Malik Zidi
View on WikipediaMalik 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]
Key Information
Life and career
[edit]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 A 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
[edit]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
[edit]| 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 |
| 2001 | A Moment of Happiness | 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—Lumière 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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ ifrance.com Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c "Accueil - Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma". www.lescesarducinema.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
- ^ 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.
- ^ « 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»[permanent dead link], Libération, January 2010
- ^ VCU French Film Festival
- ^ Zidi, Malik (2020). L'ombre du soir (in French). Paris: Éditions Anne Carrière. ISBN 9782380820362.
- ^ Malik Zidi's Official MySpace Page
External links
[edit]- Malik Zidi at IMDb
- Malik Zidi at AlloCiné (in French)
- Malik Zidi at Rotten Tomatoes
- MySpace
- Adéquat. Agence Artistique (in French)
Malik Zidi
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
Family background and childhood
Malik Zidi was born on 14 February 1975 in Châtenay-Malabry, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France.[1][6][7] His father, an informatician of Algerian origin, and his mother, a pharmacist of Breton origin from Concarneau in Brittany, raised him in a household blending North African and French regional influences.[8][9] This mixed heritage provided a foundation of cultural duality that informed his early sense of identity, though detailed accounts of family traditions remain limited in public records.[9] Zidi spent his childhood and formative adolescent years in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, a suburban area east of Paris, where the family resided.[8][10] In this environment, he experienced a typical suburban upbringing but expressed early disinterest in formal education, finding school unengaging and restrictive.[11] During his teenage years, Zidi initially enrolled in scientific studies but abandoned them to follow his growing interests in comedy and performance.[1][9][11] This decision reflected his burgeoning passion for artistic expression over conventional academic paths, paving the way for his later entry into acting training.Acting training and early influences
Malik Zidi pursued formal acting training in the mid-1990s after abandoning his initial scientific studies to focus on the performing arts. At the age of 24, he decided to become an actor and enrolled as a student at the École de Théâtre Véronique Nordey in Paris, a key institution that shaped his early approach to dramatic interpretation and stage presence.[1][8] Complementing this, Zidi attended specialized theater workshops directed by Stéphan Boublil at the Théâtre de Proposition in Paris, emphasizing ensemble work and contemporary staging techniques during the late 1990s.[12] He further broadened his skills through dedicated training in acrobatics and mime at the Théâtre de la Piscine in Châtenay-Malabry, where he developed proficiency in physical expression and non-verbal performance.[9] Zidi's initial forays into performance occurred within these educational settings, marking his transition from student to emerging artist. In 1995, he made his stage debut as the Student in Nora Boublil's Fatima-en-France, directed by Stéphan Boublil at the Théâtre de Proposition, a production that highlighted themes of cultural identity and earned recognition through a Prix Beaumarchais award.[8][12] Two years later, in 1999, he appeared in Jean Racine's Iphigénie, staged by Véronique Nordey at the Théâtre Gérard Philipe in Saint-Denis, portraying a role that allowed him to explore classical tragedy under professional guidance.[1] These short student-led projects and workshop productions served as crucial stepping stones, honing his versatility before entering professional cinema.Career
Debut and breakthrough roles
Malik Zidi entered the film industry with a small but notable role as a classmate in the 1998 short film Les Corps ouverts (Open Bodies), directed by Sébastien Lifshitz, which explored themes of youth and sexuality in contemporary Paris.[13] This debut marked his initial foray into cinema following his theater training, where he had begun studying acting at the age of 24 at the École de théâtre Véronique-Nordey under Véronique Nordey.[8] Zidi's breakthrough came in 2000 with his casting in François Ozon's Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (Water Drops on Burning Rocks), an adaptation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1965 play Tropfen auf heißen Steinen. Playing the young and impressionable Franz opposite Bernard Giraudeau's manipulative Leopold, Zidi delivered a performance that showcased his emotional range and physical vulnerability, contributing to the film's critical acclaim at international festivals.[14][15] Throughout the early 2000s, Zidi solidified his presence with supporting roles in key French productions. In Antoine Santana's 2002 drama Un moment de bonheur (A Moment of Happiness), he portrayed Philippe, a drifter forming unexpected bonds in a coastal town, opposite Isild Le Besco, highlighting his ability to convey quiet introspection.[16] Two years later, in André Téchiné's Les Temps qui changent (Changing Times), Zidi played Sami, the son of Catherine Deneuve's character, in a narrative weaving past and present romances across France and Morocco, earning him a César nomination for Most Promising Actor.[17] Zidi's rising trajectory culminated in 2006 with his lead role as the ambitious and impressionable student Eloi Duhaut in Emmanuel Bourdieu's Les Amitiés maléfiques (Poison Friends), a psychological drama examining toxic intellectual rivalries among university peers. His nuanced portrayal of a young man ensnared by charisma and ideology garnered widespread praise and secured him the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2007, affirming his transition from stage-trained performer to a compelling screen presence.[18]Notable later works and collaborations
