JEAN DUJARDIN
Date of Birth: June 19, 1972
Jean Dujardin first found fame in 1996 on the French talent show Graines de Star as part of the comedy group Nous C Nous. His next big role came in 1999 when he was cast as the lead in the French version of the television comedy series Un gars, une fille, which he held until 2003. He then began to transition into French cinema, with one of his more memorable roles being the thirty-something wannabe surfer turned bank robber he played in Brice de Nice (2005). Dujardin also performed the soundtrack for the film.
In 2006, he was nominated Best Actor for a Cesar Award and an Etoile D'Or Award for his role in the French spy film parody OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. Both of these were huge strides for Dujardin as comedic performances are rarely even considered for the awards. He reprised his character for the film's sequel, OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2005).
Dujardin continued to star in a long list of films but in 2011, he rose to a new level of fame thanks to George Valentin's silent film The Artist, a role that earned Dujardin the award for Best Actor at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. He also received awards from the Hollywood Film Festival and Las Vegas Society Awards and won a Golden Globe Award for his performance. His performance in The Artist has been received so well in the U.S. that he also received an
Academy Award nomination.