Urbain Cancelier (born 2 August 1959) is a French comedian and actor, primarily known for his collaborations with French film director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and for playing Collignon in Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain.
Career As a theater actor, he has not left the stage since the beginning of the 1980s. He worked several times with Bernard Murat, who made him the ideal interpreter of Georges Feydeau. Overall, he acted in more than thirty plays
In 2015, he received a nomination at the Molière Award for his role in the play Le Système, directed by Didier Long.
Spotted by Jean-Michel Ribes, he joined the series Palace in 1988.
But it was his role as the grocer Collignon in Amélie that popularised him. Since then, he became a regular supporting actor in French cinema.
Personal life He lives in Chalo-Saint-Mars with his wife. He has been elected to the municipal council for 3 terms in his commune.
Theater Year Title Author Director Notes 1985 Les Fourberies de Scapin Molière Jacques Bachelier 1987 Une femme est un Diable Prosper Mérimée Frédérique Aufort 1988 Les Cannibales George Tabori Wolfram Mhering 1989 Séance de nuit Georges Feydeau Jean-Baptiste Fronty C'est une femme du monde Georges Feydeau Jean-Baptiste Fronty 1990 La Dame de chez Maxim Georges Feydeau Bernard Murat1992 Nina André Roussin Bernard Murat A Flea in Her Ear Georges Feydeau Jean-Claude Brialy1993 Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw Bernard Murat Tailleur pour dames Georges Feydeau Bernard Murat 1994 On purge bébé Georges Feydeau Bernard Murat 1995 Monsieur de Saint-Futile Françoise Dorin Jean-Luc Moreau 1996–97 A Flea in Her Ear Georges Feydeau Bernard Murat 1997 The Imaginary Invalid Molière Richard Taxy 1998 Le Mari, la femme et l'amant Sacha Guitry Bernard Murat 1998–99 Frédérick ou le boulevard du crime Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt Bernard Murat 1999–2002 Frou-Frou les Bains Patrick Haudecœur Jacques Décombe 2003–05 Devinez Qui ? Dix petits nègres Agatha Christie Bernard Murat 2005 Amadeus Peter Shaffer Stéphane Hillel 2007 Victor, or Power to the Children Roger Vitrac Alain Sachs 2008–10 César, Fanny, Marius Marcel Pagnol Francis Huster 2009 Les Deux Canards Tristan Bernard & Alfred dAthis Alain Sachs 2010 Boubouroche Georges Courteline Nicolas Briançon 2011 Kingdom on Earth Tennessee Williams Bernard Murat Kramer vs. Kramer Avery Corman Didier Caron2012 Le Dindon Georges Feydeau Bernard Murat A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare Nicolas Briançon 2013–14 Thé à la menthe ou t'es citron ? Patrick Haudecœur Patrick Haudecœur 2015 Le Système Antoine Rault Didier Long Nominated - Molière Award for Best Supporting Actor 2016 Peau de Vache Pierre Barillet & Jean-Pierre Gredy Michel Fau Du vent dans les branches de Sassafras René de Obaldia Bernard Murat 2019–20 Frou-Frou les Bains Patrick Haudecœur Patrick Haudecœur 2023 La Présidente Maurice Hennequin & Pierre Veber Jeoffrey Bourdenet 2025La Valse des pingouinsPatrick HaudecoeurPatrick Haudecoeur