Following his breakthrough César Award win in 2007, Malik Zidi continued to build a diverse career with roles that showcased his range in both French and international productions. In 2012, he portrayed Octave Ségur, a French officer navigating the chaos of the Peninsular War, in the epic historical drama Lines of Wellington, directed by Valeria Sarmiento and co-produced by France and Portugal, highlighting his ability to embody complex military figures in multilingual settings.[19] Zidi's collaboration with acclaimed director François Ozon marked a significant recurring partnership, beginning with his early role in Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000) and extending to the 2024 thriller When Fall Is Coming, where he played Laurent Tessier, a father entangled in a family crisis triggered by a mushroom poisoning incident in rural France. This project reunited him with Ozon after over two decades, emphasizing themes of reconciliation and hidden tensions in a blackly comic narrative.[20][21] In 2017, Zidi took on the supporting role of Henri Vallin, Paul Gauguin's sympathetic doctor and confidant, in the biographical film Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti, directed by Edouard Deluc, which explored the artist's turbulent life in Polynesia through an international lens with co-stars Vincent Cassel and Tuheï Adams.[22] Entering the 2020s, Zidi assumed more prominent character leads in genre-spanning projects, demonstrating his evolution from supporting roles to nuanced protagonists. He appeared as Léo Ferguson, a key figure in a high-stakes cryogenic survival scenario, in the 2021 sci-fi thriller Oxygen, directed by Alexandre Aja and released on Netflix, where his performance contributed to the film's tense atmosphere alongside Mélanie Laurent. In 2022, Zidi played Michaël, an associate in a fortune-telling scam operation disrupted by a gang of youths, in the crime drama Sons of Ramses, directed by Clément Cogitore and premiered at Cannes Critics' Week, blending multicultural Parisian street life with elements of mysticism.[23] Zidi's television work included the 2023 episode "Retour aux sources" of the series Disparition inquiétante, where he portrayed Ludovic Minghetti, a father searching for his missing son amid a broader mystery of child disappearances in France.[4] More recently, in 2024, he starred as Fabrice Gonnet, a police officer investigating ritualistic murders linked to local folklore, in the horror-thriller The Soul Eater, directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, which drew acclaim for its atmospheric blend of procedural drama and supernatural dread. That same year, Zidi lent his voice as himself in the documentary Le parfum d'Irak, directed by Léonard Cohen, reflecting on the personal and cultural journeys of French-Iraqi families amid Iraq's turbulent history from 1988 to 2015.[24] Beyond acting, Zidi diversified into literature with the publication of his debut novel L'ombre du soir in 2020 by Éditions Anne Carrière, a coming-of-age story exploring themes of adolescent turmoil, family resistance, and metaphysical escape through the protagonist Mehdi's inner world.[25] This literary venture underscored his versatility, allowing him to channel personal insights into narrative prose while maintaining a steady output of on-screen roles that positioned him as a reliable lead in contemporary French cinema.Personal life
Residence and lifestyle
Malik Zidi resides between Paris and Le Havre, allowing him to balance professional commitments in the French capital with a quieter life in Normandy.[2] This arrangement reflects his preference for proximity to Paris's urban opportunities while retreating to a more subdued setting away from intense media attention.[26] His daily routines emphasize discretion and efficiency, such as using train commutes as dedicated time to memorize scripts for ongoing projects.[27] Following his suburban upbringing in the Paris region, Zidi favors this hybrid lifestyle, writing in cafés rather than at home to maintain focus amid his acting schedule.[2]Interests and influences
Malik Zidi harbors a profound passion for reading, describing books as a protective "barricade" that shielded him during his formative years. He often carries literature in his pockets and draws inspiration from thinkers like Pierre Bourdieu and Edward Saïd, whose works on sociology and postcolonialism have shaped his intellectual pursuits.[28] His cultural interests are deeply intertwined with his Algerian-Breton heritage, stemming from an Algerian father and a Breton mother, which informs his reflections on identity and belonging in his creative endeavors. This dual background has fueled explorations of personal and familial narratives, including travel to places like Le Havre, where he appreciates the sea and historical layers as sources of renewal.[28] Zidi also enjoys music as a leisure pursuit, particularly the alternative rock band Pixies, whose track "Where Is My Mind?" echoes themes of introspection central to his autobiographical novel L'ombre du soir.[28] Emphasizing discretion, Zidi maintains a private personal life, finding solace in intimate emotions and relationships away from public scrutiny, with no known marriages or children disclosed as of 2025.[28]Awards and nominations
