François Arnaud (actor)
François Arnaud | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Arnaud in 2018 | |
| Born | François Landriault-Barbeau July 5, 1985 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2007–present |
François Landriault-Barbeau (born July 5, 1985), known professionally as François Arnaud, is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Cesare Borgia in the Showtime period drama series The Borgias (2011–2013), Manfred Bernardo in the NBC supernatural drama series Midnight, Texas (2017–2018), and Scott Hunter in the Crave sports romance series Heated Rivalry (2025–present).
Early life and education
[edit]Arnaud was born on July 5, 1985,[1] in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[2] He is French Canadian.[3] The first play he saw was Cyrano de Bergerac at age nine; inspired by the performance, he went home and tried to learn the monologues.[4] Arnaud graduated from Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf with an arts degree.[5] He later trained at the Conservatoire d'art dramatique in Montreal.[6]
Career
[edit]Arnaud started his career in his home country by landing a role in a comedy series called Taxi 0-22 and guest starring in several other Canadian shows.[7] He also starred as Antonin Rimbaud in the French-Canadian film J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother),[8] an Oedipal coming-of-age drama directed by Xavier Dolan.[9] Arnaud received a VFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film for the role,[10] and credits this with getting him an agent in Hollywood who helped him get auditions for larger roles.[11]
Arnaud became known for his performance as Cesare Borgia in the Showtime series The Borgias.[6][12] He portrayed Oscar in the NBC drama series Blindspot.[13] He also starred in Midnight, Texas[14] portraying the troubled psychic Manfred Bernardo from 2017 to 2018. The show filmed in Albuquerque and Arnaud enjoyed exploring the mountains and waterfalls nearby during his five months there.[15]
In 2016, Arnaud filmed Permission in New York City. Later, Arnaud filmed sci-fi thriller Origami, a French-Canadian movie that was shot in his home town of Montreal. The film was so physically and psychologically exhausting for Arnaud that he could not work for a month afterwards so he retreated to a cabin in the woods.[15] In 2017, Arnaud filmed the indie film, She's in Portland with Tommy Dewey, which was released in 2020.[15]
Arnaud featured in an episode of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning show Schitt's Creek as Sebastien Raine, David's ex-boyfriend and photographer.[16] In 2019, the film Rapid Eye Movement was released which saw Arnaud playing a radio DJ whose ratings are falling so he plays a stunt by going without sleep to break a world record. Arnaud shot this in Times Square in a glass booth where he interacted with passersby.[17] Also in 2019, Arnaud started shooting a psychological thriller called Home about a young couple dealing with raising a newborn. He plays opposite Emily Hampshire, whom he met while working on Schitt's Creek. He was cast because Emily would only accept her role if Arnaud played her husband.[17] Arnaud portrayed Dan Moody in The Moodys over two seasons until its cancellation in 2021.[18]
In 2024, Arnaud starred in the music video for "How Far Will We Take It?" by Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus.[19] In 2025, Arnaud starred as ice hockey player Scott Hunter in the Canadian gay sports romance television series Heated Rivalry. The show is based on Canadian writer Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series.[20][21][22] Arnaud also filmed German director Wiebke von Carolsfeld's upcoming drama Someone's Daughter, portraying a man who is kidnapped along with the criminal lawyer who defended him against a rape charge.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Arnaud came out as bisexual on his Instagram on November 19, 2020.[23][24] In May 2023, he announced he had been dating actor Marc Bendavid for a year.[25]
Arnaud speaks French and English. He learned Spanish in high school and later traveled to Latin America, where a Chilean girlfriend helped improve his command of the language. However, he did not use Spanish for a decade before working on The Borgias, which required it.[4]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | I Killed My Mother | Antonin Rimbaud | ||
| Heat Wave | Yannick Ménard | |||
| 2013 | Copperhead | Warner Pitts | ||
| Moroccan Gigolos | Nicholas | |||
| 2014 | Amapola | Luke | ||
| Big Sky | Clete | |||
| 2015 | Caesar | Mark Antony | ||
| The Girl King | Karl Gustav Kasimir | |||
| Rabid Dogs | Vincent | |||
| 2016 | The Man Who Was Thursday | Gabriel Syme | ||
| Jean of the Joneses | Jeremiah Rosen | |||
| The People Garden | Jamie | |||
| 2017 | Permission | Dane | ||
| Origami | David | |||
| 2018 | Rapid Eye Movement | Rick Weider | ||
| 2020 | She's in Portland | Luke | ||
| Paint | Conner Fontaine | |||
| Esther's Choice | Michael | Short film | ||
| 2021 | Goodbye Happiness | Nicolas | ||
| The Winter House | Jesse | |||
| 2022 | Norbourg | Vincent Lacroix | ||
| Marlowe | Nico Peterson | |||
