Alain Chabat (; born 24 November 1958) is a French actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, producer and television presenter. He was originally known for his work in the comedy group
Les Nuls
''Les Nuls'' (also known as ''ABCD Nuls'') was a French group of comedians appearing between 1987 and 1992 on the channel Canal+. The actors Alain Chabat, Dominique Farrugia, Chantal Lauby and Bruno Carette
Bruno Carette (1956–1989) was a Fre ...
, including as the co-writer and lead actor of ''
La Cité de la peur
( "The City of Fear"), also known as ("The Les Nuls Movie"), is a 1994 French comedy film written by and starring Chantal Lauby, Alain Chabat and Dominique Farrugia of the comedy group Les Nuls, and directed by Alain Berbérian in 1994.
The m ...
'' (1994). He has since then become a notable filmmaker of his own, typically both writing and starring in the movies he directed, which include cult comedy films such as ''
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'', ''
RRRrrrr!!!
''RRRrrrr!!!'' is a 2004 French comedy film, co-written, produced and directed by Alain Chabat. It stars Maurice Barthélémy, Pierre-François Martin-Laval, Jean-Paul Rouve, Marina Foïs, Elise Larnicol, Alain Chabat, Pascal Vincent, Jean ...
'', ''
Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami
''Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami'' (original title: ''Sur la piste du Marsupilami'') is a 2012 Franco-Belgian CGI animated/live-action comedy film co-written and directed by Alain Chabat. It is based on the comics series '' Marsupilami'' ...
'' and ''Santa & Cie''.
He also appeared in ''
French Twist'', ''
The Taste of Others
''The Taste of Others'' (french: Le Goût des autres ) is a 2000 French film. It was directed by Agnès Jaoui, and written by her and Jean-Pierre Bacri. It stars Jean-Pierre Bacri, Anne Alvaro, Alain Chabat, Agnès Jaoui, Gérard Lanvin and Chr ...
'', ''
The Science of Sleep
''The Science of Sleep'' (French: ''La Science des rêves'', literally ''The Science of Dreams'') is a 2006 Franco–Italian surrealistic science fantasy comedy film written and directed by Michel Gondry. Starring Gael García Bernal, Charlotte G ...
'', ''
Happily Ever After'' and the television series ''
Kaamelott
''Kaamelott'' is a French comedy medieval fantasy television series created, directed, written, scored, and edited by Alexandre Astier, who also starred as the main character. Based on the Arthurian legends, it followed the daily lives of King Arth ...
''. Additionally, he voiced
the title character in the French dubbing of the
''Shrek'' franchise.
Life and career
Chabat was born in
Oran
Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
,
French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
.
[ He is ]Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish.
His media career began in 1987 when he founded the comedy group "Les Nuls" (The Lame-os) with Bruno Carette
Bruno Carette (1956–1989) was a French humorist and comedian. He was a member and founder of the group of comedians ''Les Nuls'' alongside Alain Chabat, Chantal Lauby and Dominique Farrugia.
Filmography
* 1988 : '' Sans peur et sans reproche ...
, Chantal Lauby
Chantal Lauby (born 23 March 1948) is a French actress, film director, screenwriter, humorist, comedian and television host. She is a member and founder of the group of comedians '' Les Nuls'' alongside Bruno Carette, Alain Chabat and Dominique ...
and Dominique Farrugia
Dominique Farrugia (born 2 September 1962) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, humorist and comedian. He is a member and founder of the group of comedians ''Les Nuls'' alongside Alain Chabat, Chantal Lauby and Bruno C ...
. Les Nuls' first appearance on French television
Television in France was introduced in 1931, Timeline of the introduction of television in countries, when the first experimental broadcasts began. Colour television was introduced in October 1967 on France 2, La Deuxième Chaîne.
Digital terre ...
, on the subscriber channel Canal Plus, was a sci-fi spoof entitled ''Objectif Nul'' (a word play with ''Objectif Lune'', the French title of the comic album '' Destination Moon'', one of ''The Adventures of Tintin
''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comi ...
''). The show shares striking similarities with the British TV series Red Dwarf
''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
, although both shows were released at roughly the same time and it is unlikely one influenced the other.
Both as a member of Les Nuls (in ''La Cité de la Peur'') and in his solo efforts (including '' Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'', in which he both directed and acted), Chabat is one of the few French comedians who has managed to successfully emulate the heavily referential, pop-culture-based writing style of the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (abbreviated to ZAZ) were an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specialized in writing slapstick comedy films during the 1980s.
History
David Zucker, J ...
trio and adapt it to the tastes of the French audience.
Chabat also voiced the title character in the French dubs of all four Shrek
''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenso ...
films, replacing Mike Myers
Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywoo ...
. He won the César Award for Best Debut Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol
* ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
* César Award, a French film award
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* C ...
in 1998 for '' Didier''.
He co-starred in '' Happily Ever After'' (2004) and in ''Prête-moi ta main
''I Do'' (french: Prête-moi ta main; ) or ''Rent a Wife'' (international working title), is a 2006 French romantic comedy film directed by Éric Lartigau, based on an original idea by Alain Chabat. The film stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chaba ...
'' (2006) (which he also wrote) alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...
. He played Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in the 2009 film '' Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian''.
Starting from 21 November 2022, Chabat will host Le Late avec Chabat on TF1 which will run for 10 episodes during the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
Interview of Alain Chabat
''Artistik Rezo''. 2010-06-15.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chabat, Alain
1958 births
Living people
Jewish French male actors
French male film actors
French male voice actors
French humorists
French people of Algerian-Jewish descent
Pieds-Noirs
People from Oran
French film directors
French film producers
French male screenwriters
French screenwriters
20th-century French male actors
21st-century French male actors
French male television actors