Famous French T V & Movie Producers

Luc Besson is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He started working in the film industry as an assistant to famous directors and learned the nuances of direction. He then moved on to direct films and launched his own production company. He is considered a key figure in the Cinéma du look movement. 

Jean-Paul Belmondo was a French actor and producer who ruled the French film industry as an actor for many years between the 1960s and 1990s. An influential and important actor of French cinema, Belmondo also played a prominent role in shaping European cinema. Widely regarded as an icon and national treasure, Jean-Paul Belmondo won many awards including a César Award.  

A lifelong fan of horror books and movies, especially of Stephen King, three-time Oscar nominated film director and screenwriter Frank Darabont decided to take up film making as his profession after seeing THX 1138. Beginning his career with screenwriting, he debuted as director with Buried Alive, eventually making such magnificent films like Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist.

François Truffaut was a French film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is credited to be one of the founders of the French New Wave. Beginning his career in the mid-1950s, he was active in the entertainment industry for close to three decades. His film The 400 Blows is considered a defining film of the French New Wave movement. 

Roger Vadim was a French film director, producer, screenwriter, and artist. He is remembered for his visually aesthetic movies with erotic qualities. He was also popular for his relationships with beautiful actresses like Catherine Deneuve, Cindy Pickett, and Margaret Markov. Also an author, Vadim wrote several books, including his autobiography, From One Star to the Next.

Mathieu Kassovitz is a French actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He has won the prestigious César Award on three occasions so far. He has also received nominations for Lumières Awards and Palme d'Or. Mathieu Kassovitz is credited with founding the film production company, MNP Entreprise.

Dimitri Rassam is a French film producer best known for producing several successful and critically acclaimed films like The Little Prince, Daddy or Mommy, and What's in a Name? He is credited with founding a production company named Chapter 2. Dimitri Rassam is also credited with creating On Entertainment, which became one of the leading companies in animation in Europe.

Mathilde Ollivier is a French actress, model, and producer. She is best known for her portrayal of Chloe Laurent in the 2018 American action horror film Overlord. In addition to appearing in films and TV series, Mathilde Ollivier has also been featured in popular magazines like Vogue and Purple.

Edwige Fenech is an Algerian-born Maltese-Sicilian film producer and actress. She is best known for starring in the commedia sexy all'italiana, a subgenre of commedia all'italiana film genre, which made her a popular sex symbol of her time. Edwige Fenech is also known for appearing in giallo films.

Marc Dorcel is a French-Hungarian film producer best known for producing adult erotic films. He is credited with founding the popular production company Video Marc Dorcel. Over the course of his career, Marc Dorcel has won numerous awards, including AVN Awards, Hot d'Or Awards, and XBIZ Awards. In 2015, he was made an inductee of the AVN Hall of Fame.

Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed films like Quest for Fire, The Name of the Rose, The Bear, and The Lover. Over the course of his career, Jean-Jacques Annaud has won several prestigious awards, such as César Awards and National Academy of Cinema Award.

Michel Piccoli was a French actor, film director, and producer whose career spanned seven decades. Widely regarded as one of the greatest French actors of his generation, Piccoli was renowned for his versatility. He also won several prestigious awards such as a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and Best Actor Award at the Cannes. 

Jean-Marc Barr is a French American actor and film director. He came into prominence in 1988, when he portrayed Jacques Mayol in the French film The Big Blue, which earned several nominations at the César Awards. Jean-Marc Barr went on to play prominent roles in critically acclaimed films like Europa, The Favourite Son, and Breaking the Waves.

Christian Clavier is a French actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He achieved popularity after playing important roles in Les Bronzés and Les Visiteurs. In addition to acting, Christian Clavier also operates a production company called Ouille Production.

Hugo Becker is a French actor, producer, and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Romain in the popular French drama television series Chefs, which earned him the Best Young Actor award at the 2015 Luchon International Film Festival. Hugo Becker is also known for playing Louis Grimaldi in the American TV series Gossip Girl.

Caroline Proust is a French actress best known for her portrayal of Captain Laure Berthaud in a French TV series titled Spiral. Apart from appearing on films and TV series, Caroline Proust also acts in stage plays.

Jacques Charrier is a French actor, film producer, and artist. He achieved popularity in the late-1950s and early-1960s, thanks to his highly publicized marriage and subsequent divorce with popular film actress Brigitte Bardot. Jacques Charrier is also known for his art work, which has been exhibited in Paris, San Francisco, and Geneva.

