Amalric, Mathieu

(October 25, 1965, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France - )

   The son of journalist Jacques Amalric and literary critic Nicole Zand, he studied Oriental languages before entering films as a property man and canteen man. He started at the same time an acting career (1984 Les Favoris de la Lune, Otar Iosseliani) and notably co-starred in several of Arnaud Desplechin's films (1992 La Sentinelle / UK and USA: The Sentinel; 1996 Comment je me suis disputé ... (ma Vie sexuelle) / USA: My Sex Life ... or How I Got into an Argument; 2004 Rois et Reine / USA: Kings and Queen; 2008 Un Conte de Noël) and in Ameri­can productions (2005 Munich, Steven Spielberg, 2008 Quantum of Solace, Marc Forster). In 2008, his portrayal of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist totally paralyzed except for his left eye after a stroke (he suf­fered from the locked-in syndrome), in Julian Schnabel's Le Scaphandre et le Papillon / The Diving Bell and the But­terfly, was internationally praised, and he won the César Award 2008 for best actor. He had his first contact with directing as trainee assistant director to Louis Malle (1987 Adieu les Enfants / Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder / UK and USA: Goodbye, Children) and was an assistant director from 1992 to 1995 (1992 Border Line, Danièle Dubroux; 1993 L'Absence / Die Abwesenheit / La ausencia / USA: The Absence, Peter Handke, France / Italy / Spain; 1993 Le Journal de Lady M / El diario de Lady M / UK and USA: The Diary of Lady M, Alain Tanner; Switzerland / France / Spain / Belgium; 1994 Lettre pour L . . . , Romain Goupil; Tom est tout seul, Fabien Onteniente).

 Filmography

        ◘ Marre de Café (short)

        ◘ La Seule Différence, c'est que les Cafés sont plus chers (short)

        ◘ Sans Rires (short)

        ◘ Les Yeux au Plafond (short; also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ 8 Bis (short)

1997 ◘ Mange ta Soupe (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

2002 ◘ Le Stade de Wimbledon (also screenwriter, adapter, dialogist; shot in 2000-2001)

2004 ◘ 14, 58 Euros (short)

2007 ◘ Laissez-les grandir ici! (documentary; co-direc­tor only)

 Television Filmography

2003 ◘ La Chose publique (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)