Jamel Debbouze — biography, films, roles and trivia

Biography

French actor, producer, and entertainer of Moroccan origin. Debbouze is the eldest of six children in a Moroccan family that moved to the Paris suburb of Trappes. Early in his career he was noticed by Alain Degois, nicknamed Dedouze, the leader of Déclic Théâtre, a theater group in the Mérisiers district of Trappes. There Debbouze took his first acting steps and even reached the final of the French Junior Championship held by the French League of Theatrical Improvisation.

Jamel Debbouze gained fame on the big screen with the 2001 film "Amélie," as well as the adventure film "Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra," released a year later, in which he played one of the main roles.

In 2004, he was entrusted with carrying the Olympic flame through Paris. In 2006, he received the Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actor.

Filmography

1

2001 Amélie Lucien

Awards & recognition

1 nominations · 1 Award ceremony

Cesar Awards 1 nominations

Best Supporting Actor Amélie 2002

Interesting facts

2

1
Jamal was the eldest of six children in a Moroccan family that moved to the Paris suburb of Trappes.
2
In January 1990 (at age 14), Jamal injured his hand while playing on the railway tracks in the Paris Metro. As a result, the hand stopped developing and he cannot use it. Since then, he almost always keeps his right hand in his pocket. Interestingly, another child, Jean-Paul Admette, died under the same train, and his parents accused Jamal of involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were quickly dropped thanks to exculpatory evidence. However, this family still hates him, and when he planned a concert in 2004, they organized a protest against it.