Michel Hazanavicius is a French film producer, director, editor, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the 2011 comedy-drama film The Artist, which won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director at the 84th Academy Awards. The film also earned him several other awards, including BAFTA Award, César Award, and New York Film Critics Circle Award.

Alain Chabat is a French actor, director, producer, comedian, screenwriter, and television presenter. He came into prominence in 1987, when he formed the comedy group, Les Nuls. Alain Chabat's popularity increased in 1997, when he wrote and directed a comedy film titled Didier in which he played the title role. The film won him the César Award for Best Debut.

Jacques Audiard is a French film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed movies, such as See How They Fall, A Self-Made Hero, Read My Lips, A Prophet, and Rust and Bone. Over the years, Jacques Audiard has been honored with several prestigious awards, such as César Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Lumières Awards.

André Weinfeld is a TV and film producer, cinematographer, director, screenwriter, journalist, and photographer. In addition to covering the rock and roll and pop scenes of the 1960s and 1970s, André Weinfeld also worked as a war correspondent, covering wars such as the Six-Day War, Vietnam War, and the Yom Kippur War.

Henri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best remembered for making thriller films, such as Les Diaboliques and The Wages of Fear, which are counted among the greatest movies of the 1950s. Henri-Georges Clouzot is also remembered for directing documentaries like The Mystery of Picasso, which was adjudged a national treasure by the French government.

Aïssa Maïga is a Senegal-born French activist, actress, producer, writer, and director. She has worked with top auteurs like Abderrahmane Sissako, Michael Haneke, and Michel Gondry. An advocate for inclusion, Aïssa Maïga has been voicing her opinion on racial discrimination in the industry throughout her career.

Anatole Litvak was a Russian-born American filmmaker. He was notable for bringing previously little-known actors to the spotlight and enabling them to win Academy Awards. French actors Charles Boyer and Danielle Darrieux and Swedish star Ingrid Bergman are among the ones he helped become internationally famous. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6633 Hollywood Blvd. 

Philippe Garrel is a French film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, and editor. He is best known for his association with the French New Wave. Philippe Garrel is also known for making critically acclaimed movies that have earned him awards at Venice Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.

Christoph Clark is a French porn actor, director, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the most popular male stars in the French pornographic industry, Clark was made an inductee of the AVN Hall of Fame and XRCO Hall of Fame in 2002 and 2008 respectively. Christoph Clark is also credited with establishing the Euro Angel production company in Budapest.

French-Algerian filmmaker/actor Kad Merad initially performed as part of the band Gigolo Brothers for Club Med. After meeting Olivier Baroux at Ouï FM, he teamed up with him to form the comedy duo Kad et Olivier. He later soared to fame with roles in films such as Don't Worry, I'm Fine.

Christophe Gans is a French film producer, director, and screenwriter. He specializes in fantasy and horror films. Christophe Gans achieved international fame in 2001, when his film Brotherhood of the Wolf achieved worldwide success. The film received several awards and went on to become one of the highest grossing movies of the year in France.

Thierry Lhermitte is a French actor, film producer, director, and writer. He is credited with founding a comedy troupe called Le Splendid. The group adapted many of its stage shows into films and came up with successful movies, such as Les Bronzés, Le Père Noël est une ordure, and Un indien dans la ville.

Ludo Lefebvre is a French restaurateur, chef, author, and TV personality. He worked for various restaurants before opening his own restaurants in Los Angeles: Petit Trois and Trois Mec. In 2014 and 2016, Trois Mec was named Los Angeles' Best Restaurant by LA Weekly. In 2015, Ludo Lefebvre was named Best Chef by the newspaper.

French filmmaker and series director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade initially studied law and journalism but later launched his own TV news agency. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning documentary Murder on a Sunday Morning. He is also known for the 2004 film The Staircase, based on author and murder convict Michael Peterson.

Virginie Silla is a Canadian-French film producer best known for producing a wide variety of films, such as action films, comic adaptations, romantic films, and biographical films. Some of her most popular films include Lucy, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, and Once Upon an Angel.

Celine Cousteau is a public figure and socio-environmental advocate. She is renowned for her work as an explorer, documentary filmmaker, artist, public speaker, designer, and brand ambassador. Céline Cousteau is credited with founding CauseCentric Productions, which produces multi-media content.