| The Switch | Leblanc | |||
| Two Days Before Christmas | Alex | |||
| 2024 | Mom | Jared | ||
| 2025 | Twinless | Sammy | ||
| In Transit | Tom | |||
| Fucktoys | The Mechanic | |||
| 2026 | Abril | Gabriel | ||
| Someone's Daughter | Paul | |||
| TBA | Keeper of the Cup | Brad | Pre-production |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | C.A. | Serveur resto Maude | Episode: "Réseau rencontre" | |
| 2008 | Taxi 0-22 | Marc-André | 3 episodes | |
| The Double Life of Eleanor Kendall | Stefan | Television film | ||
| 2009–2010 | Yamaska | Théo Carpentier | 15 episodes | |
| 2011–2013 | The Borgias | Cesare Borgia | 29 episodes | |
| 2014 | Apocalypse: World War I | Narrator | 5 episodes | |
| 2015–2016 | X Company | Rene Villiers | 4 episodes | |
| 2015–2016, 2020 | Blindspot | Oscar | 18 episodes | |
| 2017 | Schitt's Creek | Sebastien Raine | Episode: "Sebastien Raine" | |
| High School Lover | Christian Booth | Television film | ||
| 2017–2018 | Midnight, Texas | Manfred Bernardo | ||
| 2018 | UnREAL | Tommy Castelli | 8 episodes | |
| 2019–2021 | The Moodys | Dan Moody | ||
| 2022 | Surface | Harrison | ||
| 2023 | Plan B | Patrick Landry | ||
| Yellowjackets | Paul | 4 episodes | ||
| Quantum Leap | Curtis Bailey | Episode: "This Took Too Long!" | ||
| 2025 | Mr. Big | Jean-François "Jeff" Sauvageau | 10 episodes | |
| 2025–present | Heated Rivalry | Scott Hunter | 5 episodes |
References
[edit]- ^ "davidremington.com". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ "Heated Rivalry's François Arnaud Is Hollywood's Quiet Chameleon". NUVO. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ Nicolaou, Elena. "Do You Have A Crush On François Arnaud Yet?". refinery29.com. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ a b "François Arnaud: Post-Renaissance Man". Interview. June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Interview - François Arnaud for Mon Cinéma". cesare-lucrezia.livejournal.com. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ^ a b "François Arnaud | The Marilyn Denis Show". www.marilyn.ca. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ "François Arnaud | Biography and Filmography | 1985". Hollywood.com. December 10, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Saltz, Rachel (March 12, 2013). "I Killed My Mother, a Xavier Dolan Film". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Gheciu, Alex Nino. "François Arnaud Is Hollywood's Quiet Chameleon". NUVO. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ "François Arnaud Biography". buddytv.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ^ "Cover Story - François Arnaud". New York Moves. April 15, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "François Arnaud Talks The Borgias Season 2, the Third Season, Deleted Scenes, and More". Collider. March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 9, 2015). "François Arnaud Joins NBC Drama Blindspot; LisaGay Hamilton In The Wilding". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2016). "Midnight, Texas: François Arnaud Set As The Lead In NBC Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c "François Arnaud". Interview. July 24, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Schitt's Creek actor François Arnaud comes out as bisexual". NBC News. September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Pop-Culturalist Chats with Rapid Eye Movement's François Arnaud". Pop-Culturalist. September 16, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (June 18, 2021). "The Moodys Canceled At Fox After Two Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ Orville Peck (May 10, 2024). Orville Peck & Noah Cyrus - How Far Will We Take It? (Official Music Video). Retrieved January 9, 2026 – via YouTube.
- ^ Garner, Glenn (December 5, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry's François Arnaud Unpacks Scott's "Cautionary" Rom-Com Episode, Jokes It's "A Different Porn Category"". Deadline. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Sim, Bernardo. "Heated Rivalry: Scott isn't actually clocking Shane, actor says | Out.com". www.out.com. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Malkin, Marc (December 5, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' Star François Arnaud on Episode 3's Surprise Romance, Sex Scenes With [SPOILER] and Coming Out as Bisexual: 'I Didn't Want to Hide'". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Padgett, Donald (September 21, 2020). "'The Borgias' François Arnaud Comes Out as Bisexual to Fight Stigma". Out. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "Who plays Scott Hunter on Heated Rivalry? Meet François Arnaud". South China Morning Post. December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "Francois Arnaud Reveals Relationship with Actor Marc Bendavid Amidst New Series Launch - SSBCrack News". December 5, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- 1985 births
- 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- Canadian atheists
- Canadian bisexual male actors
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male stage actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal alumni
- Living people
- Male actors from Montreal