Benoît Poelvoorde
Actor
Biography
Benoît Poelvoorde is a Belgian actor, comedian, and filmmaker, born on September 22, 1964, in Namur, Belgium. He first gained recognition with the cult film C'est arrivé près de chez vous (1992), a darkly comedic mockumentary where he played a serial killer with unsettling charm. This film launched his career and established his unique blend of humor and intensity.
Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, Poelvoorde became a staple of Franco-Belgian cinema, starring in comedies like Les Randonneurs (1997), Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert (2001), and Podium (2004), where he portrayed an obsessive Claude François impersonator—a role that earned him a César nomination. His versatility allowed him to transition into more dramatic roles, such as Entre ses mains (2005) and Coco avant Chanel (2009), where he starred alongside Audrey Tautou.
In recent years, Poelvoorde has continued to balance absurdist comedy (Au poste !, Fumer fait tousser) with auteur-driven projects (Le Tout Nouveau Testament, Saint-Amour). His ability to oscillate between slapstick humor and introspective performances makes him one of the most distinctive actors in European cinema
As Director
Filmography
Asterix at the Olympic Games
as Brutus 2008
The Brand New Testament
as God 2015
Sink or Swim
as Marcus 2018
Nothing to Declare
as Ruben Vandevoorde 2010
Coco Before Chanel
as Étienne Balsan 2009
Man Bites Dog
as Ben 1992
Beating Hearts
as La Brosse 2024
Keep an Eye Out
as Commissioner Buron 2018
Romantics Anonymous
as Jean-René Van Den Hugde 2010
How I Became a Superhero
as Monté Carlo 2020
Podium
as Bernard Frédéric 2004
Family for Rent
as Paul-André 2015
Dead Weight
as Francis Reggio 2002
Smoking Causes Coughing
as Lézardin 2022
Jean-Philippe
as Bernard Frédéric, double of Claude François 2006
Venice Calling
as Bernard Chamodot 2019
My Worst Nightmare
as Patrick Demeuleu 2011