Filmography Year Title Role Director Notes1984 Jeans Tonic A customer Michel Patient Quidam Gérard Marx TV Movie 1988–89 Palace Various characters Jean-Michel Ribes TV Series1989 Le voisin de Paul A passer Jean-Marie Gigon Short Comme d'habitude Bruno Herbulot Short1991 Pierre qui roule The chief Marion Vernoux TV Movie Le gorille Jean-Claude Sussfeld TV series (1 episode) 1994 La Vengeance d'une blonde The delivery guy Jeannot Szwarc 1995 Saint-Exupéry: La dernière mission Barman Robert Enrico TV Movie1996 Ridicule Louis XVI Patrice Leconte Le bourgeois se rebiffe Goubi Jean-Pierre Alessandri TV Movie1997 On Guard Argenson Philippe de Broca Tenue correcte exigée Raoul Duchemin Philippe Lioret1998 Riches, belles, etc. Bunny Godillot Le monde d'Angelo Judge Pascal Kané TV Movie La dame aux camélias Saint Gaudens Jean-Claude Brialy TV Movie2000 H Jean-Luc Moreau TV series (1 episode) Chercheur d'héritiers Marcel Williams Crépin TV series (1 episode)2001 Amélie Collignon Jean-Pierre Jeunet L'emmerdeuse Mr. Duringer Michaël Perrotta TV series (2 episodes)2002 Ma femme s'appelle Maurice Poilard Jean-Marie Poiré Passage du bac Chardon Olivier Langlois TV Movie La crim''' | Xavier Danan | Denis Amar | TV series (1 episode) |- | Femmes de loi| Deslandes | Denis Amar | TV series (1 episode) |- | rowspan=3|2003 | Les gaous| Police Chief | Igor Sekulic
| L'adorable femme des neiges| Adrien | Jean-Marc Vervoort | TV Movie |- | Josephine, Guardian Angel| | Stéphane Kurc | TV series (1 episode) |- | rowspan=3|2004 | Malabar Princess| Gaston | Gilles Legrand
| Intimate Strangers| Chatel | Patrice Leconte
| A Very Long Engagement| The monk | Jean-Pierre Jeunet
| rowspan=1|2005 | 13 Tzameti| Train controller | Géla Babluani
| rowspan=4|2006 | Les aristos| Réginald Saumur Chantilly | Charlotte de Turckheim
| Incontrôlable| The producer | Raffy Shart
| Le phénomène Paul-Émile Raoul| Peter Zbrig | Audrey Najar & Frédéric Perrot | Short |- | Passés troubles| Chardin | Serge Meynard | TV Movie |- | rowspan=2|2007 | The Red Inn| Philippe de Marcillac | Gérard Krawczyk
| Mr. Bean's Holiday| Bus Driver | Steve Bendelack
| rowspan=3|2008 | A Day at the Museum| Bernard | Jean-Michel Ribes
| The Maiden and the Wolves| The doctor | Gilles Legrand
| À droite toute| The doctor | Marcel Bluwal | TV Mini-series |- | rowspan=2|2009 | Micmacs| Urbain | Jean-Pierre Jeunet
| Clara, une passion française| Émile | Sébastien Grall | TV Movie |- | rowspan=5|2011 | Voir la mer| The driver | Patrice Leconte
| You Will Be My Son| Lacourt | Gilles Legrand
| La pisseuse| Ignace | Ronan Denecé & Jean-Baptiste Legrand | Short |- | Bas les coeurs| Barbier | Robin Davis | TV Movie |- | Tout est bon dans le cochon| Mr. Paquet | David Delrieux | TV Movie |- | rowspan=3|2012 | The Suicide Shop| The gynecologist | Patrice Leconte
| Bienvenue parmi nous| The butcher | Jean Becker
| Les pirogues des hautes terres| René Barthes | Olivier Langlois | TV Movie |- | 2013 | Belle and Sebastian| The Mayor | Nicolas Vanier
| 2014 | La séance| Victor | Edouard de La Poëze | Short |- | rowspan=2|2015 | The Scent of Mandarin| Sergeant | Gilles Legrand
| Belle & Sebastian: The Adventure Continues| The Mayor | Christian Duguay
| rowspan=3|2016 | Raid dingue| President of France | Dany Boon
| The Visitors: Bastille Day| The Prison Chief | Jean-Marie Poiré
| Deux escargots s'en vont| Voice | Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Romain Segaud | Short |- | 2017 | L'école buissonnière| Lucien | Nicolas Vanier
| 2018 | Les bonnes intentions| The uncle | Gilles Legrand
| rowspan=2| 2019 | La Belle Époque| Villemain | Nicolas Bedos
| Le Mari au collège| Casimir | Alberic Saint Martin | Short |- | 2020 | Das Boot| Father Michel | Matthias Glasner | TV series (1 episode) |- | rowspan=2| 2021 | Eugénie Grandet| The stone merchant | Marc Dugain
| Simone Veil, A Woman of the Century'' Secretary General Parquet Olivier Dahan
References
External links
CinEmotions.com