Benoît Poelvoorde
Known For
Acting
Born
1964-09-22 in Namur, Belgium
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
Most Known For
Quotidien
as Self - Guest
Vivement dimanche
as Self
C à vous
as Self - Guest
Beau geste
as Self
Quelle époque !
as Self - Guest
How to Make a Killing
as Major Roland Bodin
Beating Hearts
as La Brosse
Represent
as Éric Andréï
Louise-Michel
as Guy l'ingénieur
Asterix at the Olympic Games
as Brutus
Narco
as Lenny Barr
Jean-Philippe
as Bernard Frédéric, double of Claude François
3 Hearts
as Marc Beaulieu
Cowboy
as Daniel Piron
Le Pied
as Le pied (voice)
Démodé
Podium
as Bernard Frédéric
Dead Weight
as Francis Reggio
Adoration
as Hinkel
A Town Called Panic
as Steven (voice)