Benoît Poelvoorde

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),…

Filmography

• Man Bites Dog as Ben
• A Town Called Panic as Steven (voice)
• Beating Hearts as La Brosse
• Sink or Swim as Marcus
• Smoking Causes Coughing as Lézardin
• Asterix at the Olympic Games as Brutus
• Narco as Lenny Barr
• Cowboy as Daniel Piron
• Coco Before Chanel as Étienne Balsan
• Louise-Michel as Guy l'ingénieur

TV

• Mr. Manatane's Notebooks as Monsieur Manatane
• Represent as Éric Andréï
• Vivement dimanche as Self
• A Town Called Panic as Steven (voice)
• Quotidien as Self - Guest
• C à vous as Self - Guest
• Beau geste as Self
• Quelle époque ! as Self - Guest