Jalil Lespert (born 11 May 1976) is a French actor, screenwriter and director. He has been described as "one of the best actors of his generation."

Early life and education

Lespert was born in Paris to a pied-noir father, actor Jean Lespert, and a Kabyle Algerian mother, who is an attorney and a jurist, Lespert initially studied law to please his mother.

Career

Lespert made his film debut in 1995, in Laurent Cantet's film Jeux de plage, alongside his father. His first major role came in 1999, in Jacques Maillot's film Our Happy Lives. The following year, he appeared in another Cantet film, Human Resources, which earned him a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2001. Lespert's career took off and he appeared in several films, playing a wide range of characters, such as a sensual gardener in Sade, a body builder addict in Vivre me tue, a boxer in Virgil, an pretentious artist in Alain Resnais's Not on the Lips, and a journalist in Robert Guédiguian's The Last Mitterrand. Lespert directed his first film in 2007, 24 mesures, featuring Benoît Magimel and Sami Bouajila. His second feature as director, Headwinds (2011), featured Magimel alongside Audrey Tautou and Isabelle Carré. In 2010, he appeared in French television series Pigalle, la nuit.

Personal life

In 2009, Lespert married Sonia Rolland, a former Miss France. The couple had one child named Kahina (born 2010), and separated in 2018. He also has two other children, Jena and Aliosha, from a previous relationship.

Selected filmography

As actor

As director and writer

Awards and accolades