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Name: Lambert Wilson
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Date of Birth:
August 03, 1958
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Place of Birth:
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Mini-bio:
A prolific French leading man who received his first dose of widespread stateside exposure thanks to his turn as the villainous Merovingian in the final two installments of the Matrix franchise, lanky... read more but handsome actor Lambert Wilson may have previously been noticed by eagle-eyed fans of international film in such art-house efforts as The Belly of an Architect (1987) and Jefferson in Paris (1995). The son of noted French actor Georges Wilson, Lambert was born in Neuilly-sue-Seine, France, in August of 1958. Soon after his graduation from London's prolific Drama Centre in 1977, Wilson took on his first leading role in director Fred Zinnemann's 1982 drama Five Days One Summer. He had previously appeared in numerous French television dramas and a handful of feature films, so his notable onscreen talent was already visible to many, and the burgeoning actor held his own opposite screen heavy Sean Connery. As the decade progressed, Lambert appeared in films by such notable directors as Claude Chabrol (Le Sang des Autres), Andrzej Wajda (Les Possédés), and Carlos Saura (El Dorado) -- all to notable effect. Throughout the 1990s, Wilson became increasingly comfortable with leading-man status thanks to a strong series of featured performances in numerous French productions. Despite the fact that Wilson might not have been easily recognizable to American audiences, his small roles in numerous art-house hits continued to hint at the possibility of future international stardom. It was during this period that Wilson was also becoming increasingly prominent on-stage due to memorable and high-profile performances alongside such heavies as Maggie Smith (La Machine Infernale), Judi Dench (A Little Night Music), and his father (Eurydice). In 1994 Lambert directed himself in a production of Musset's Les Caprices de Marianne, which went on to tour throughout France after a successful run in Paris. After Wilson's international breakthrough in 2003's The Matrix Reloaded, audiences worldwide could rest assured that they would be seeing plenty more of the talented actor in the very near future -- and that's not even taking into account the continuation of his Merovingian role in The Matrix Revolutions. Even as Lambert was on the verge of international stardom with the announcement of his involvement with such high-profile U.S. releases as Richard Donner's Timeline and the big-budget superhero film Catwoman (directed by stylish French director Pitof), he still remained true to his roots by simultaneously appearing in such undeniably French productions as Alain Resnais' Pas sur la Bouche (2003) and Nadine Trintignant's small-screen drama Colette. In addition to his acting career, Wilson has narrated classical works under the direction of some of the world's most notable conductors, and has released a pair of albums featuring both classic songs from American musicals and the golden age of French cinema. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Lambert Wilson mini-bio: Since graduating from London’s Drama Centre, multi-talented French actor Lambert Wilson has worked extensively in films and stage on both sides of the Atlantic. He recently wrapped production on two features: Babylon A.D. directed by Mathieu Kassovitz and starring Vin Diesel and The Heaven Project with Paul Walker about a reformed criminal who wants to be reunited with his family. In addition, he will next be seen in the independent film Flawless with Demi Moore and Michael Caine. Wilson previously starred in the Alain Resnais film Private Fears in Public Places marking his third collaboration with the director. However, it was Wilson’s role as ‘Merovingian’ in both Matrix sequels (Reloaded and Revolutions) that first captured the attention of American audiences.
Wilson has been nominated five times for the French Cesar (equivalent of our Academy Awards), most recently for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Fabian Onteniente’s comedy Jet Set. His first starring role was opposite Sean Connery in Five Days One Summer. He has also worked with Penelope Cruz in the adventure film Sahara; Halle Berry in Catwoman; Jodie Foster in Claude Chabrol’s The Blood of Others and with Juliette Binoche in Rendez-Vous. Other film credits include the Resnais’ films Pas Sur la Bouche with Audrey Tatou and Same Old Song; Richard Donner’s Timeline; Andrzej Wajda’s The Possessed; Peter Greenaway’s The Belly of an Architect; Carlos Saura’s El Dorado; James Ivory’s acclaimed Jefferson in Paris; Vera Belmont’s Red Kiss and Marquise; John Duigan’s The Leading Man; Jacques Doillon’s Trop(peu) d’amour; Deborah Warner’s The Last September; and Raul Ruiz’ Combat d’amour en Songe, among others.
On stage, Wilson has performed in both French and English. He just completed a series of performances (in English) of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, in which he portrayed three different characters: ‘Voltaire,’ ‘Pangloss’ and ‘Martin.’ Previously, he starred in A Little Night Music, directed by Sean Matthias, with Judi Dench for the Royal National Theater in London and in Harold Pinter’s Ashes to Ashes. Other stage credits include L’Amour de L’Amour, La Machine Infernale, La Celestine, Eurydice and Ruy Blas. Wilson has also directed himself in Musset’s Les Caprices de Marianne, which opened in Peter Brooks’ Theatre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, and subsequently toured throughout France. In addition he directed Kristen Scott Thomas and performed in Racine’s Berenice at the Avignon Festival and at the Chaillot National Theatre in Paris.
As a singer, Wilson recorded an album of songs from the Great American musicals entitled Musicals. The album, released by EMI and produced by John McGlinn, formed the basis of his concert series Lambert Wilson chante at the Casino de Paris and on tour. He recorded a collection of classic songs from the golden age of French cinema entitled Demon et Merveilles on Virgin Classics as well and opened the new Theatre des Abbesses in Paris with concert performances based on these recordings. The show, also titled Demons et Merveilles, toured France and was presented in Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan. In addition, Wilson is set to go back into the studio to record his first pop album of French songs for EMI.
