Jalil Lespert

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title: "Jalil Lespert" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["french-male-stage-actors", "french-male-screenwriters", "french-screenwriters", "french-film-directors", "living-people", "1976-births", "male-actors-from-paris", "french-people-of-algerian-descent", "most-promising-actor-césar-award-winners", "most-promising-actor-lumières-award-winners", "french-male-television-actors"] description: "French actor and filmmaker (born 1976)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalil_Lespert" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary French actor and filmmaker (born 1976) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Jalil Lespert
image	Jalil Lespert 2015.jpg
caption	Lespert in Nominee Luncheon for the 2015 César Awards
birth_date
birth_place	Paris, France
occupation
years_active	1995–present
::

| name = Jalil Lespert | image = Jalil Lespert 2015.jpg | caption = Lespert in Nominee Luncheon for the 2015 César Awards | birth_name = | other names = | birth_date = | birth_place = Paris, France | occupation = | years_active = 1995–present | spouse = | children = | website =

Jalil Lespert (born 11 May 1976) is a French actor, screenwriter and director. He has been described as "one of the best actors of his generation."

Early life and education

Lespert was born in Paris to a pied-noir father, actor Jean Lespert, and a Kabyle Algerian mother who is an attorney and a jurist. Lespert initially studied law to please his mother.

Career

Lespert made his film debut in 1995, in Laurent Cantet's short film Jeux de plage, alongside his father. His first major role came in 1999, in Jacques Maillot's film Our Happy Lives. The following year, he appeared in another Cantet film, Human Resources, which earned him a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2001.[[File:Jalil Lespert Césars.jpg|thumb|right|Jalil Lespert at the [[César Awards 2000|2000 César Awards ceremony]]]] Lespert's career took off and he appeared in several films, playing a wide range of characters, such as a sensual gardener in Sade, a body builder addict in Vivre me tue, a boxer in Virgil, a pretentious artist in Alain Resnais's Not on the Lips, and a journalist in Robert Guédiguian's The Last Mitterrand.

Lespert directed his first film in 2007, 24 mesures, featuring Benoît Magimel and Sami Bouajila. His second feature as director, Headwinds in 2011, featured Magimel alongside Audrey Tautou and Isabelle Carré.

In 2010, he appeared in the French television series Pigalle, la nuit.

Personal life

In 2009, Lespert married Sonia Rolland, a former Miss France. The couple had one child (born 2010), and separated in 2018. He also has two other children from a previous relationship.

Filmography

As actor

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1995	Jeux de plage	Éric	Short film; directed by Laurent Cantet
Credited as Djellil Lespert
1997	Les Sanguinaires	Stéphane	Credited as Djallil Lespert
1999	Our Happy Lives	Etienne	French: Nos vies heureuses
Human Resources	Franck	French: Ressources humaines
A Major Inconvenience	Laurent	French: Un dérangement considérable
2000	Sade	Augustin
2001	Inch'Allah Dimanche	Le chauffeur de bus	English: Sunday God Willing
Bella ciao	Oreste Mancini	Directed by Stéphane Giusti
2002	L'idole	Philippe	English: The Idol
Vivre me tue	Daniel Smaïl	English: Life Kills Me
2003	Les Amateurs	Jamel Mezaoui "J.P."	Directed by Martin Valente
Not on the Lips	Charley	French: Pas sur la bouche
2004	L'ennemi naturel	Lieutenant Luhel	Directed by Pierre Erwan Guillaume
2005	The Last Mitterrand	Antoine Moreau	French: Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars
Virgil	Virgil
Le Petit Lieutenant	Antoine Derouère	English: The Young Lieutenant
2006	Le voyage en Arménie	Simon	Directed by Robert Guédiguian
Tell No One	Yaël Gonzales	French: Ne le dis à personne
2008	Pa-ra-da	Miloud
2009	Ligne de Front	Antoine	Directed by Jean-Christophe Klotz
2011	Chez Gino	Oncle Giovanni
A Butterfly Kiss	Paul	French: Un baiser papillon
Love and Bruises	Giovanni
2013	Landes	Txomin Iban
Post partum	Ulysse
2014	De guerre lasse	Alex	Directed by Olivier Panchot
2015	First Growth	Charlie Maréchal	French: Premiers crus
2016	Orphan	Darius	French: Orpheline
Iris	Antoine Doriot
2017	The Escape	Philippe
2018	Magical Nights	Jean-Claude Bernard	Italian: Notti magiche
2019	Mon frère	Igor	English: Brother
2020	Dreamchild	François	French: L'enfant rêvé
Beasts	Sylvain Rousseau	French: La terre des hommes
2021	Tralala	Benjamin Trescazes
With or Without You	Mathieu	Italian: Una relazione
2023	Infinity Pool	Alban Bauer
2024	GTMax	Elyas
::

