Jean Dujardin Biography

Jean Dujardin is the actor who was a big star in France before he won an Oscar for The Artist and became a big star everywhere else. Jean Dujardin first rose to fame in Paris, on the strength of a one-man stage show in 1995 and an appearance with a comedy troupe on the TV talent show Graines de star in 1996. He starred in the French TV comedy Un gars, une fille between 1999 and 2003, then made the leap to feature films in the hit comedy Brice de Nice (2005). His movie-star good looks and comic flair propelled him into the top tier of French actors, especially after he starred in the Michel Hazanavicius comedies OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009), two box-office successes that brought critical raves and awards for Dujardin. Along with his Cairo, Nest of Spies co-star Bérénice Béjo, he starred in Hazanavicius’s silent black-and-white 2011 film The Artist. Dujardin won honors as best actor at the Cannes film festival, and the movie became an international hit that won several awards. He and co-star Béjo and director Hazanavicius were all nominated for Academy Awards, with Jean Dujardin winning the Oscar for best actor in a leading role. Jean Dujardin’s other films include 99 francs (2007), Lucky Luke (2009) and Little White Lies (2010, starring Marion Cotillard).