(1950- )
Actor. Daniel Auteuil was born in Algeria to a father who was an opera singer. Auteuil started his career as a stage actor at the Théâtre National Populaire in Paris and a performer in musicals, forming part of the chorus in the Paris production of Godspell in1972. A few years later, he debuted onscreen in Girard Pires's L'Agression (1974). Early in his film career Auteuil played one of the "undergifted"—a title that would carry quite a bit of irony later on—in Claude Zidi's comedies Les sous-doués (1978), Bête mais discipliné (1979), and Les sous-doués en vacances (1981). He also played in Edouard Molinaro's Pour cent briques, t'as plus rien (1982), L'Amour en douce (1984), and Palace (1985), where he first worked alongside his former wife, Emmanuel Béart.
Although Auteuil is talented in comedy, his very best performances would be in drama. He won a César Award for Best Supporting Actor in Claude Berri's Jean de Florette (1986), the heritage film that launched his stardom. He went on to win a number of prestigious awards, including two Césars for Best Actor in Berri's Manon des sources (1986) and Patrice Leconte's La fille sur le pont (1999), and Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in Jaco van Dormael's Le huitième jour (1996). He also won two European Film Academy Best Actor Awards, one for Claude Sautet's Un coeur en hiver (1992) and one for Michael Haneke's Caché (2005), as well as a Lumière Award for his title role in Benoît Jacquot's Sade (2000), and the Golden Goblet at the Shanghai International Film Festival in Francis Veber's Le Placard (2001).Auteuil is often a presence at the César awards. He received nominations for Best Actor in Sautet's Quelques jours avec moi (1988), Girod's Lacenaire (1990), André Téchiné's Ma saison préférée (1993), Christian Vincent's La séparation (1994), Philippe de Broca's Le Bossu (1997), Pierre Salvadori's Après vous (2003), and Olivier Marchal's 36 Quai des Orfèvres (2004). He has worked with a number of female directors, including Coline Serreau on Romuald et Juliette (1989), Josiane Balasko on Ma vie est un enfer (1991), Nicole Garcia on L'Adversaire (2002), Hélène Angel on Recontre avec le dragon (2003), and Laetitia Masson on Pourquoi (pas) le Brésil (2004).
Auteuil is one of France's most respected contemporary actors, well known for his ability to master diverse genres. He has delivered leading roles in numerous comedies, dramas, period pieces, heritage films, romances, and thrillers. His additional noteworthy performances are in Patrice Chéreau's La Reine Margot (1994), Régis Wargnier's Une femme française (1995), Téchiné's Les Voleurs (1996), Girod's Passage à l'acte (1996), Berri's Lucie Aubrac (1997), Michel Blanc's Mauvaise passe (1999), Leconte's La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000), Roberto Andô's Sotto falso nome (2004), Bob Swaim's Nos amis les flics (2004), Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu's Peindre ou faire l'amour (2005), and Veber's La Doublure (2006).
Historical Dictionary of French Cinema by Dayna Oscherwitz & Mary Ellen Higgins