As director and writer

• 2007 - 24 Bars (24 mesures)
• 2011 - Headwinds (Des vents contraires)
• 2014 - Yves Saint Laurent
• 2016 - Iris
• 2024 - Dakar Chronicles

Awards and accolades

• César Award for Most Promising Actor (26th César Awards, for Human Resources)
• Lumière Award for Most Promising Actor (6th Lumière Awards, for Human Resources)
• (2001, Best Actor, for Human Resources)

References

References

1. "Jalil Lespert – "Le réalisateur doit s'effacer derrière l'histoire !"".
2. Média, Prisma. (2023-03-24). "Jalil Lespert - La biographie de Jalil Lespert avec Gala.fr".
3. (2016-03-11). "That's a wrap for Jalil Lespert's Iris".
4. (2002-04-26). "Film Review; The Marquis de Sade in a More Complex Guise (Published 2002)".
5. "Vivre me tue - Les Inrocks".
6. "«Virgil», joli coup de fougue".
7. Russell, Jamie. (April 21, 2004). "Pas Sur La Bouche! (2004)".
8. Bradshaw, Peter. (2008-07-21). "The Last Mitterrand (Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars)".
9. (2010-01-02). "" Pigalle, la nuit "".
10. Média, Prisma. (2023-02-11). "Sonia Rolland : pourquoi s'est-elle séparée de Jalil Lespert ? - Gala".
11. (2018-10-26). "Jalil Lespert et Sonia Rolland, la rupture".
12. "Les Sanguinaires - Les Inrocks".
13. "Human Resources".
14. (2001-12-04). ""Inch Allah dimanche" : La grande douleur de l'arrivée". Le Monde.fr.
15. "Bêta «Ciao».".
16. ""Albert est méchant» «Les Amateurs"".
17. Kehr, Dave. (March 22, 2005). "New DVD's (Published 2005)". The New York Times.
18. "L'Ennemi Naturel - Les Inrocks".
19. Dargis, Manohla. (2006-09-08). "A Cop Confronts Some Hard Cases, Including His Own Boss". The New York Times.
20. (2006-06-28). "Guédiguian s'aventure de l'autre côté du mont Ararat - Le Temps".
21. Nicoud, Anabelle. (2008-08-02). "24 mesures/Jalil Lespert : tout pour le cinéma". La Presse.
22. Povoledo, Elisabetta. (8 November 2009). ""Pa-ra-da": A grim but hopeful tale from the streets of Romania".
23. (2010-03-31). "Lignes de front : dans l'enfer du génocide rwandais".
24. . (2011). ["Love and Bruises"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/143136/love-and-bruises).
25. (2014-05-07). "« De guerre lasse » : Jalil Lespert, soldat perdu ***".
26. . (16 May 2015). ["Buyers drink-up SND's 'First Growth'"](https://www.screendaily.com/cannes-news/buyers-drink-up-snds-first-growth/5088203.article).
27. Pianezza, Pamela. (11 September 2016). "Toronto Film Review: 'Orphan'".
28. Hoeij, Boyd van. (2016-11-16). "'Iris': Film Review".
29. Linden, Sheri. (9 May 2018). "'The Escape': Film Review".
30. Young, Deborah. (27 October 2018). "'Magic Nights' ('Notti magiche'): Film Review Rome 2018".
31. Goodfellow, Melanie. (5 September 2019). "France TV Distribution launches sales on love triangle drama 'Dreamchild', releases first look (exclusive)".
32. (2020). "Beasts".
33. Romney, Jonathan. (14 July 2021). "'Tralala': Cannes Review".
34. Debruge, Peter. (2023-01-22). "'Infinity Pool' Review: How Many Alexander Skarsgård Clones Does It Take to Screw Up Your Vacation Plans?".
35. "GTMax - A motorized thriller with Ava Baya and Jalil Lespert in November 2024 on Netflix".
36. Weissberg, Jay. (2007-09-02). "24 Bars".
37. Gray, Victoria. (2012-11-06). "Headwinds".
38. (2014-03-19). "Yves Saint Laurent: Fashion on film". BBC News.
39. Lespert, Jalil. (2024-11-20). "Dakar Chronicles". Red Bull Studios, The Red Ceiling.
40. (2020-10-30). "Qui est Jalil Lespert, le nouvel homme de Læticia Hallyday ?".

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