- Born
- Height5′ 9¼″ (1.76 m)
- Son of a nurse and a bank employee, Benoît Magimel was born in Paris and grew up there. At age 12, he played Momo in Life Is a Long Quiet River (1988) by Étienne Chatiliez. He stopped his studies at age 16 to become an actor.
But he had a dual personality: on one hand the man of low budget films like A Single Girl (1995), A Minute of Silence (1998), Le roi danse (2000), Déjà mort (1998), Thieves (1996), To Matthieu (2000) alongside Nathalie Baye, The Flower of Evil (2003), Errance (2003), Children of the Century (1999) with Juliette Binoche, The Bridesmaid (2004) with Laura Smet, The Piano Teacher (2001) alongside Isabelle Huppert, and on the other hand also wide audience releases like The Nest (2002), Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004), Trouble (2005), Strange Gardens (2003), and Sky Fighters (2005).
Charming, ambiguous, talented Benoit Magimel will probably illuminate the next decade, and more.- IMDb Mini Biography By: a fan - Benoît was born and bred in Paris. He is the eldest of three children who were born to a bank employee (father) and nurse (mother) whose marriage broke down during Benoît's childhood. With his father largely absent from the domestic home, Benoît shouldered responsibility for the family early and as a young working actor he supported his family financially. Benoît's mother is now an artist who exhibits under the name of Michèle Schmitz. More recently they discovered that her father, Benoît's maternal grandfather, was Hungarian and of Jewsih descent.
Benoît imagined being a fireman as a boy but his life altered dramatically after he saw an advert in a newspaper inviting boys to auditions for Étienne Chatiliez's film Life Is a Long Quiet River. Benoît was successful and cast as the lead child Momo. He enjoyed the experience of filming so much that he decided to become an actor and left regular education at 16 to pursue acting.
After a spate of roles as an adolescent Benoît's career stalled until he was cast in André Téchiné's film Thieves (1996), where he appeared alongside big name actors such as Daniel Auteuil and Catherine Deneuve. He would act with Deneuve again in 2015 in Emmanuelle Bercot's critically acclaimed film La Tête Haute.
Benoît has worked regularly and assembled a prolific CV until 2011/2 when, according to rumour, his drug habits began interfering with his work. In March 2016 Benoît was involved in a minor road collision when he reversed into a pedestrian. In the ensuing fuss he left the scene and was accused later of fleeing from the site of a hit and run. He was arrested and tested positive for cocaine and heroin. He was also driving without a license following disqualification for a series of motor infractions. He admitted to drug problems with spells of treatment for addiction when he appeared in court in April 2016 to answer the first of the charges brought against him in March. Further court appearances are pending.
Benoît is said to have gifted French cinema with the "dark blond". He is a chameleon with comic timing yet capable of embodying deep and dark emotions. Although he is a private individual with a reputation for being serious, some interviewers have found Benoît to be the opposite. He works hard to support his directors and promote the films in which he features by attending film festivals and red carpet events.
Benoît has never married but famously was one of Juliette Binoche's lovers. They met on the set of Diane Kurys's Les Enfants du Siècle. They lived together and had a daughter, Hanna. After he and Juliette separated Benoît met his long-time companion Nikita Lespinasses in 2003 while filming Les Rivières Pourpres 2 - Les Anges de l'apocalypse. Late in their relationship they had a daughter, Djinina before separating shortly thereafter. In 2016 Benoît has a new companion who joined him for the 2016 Césars, where he won for best supporting actor in La Tête Haute.
During his long career Benoît has turned down a number of key roles including that of Marcel Cerdan in La Vie en Rose and the titular role of Mesrine as played subsequently by Vincent Cassel.
Benoît is engaged in a number of new projects including a Netflix original TV series Marseille where he stars opposite Gerard Depardieu.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- ChildrenHannah MagimelDjinina Magimel
- RelativesArnaud Magimel(Sibling)
- His reputation is to be dark, serious, introverted
- Juliette Binoche and he have a daughter, Hannah, born on December 16, 1999.
- His companion for several years was French actress Juliette Binoche (1999-2003).
- He met Juliette Binoche filming Children of the Century (1999) in 1999.
- He read the casting advert for Life Is a Long Quiet River (1988) in the newspaper "Libération".
- Met long-term companion Nikita Samaha on the set of Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004).
- The Bridesmaid (2004) - €610,000
- Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004) - €610,000
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