
Cassel was born Vincent Crochon in Paris, France, to Sabine Litique, a journalist, and French actor Jean-Pierre Cassel (born Jean-Pierre Crochon).[1][2] He is married to Italian actress Monica Bellucci, with whom he has two daughters, Deva (born September 12, 2004)[3] and Léonie (born 21 May 2010).[4] His brother Mathias is a rapper with the group Assassin under the name "Rockin' Squat".[5] His half-sister, Cécile Cassel, is an actress.[6] He has a passion for Capoeira and displayed his talent in the movie Ocean's Twelve.[7] Besides his native French language, Cassel speaks English, Portuguese, and Italian. He learned basic conversational Russian for his role in Eastern Promises.[8]
Career
Cassel's breakthrough role was in Mathieu Kassovitz's critically acclaimed film La Haine where he played a troubled youth from the deprived outskirts of Paris. He has gone on to act in a variety of films such as the moody L'Appartement (with Monica Bellucci before they married),[5] the violent Dobermann, the genre-bending Le Pacte des Loups (in English, Brotherhood of the Wolf), and the highly controversial Irréversible, where he appears fully nude.
Cassel has also done a number of English-language films, such as Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, Derailed, Birthday Girl, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, Elizabeth, Eastern Promises, and Shrek (as the voice of Monsieur Hood). In 2006, he appeared in Sheitan, in which he played a shepherd who carries out satanic rituals. In 2008, he appeared in two movies about Jacques Mesrine, who was France's "public enemy number one" in the seventies.[5] Cassel received the 2009 Cesar award for best actor for his performance in "Mesrine," directed by Jean-Francois Richet.
An early appearance on British television was as Nicole's boyfriend in the 1994 Renault Clio advert which was used in the UK.[5]
In October 2008, L'Oréal signed Cassel to be the face of a new Yves Saint Laurent men's fragrance. The new fragrance, La Nuit de l'Homme, was launched worldwide in March 2009.
In 2009, he made his debut as a singer on Zap Mama's album ReCreation, singing alongside them on the singles "Paroles, Paroles" and "Non, Non, Non."
He played Thomas Leroy in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed Black Swan (2010), alongside Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Métisse | Max | |
| 1995 | La Haine | Vinz | Nominated – César Award for Best Actor Nominated – César Award for Most Promising Actor |
| Jefferson in Paris | Camille Desmoulins | ||
| 1996 | L'élève | Julien | |
| L'Appartement | Max | ||
| 1997 | Dobermann | Yann le Pentrec (Dobermann) | |
| Come mi vuoi | Pasquale | ||
| 1998 | Elizabeth | Duc d'Anjou | |
| 1999 | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc | Gilles de Rais | |
| Guest House Paradiso | Gino Bolognese | ||
| 2000 | Crimson Rivers | Max Kerkerian | Nominated – European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor |
| 2001 | Brotherhood of the Wolf | Jean-François de Morangias | |
| Shrek | Monsieur Hood | Voice only | |
| Birthday Girl | Alexei | ||
| Sur mes lèvres | Paul | Nominated – César Award for Best Actor | |
| 2002 | Ice Age | Diego | Voice only (French-language version) |
| Irréversible | Marcus | Also Co-Producer | |
| 2003 | The Reckoning | Lord De Guise | |
| 2004 | Blueberry | Mike S. Blueberry | |
| Agents Secrets | Brisseau | ||
| Ocean's Twelve | François Toulour | ||
| 2005 | Derailed | LaRoche | |
| 2006 | Sheitan | Joseph | Also Producer |
| 2007 | Ocean's Thirteen | François Toulour | |
| Eastern Promises | Kirill | ||
| Sa Majesté Minor | Satyre | ||
| 2008 | Mesrine | Jacques Mesrine | César Award for Best Actor Lumiere Award for Best Actor Étoiles d’Or Award for Best Actor Tokyo International Film Festival Award for Best Actor Nominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor |
| 2009 | Lascars | Tony Merguez | Voice only |
| Adrift (À Deriva) | Matias | ||
| 2010 | Notre Jour Viendra | Patrick | Also Producer Alternate Tite: Our Day Will Come |
| Black Swan | Thomas Leroy | Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| 2011 | The Monk | Capucino Ambrosio | |
| A Dangerous Method | Otto Gross | In production |
References
- ^ France-Presse, Agence (21 April 2007). "Jean-Pierre Cassel, 74, Actor Who Starred in '60s French Comedies, Dies". The New York Times.
- ^ Secher, Benjamin (28 July 2009). "Vincent Cassel interview for Mesrine". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Stephen M. Silverman (14 September 2004). "Passion Actress Bellucci Has Baby Girl". People. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Peter Mikelbank (24 May 2010). "Monica Bellucci Welcomes Daughter Léonie". People. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Vincent Cassel". Oh No They Didn't!. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Annabel Rivkin (20 April 2009). "French Fancy: Cécile Cassel". ES Magazine. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Thelma Adams (13 December 2010). "Vincent Cassel: A Q&A With the Black Swan Star". Huffington Post. USA. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001993/bio
External links
- Vincent Cassel's Films at subtitledonline.com
- VincentCassel.com (Official site)
- Vincent Cassel at IMDb
- CNN interview with Vincent Cassel