César Awards
Malik Zidi earned his first César Award nomination in 2001 for Most Promising Actor (Meilleur jeune espoir masculin) for his portrayal of Franz, a naive young man entangled in a tumultuous relationship with an older businessman, in François Ozon's Water Drops on Burning Rocks.[29] The film, an adaptation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's play, competed against strong contenders including Jalil Lespert for Human Resources and Cyrille Thouvenin for La Confusion des genres, underscoring Zidi's early emergence as a compelling new talent in French cinema. This nomination marked the beginning of Zidi's recognition by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma for his nuanced performances in independent dramas.[30] In 2003, Zidi received another nomination in the same category for his role as Philippe, a young man navigating love and family pressures alongside a single mother, in Antoine Santana's debut feature Un moment de bonheur.[16] Facing nominees such as Jean-Paul Rouve for Monsieur Batignole and Lorànt Deutsch for 3 Zéros, the recognition highlighted Zidi's ability to convey emotional depth in intimate, character-driven stories.[31] By 2005, he was nominated once more for Most Promising Actor for playing Sami, the conflicted bisexual son of a separated couple, in André Téchiné's Changing Times, a multinational romantic drama starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu.[17] This nod, amid competition from actors like Gaspard Ulliel for A Very Long Engagement and Damien Jouillerot for Les Fautes d'orthographe, reflected Zidi's growing versatility in ensemble casts exploring themes of identity and reconciliation.[32] Zidi's persistence paid off in 2007 when he won the César for Most Promising Actor for his lead performance as Eloi, a philosophy student drawn into a web of deception among friends, in Emmanuel Bourdieu's Poison Friends (Les Amitiés maléfiques). The film premiered at Cannes and beat nominees including George Babluani for 13 Tzameti, affirming Zidi's breakthrough after three prior nods and establishing him as a key figure in contemporary French cinema.[33] This victory propelled his career forward, opening doors to more prominent roles in high-profile projects and collaborations with acclaimed directors throughout the late 2000s and beyond.[34]Other recognitions
In 2001, Zidi was selected as one of the European Shooting Stars by the European Film Promotion at the Berlin International Film Festival, recognizing him as an emerging talent from France alongside nine other promising actors from across Europe.[35] This accolade highlighted his early breakthrough in films like Les Corps ouverts and positioned him for international visibility in the industry.[35] Zidi received a nomination for the Lumière Award for Most Promising Actor in 2007 for his leading role in Les Amitiés maléfiques (Poison Friends), directed by Emmanuel Bourdieu, where he portrayed a philosophy student entangled in complex friendships.[36] The nomination underscored his rising prominence in French cinema during a year that also saw him win the César in the same category.[36] In 2018, Zidi earned a nomination for Best Actor from L'Association des Critiques de Séries for his performance in the Canal+ miniseries Nox, playing a detective investigating his lover's disappearance in the Parisian catacombs.[37] This recognition affirmed his versatility in television drama, building on his established film career.Filmography
Feature films
Malik Zidi made his screen debut in the 1998 short film Les Corps ouverts as a classmate, directed by Sébastien Lifshitz.[1] His feature film roles, listed chronologically, are as follows:| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Place Vendôme | Le fils de Samy | Nicole Garcia |
| 2000 | Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes | Franz | François Ozon |
| 2000 | Sa mère la pute | Bimbo | Christine Laurent |
| 2000 | Deuxième vie | Le serveur du cybercafé | Patrick Braoudé |
| 2002 | Un moment de bonheur | Philippe | Antoine Santana |
| 2002 | Froid comme l'été | Baudelaire | Jacques Maillot |
| 2002 | Un monde presque paisible | Joseph | Michel Deville |
| 2004 | Les temps qui changent | Sami | André Téchiné |
| 2005 | Oublier Cheyenne | Pierre | Valérie Minetto |
| 2006 | Les Amitiés maléfiques | Eloi Duhaut | Emmanuel Bourdieu |
| 2007 | Jacquou le croquant | Touffu | Laurent Boutonnat |
| 2008 | Clara | Johannes Brahms | Hélène Angel |
| 2009 | Ex | Marc | Fausto Brizzi |
| 2009 | Un chat un chat | Antoine | Claudine Bories, Patrice Chagnard |
| 2010 | Après moi | Hugo | Frédéric Pelle |
| 2010 | Mystères de Lisbonne | Vicomte d'Armagnac | Raúl Ruiz |
| 2011 | L'Ordre et la morale | JP Perrot | Mathieu Kassovitz |
| 2012 | Les Lignes de Wellington | Octave de Ségur | Valeria Sarmiento |
| 2012 | Un enfant de toi | Victor | Jacques Doillon |
| 2013 | La Marche | Philippe le RG | Nabil Ben Yadir |
| 2014 | Le Ciel du Centaure | Un ingénieur | Hugo Santiago |
| 2015 | Made in France | Sam | Nicolas Boukhrief |
| 2015 | La Volante | Thomas | Christophe Ali, Nicolas Bonilauri |
| 2016 | Le Secret de la chambre noire | Thomas | Kiyoshi Kurosawa |
| 2017 | Gauguin - Voyage de Tahiti | Henri Vallin | Edouard Deluc |
| 2017 | Marie Curie | André Debierne | Marie Noëlle |
| 2018 | Play | Mathias | Anthony Marciano |
| 2019 | Vers la bataille | Louis | Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux |
| 2019 | Tout ce qu'il me reste de la révolution | Saïd | Judith Davis |
| 2021 | Oxygène | Léo Ferguson | Alexandre Aja |
| 2022 | Goutte d'or | Mickaël | Clément Cogitore |
| 2024 | Le parfum d'Irak | Journalist | Léonard Cohen |
| 2024 | Le Mangeur d'âmes | Fabrice Gonnet | Frédéric Tellier |
| 2024 | Quand vient l'automne | Laurent | Frédéric Videau |
