Gérard Lanvin (; born 21 June 1950) is a French actor.
Biography Born to an upper-class family, Lanvin quit his studies when he was 17 to become an actor, against the wishes of his parents. For several years he made a living selling second-hand clothes. While selling jeans, he met Coluche and Miou-Miou and discovered through them the café-théâtre scene. He later become a regular performer at the Café de la Gare, where he also held various duties such as stagehand and lighting manager. In 1975, he created the theater La Veuve Pichard in Paris, together with other actors including Anémone and Martin Lamotte.
Coluche offered him his first major film role in the comedy Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine (1977). However, following the film's box-office failure, Lanvin struggled for a time to find roles. In 1980, he played a starring role in the drama A Week's Vacation. Lanvin next gained notice for his role in the psychological thriller Strange Affair (1981), which earned him the Jean-Gabin Award. Lanvin then starred in several crime and action films, including the dystopic science fiction thriller Le prix du danger (1983).
In 1984, Lanvin enjoyed particular success by co-starring with Michel Blanc in the comedy film Marche à l'ombre. This was followed the next year by another box-office hit, the action film Les Spécialistes, in which Lanvin co-starred with Bernard Giraudeau.
Several of Lanvin's subsequent films were commercial disappointments, notably the romantic comedy Moi vouloir toi (1986) which he had scripted as a vehicle for himself and his wife Jennifer. In 1994, he returned to success by starring in the drama The Favourite Son for which he won the César Award for Best Actor.
During the 2000s, Lanvin appeared in several popular comedies, winning the César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role with The Taste of Others (2000). Other box-office successes included the comedies 3 Zéros (2002), Camping (2006) and the gangster film Les Lyonnais (2011).
Personal life
Lanvin has been married since 1984 to Chantal Benoist, who was active during the 1970s and 1980s as an actress, model and disco singer under the stage name Jennifer. They have two children.
Selected filmography Year Title Role Director1976L'aile ou la cuisseCircus guy Claude Zidi 1977Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la LorraineThe White KnightColuche1979Heroes Are Not Wet Behind the EarsThe GuardCharles Nemes1980A Week's VacationPierreBertrand Tavernier LéoJacques Bral1981Le Choix des armesInspecteur SarlatAlain CorneauStrange AffairLouis ColinePierre Granier-Deferre 1982Antoine BérangerJean-Claude Missiaen1983Le Prix du DangerFrançois JacquemardYves Boisset 1984Inspecteur Gu ArenasJean-Claude MissiaenMarche à l'ombreFrançoisMichel Blanc 1985Les SpécialistesStéphane CarellaPatrice Leconte 1986Moi vouloir toi Patrick Montanet Patrick Dewolf 1986The Joint BrothersManu Hervé Palud 1988SaxoSam FriedmanAriel Zeitoun 1989My Best PalsPatrickJean-Marie Poiré 1990 There Were Days... and Moonsthe truckerClaude Lelouch 1992La Belle Histoirethe gypsy named JesusClaude Lelouch 1993Les MarmotteMax Élie Chouraqui1994The Favourite SonJean-Paul MantegnaNicole Garcia 1995-1996François Kléber (TV series, 6 episodes)François KléberPatrick Jamain1996My ManJeannotBertrand Blier 2000 The Taste of OthersFranck MorenoAgnès Jaoui 2001 ÉtienneAntoine de Caunes 2002Le BouletGérard MoltèsAlain Berbérian and Frédéric Forestier Ice Age Manny French Dub, voice3 ZérosAlain ColonnaFabien Onteniente 2004San-AntonioSan-AntonioFrédéric Auburtin 2006CampingMichel Saint-JosseFabien Onteniente 2008Mesrine (part 2 only)Charlie BauerJean-François Richet2009Bank Error in Your FavourJulien FoucaultGérard Bitton and Michel Munz2010Point BlankCaptain Patrick WernerFred Cavayé 2011Les Lyonnais (A Gang Story)Edmond Vidal, alias "Momon"Olivier Marchal2013AngéliqueCount Joffrey de PeyracAriel Zeitoun2014Get Well SoonPierre LaurentJean Becker96 hoursGabriel CarréFrédéric Schoendoerffer Colt 45 Commandant Christian Chavez Fabrice du Welz2015French CuisineAlexFlorent-Emilio Siri2020Papi SitterAndré MoralesPhilippe Guillard2020Rogue CityMaranzanoOlivier Marchal2021Fly Me Away Dr. Henri ReinhardChristophe Barratier2024Quatre ZérosAlain Colonna Fabien Onteniente2025Last BulletReszGuillaume Pierret2026Redemptions (Rédemptions)Luc Picard
Discography Albums YearAlbumChartsCertificationFRABEL(Wa)2021Ici-bas1035
Awards 1982: Jean-Gabin Award for Strange Affair 1995: The Favourite Son for The Favourite Son 2001: César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Taste of Others Nominations 1982: César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Strange Affair 1983: César Award for Best Actor for Tir groupé
References
External links
Allociné page (French)