French comedian, filmmaker, and screenwriter of the silent-film era, Gabriel Leuvielle, better known as Max Linder, is remembered as the world’s first movie star. He is known to have influenced Charlie Chaplin. He also created his iconic character Max, beginning with The Skater's Debut, and played it in several comedies later.

Retired French naval commando Olivier Gruner has been a kickboxing world champion before appearing in several films and series as an “action hero.” Mostly known for his sci-fi and martial arts films, such as Velocity Trap and Crackerjack 3, he has also appeared in series such as Code Name: Eternity.

French comedian and actor Kev Adams is best known for French series such as Soda. Beginning his career with stage performances, he got a breakthrough with The Young Man Show, which was his 1st one-man show. He has also voiced Gomez Addams in the French-dubbed version of the animated comedy The Addams Family.

Gérard Jugnot is a French actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-founding a comedy troupe called Le Splendid in the 1970s. The group achieved popularity when it adapted many of its stage shows into successful films. Gérard Jugnot gained international fame in 2004, when he played Clement Mathieu in the musical drama film The Chorus.

French director, producer, actor, and screenwriter Cédric Klapisch is best known for his blockbuster hit film L'Auberge Espagnole and the César Award-winning film Family Resemblances. He has also taught film at the City College of New York and Columbia University. He is the son of renowned physicist Robert Klapisch.

Roschdy Zem is a French filmmaker and actor of Moroccan descent. He is best known for his portrayal of Messaoud Souni in the 2006 French film Days of Glory, which earned him the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, Roschdy Zem won the Globe de Cristal Award for Best Film for his 2016 drama film Chocolat.

Lilyan Chauvin was a French-American actress, director, television host, acting teacher, and writer. She started her career as a radio and stage performer in England before pursuing film acting career in the USA. She then established herself as a popular film and TV actress. Lilyan Chauvin started teaching later in her life at prestigious institutions like UCLA.

French actor and filmmaker Isild Le Besco is best known for films such as Sade and Girls Can’t Swim. The third child of actor, journalist, and director Catherine Belkhodja, she has also been part of short films such as Cinematon. Her performance in Sade earned her a Lumières Award.

Alexander Salkind was a film producer best remembered for producing popular films like Austerlitz, The Trial, and Hot Line. He is also remembered for his work on the popular Superman film franchise, which earned him a place in DC Comics' list Fifty Who Made DC Great, which was published in 1985.

Frédéric Mitterrand is a French politician best known for his service as the Minister of Culture and Communication from 23 June 2009 to 16 May 2012. He has also worked as an actor, television presenter, screenwriter, director, producer, and writer. As a writer, Frédéric Mitterrand is best known for his autobiographical novel The Bad Life.

Guillaume Gallienne is a French actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as an actor and screenwriter in the 2013 French comedy film Me, Myself and Mum. The film earned him the Lumières Award for Best Actor, César Award for Best Actor, Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor, and César Award for Best Writing.

Jean Chalopin is a French film producer and bank executive. He is best known for producing a range of animated series during the 1980s and early-1990s. He is credited with founding two production companies, namely DIC Entertainment Corporation and Créativité et Développement. Jean Chalopin is also credited with co-creating a media franchise called Inspector Gadget.

French filmmaker, screenwriter, and dramatist Francis Veber created some of the iconic French movies that were later remade into Hollywood films such as The Birdcage and Three Fugitives. The Lumière and César Award winner has also won honors such as the Officier of the Légion d'honneur.

César Award-winning French director Arnaud Desplechin is best known for his critically acclaimed drama film My Golden Days. Starting his career as a cameraman, he later gained recognition with the thriller The Sentinel. He was nominated for the Palme d'Or for the films Jimmy Picard and Oh Mercy!

French actor, director, screenwriter Edouard Baer won a Molière Award for his breakthrough performance in Cravate Club. He is also known for his award-winning show La Folle et Véritable Vie de Luigi Prizzoti and the play Miam Miam. He was nominated for the César Award for Mademoiselle de Joncquières and Alias Betty.

Romani-origin French director, producer, and screenwriter Michel Dahmani, better known as Tony Gatlif, soared to fame with his multiple award-winning musical film Latcho Drom, which showcased the lives of gypsies. He also gained success with the Cannes Best Director Award-winning film Exils.

Charles Pathé was a French film producer and businessman. A pioneer of the French recording and film industries, Pathé is best remembered for pioneering the development of the motion picture. Charles Pathé is also credited with founding a company named Société Pathé Frères.