Malik Zidi (born 14 February 1975)[1] is a French film, television and theatre actor. He is a César Award recipient for Most Promising Actor.[2]

Malik Zidi
Malik Zidi in 2013
Born (1975-02-14) 14 February 1975 (age 49)
OccupationActor
Years active1996-present

Life and career

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Malik Zidi was born in Châtenay-Malabry to a Kabyle Algerian[3] father and a Breton mother.[4] He spent his formative years in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, a suburb of Paris. Zidi abandoned his conventional studies early to concentrate on a career in comedy. Following courses at the Théâtre Véronique Nordey, and the Théâtre de Proposition in Paris, he briefly studied acrobatics and mime at the Théâtre de la Piscine and cinema at the Studio Pygmalion. Zidi made his first film appearance in the 1998 Sébastien Lifshitz-directed Les Corps ouverts.

In 2000, Zidi was chosen by director François Ozon to appear as the troubled, lovelorn, bisexual youth Franz in the Teddy Award-winning film Water Drops on Burning Rocks (French:Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes). The film was based on the play Tropfen auf heisse Steine by German film director and screenwriter Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film is a four-part comedy-drama shot entirely on one set and featuring only four actors: Zidi, Bernard Giraudeau, Ludivine Sagnier and American actress Anna Levine. Zidi's role in Water Drops on Burning Rocks garnered him his first of four César Award nominations.[2]

Malik Zidi followed up with roles in the 2002 Antoine Santana-directed Un moment de bonheur (English: One Moment of Happiness) opposite Isild Le Besco, earning his second César Award nomination for Most Promising Actor.[2] In 2004, he appeared in the André Téchiné-directed romantic drama Les Temps qui changent (English release title: Changing Times) as Sami, the bisexual son of Cécile (portrayed by Catherine Deneuve), who visits his parents in Tangiers so that he may visit his Moroccan boyfriend. The film also starred actor Gérard Depardieu and was nominated for a Satellite Award. Zidi received his third César Award nomination.

In 2006, Zidi appeared in the Emmanuel Bourdieu-drama Les Amitiés maléfiques (English release title: Poison Friends). The film was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival and Bourdieu received the Critics Week Grand Prize and the Grand Golden Rail. The film also won the SACD Screenwriting Award and Zidi was once again nominated for a César Award, winning the Award for Most Promising Actor 2007.[5]

In addition to film, Zidi has appeared in numerous television roles.

In 2020, Zidi penned his first novel L'ombre du soir, which was published by Éditions Anne Carrière.[6]

Personal life

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Zidi currently resides in the Ile-de-France.[7] He lists Michel Piccoli and Laurent Terzieff as his "heroes" and is a jazz aficionado.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 Open Bodies Classroom mate
1998 Place Vendôme Sam's Son
1998 Le Onzième commandement
2000 Water Drops on Burning Rocks Franz Nominated—César Award for Most Promising Actor
2000 The Judge Is a Woman Yvan TV series
2000 Deuxième vie The cybercafé waiter
2001 Vertiges Nico TV series
2001 Sa mère, la pute Bimbo Telefilm
2002 Un moment de bonheur Philippe Nominated—César Award for Most Promising Actor
2002 Almost Peaceful Joseph
2002 Froid comme l'été Baudelaire
2003 My Children Are Different Thomas
2003 The Thibaults Jacques Thibault TV mini-series
2004 Sissi, l'impératrice rebelle Rodolphe Telefilm
2004 Old Goriot Eugène de Rastignac Telefilm
2004 Changing Times Sami Nominated—César Award for Most Promising Actor
2005 Looking for Cheyenne Pierre
2005 Les Rois maudits Philippe VI de Valois TV miniseries
2006 Beyond the Ocean Bruno
2006 Poison Friends Eloi Duhaut César Award for Most Promising Actor
Nominated—Lumières Award for Most Promising Actor
2006 Le Grand Meaulnes Franz
2007 Jacquou le Croquant Touffu
2007 Les Camarades François TV mini-series
2007 Les Zygs, le secret des disparus Jean / Béjean Telefilm
2007 Le Baiser The man Short film
2007 Faits divers Franck Short film
2008 Rendez-vous au tas de sable... Vincent Short film
2008 Miroir, mon beau miroir Lepic Telefilm
2008 La Mort n'oublie personne Jean Ricouart Telefilm
2008 Geliebte Clara Johannes Brahms
2009 Après moi Hugo Telefilm
2009 Ex Marc
2009 Un chat un chat Antoine
2009 Venus and Apollo Paul
2009 Sweet France Mourad Chaouche Telefilm
2009 The Queen of Clubs Aurélien
2010 Mysteries of Lisbon Visconde de Armagnac
2011 Mysteries of Lisbon Visconde de Armagnac TV mini-series
2011 Rebellion JP Perrot
2012 The Gordji Affair Luc Delair Telefilm
2012 Le Silence et l'Oubli Emmanuel Short film
2012 Lines of Wellington Octave de Ségur
2012 Berthe Morisot Édouard Manet Telefilm
2012 As Linhas de Torres Vedras Octave de Ségur TV mini-series
2012 A Child of Yours Victor
2013 Amaro amore Andrè
2013 The Marchers Philippe
2013 Loulou, l'incroyable secret Loulou (voice) Animated film
2013 Robbery on the Champs-Élysées Mathieu Short film
2014 Sire Gauvain et le Chevalier Vert Bertilak / Le Chevalier Vert Short film
2015 Le Ciel du centaure Ingeniero
2015 The Assistant Thomas Lemans
2015 Made in France Sam
2016 Daguerrotype Thomas
2016 Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge André Debierne
2017 Gauguin - Voyage de Tahiti Henri Vallin
2017 Nox Raphaël Berger TV mini-series
Nominated - ACS Award for Best Actor
2018 Tout ce qu'il me reste de la révolution Saïd
2019 Play Mathias Adler
2019 Vers la bataille Louis
2021 Oxygen Léo Ferguson
2022 Qu'est-ce qu'elle a ma famille? Mathieu Telefilm
2022 Sons of Ramses Michaël
2023 Disparition inquiétante Ludovic Minghetti TV mini-series

Other awards

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References

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  1. ^ ifrance.com Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c "Accueil - Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma". www.lescesarducinema.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  3. ^ McLeod, George (2022). "Race and Terrorism in French Cinema: Discourses of Whiteness and "Brown Threat" in Nicolas Boukhrief's Made in France". Bulletin of Francophone Postcolonial Studies: 13. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  4. ^ « Mon père travaillait dans l’informatique et ma mère était pharmacienne. Je suis l’aîné. Ils ont dû rêver que je fasse médecine. Mes parents s’en sont sortis grâce à l’école, ils viennent tous les deux d’un milieu humble : mon père est issu du milieu ouvrier en Algérie ; ma mère vient d’une famille de paysans près de Concarneau. Tous les deux ont connu une ascension sociale grâce à l’école. », « Au début de ma carrière, j’avais peur d’être un intrus», Libération, January 2010
  5. ^ VCU French Film Festival
  6. ^ Zidi, Malik (2020). L'ombre du soir (in French). Paris: Éditions Anne Carrière. ISBN 9782380820362.
  7. ^ Malik Zidi's Official MySpace Page
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