Samir Guesmi

Biography

Samir Guesmi (born 7 October 1967 in Paris) is a French actor who works across film, stage and television, and has also directed. Raised in a large family of North African descent, he found his interest in drama at school and trained in acting in Paris and Marseille. His career moves easily between auteur cinema and mainstream releases, which has kept him busy in French fiction for decades.

He started in films in the late 1980s and reached wider audiences with thrillers and action films such as Banlieue 13 and Tell No One. He has worked with directors including Julie Bertuccelli, Arnaud Desplechin, Claire Simon and Valérie Donzelli. On television he played a drug dealer in Engrenages and Thomas Mézache in Les Revenants. A César nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Camille Rewinds in 2013 underlined his reputation as a reliable supporting performer. As a director he made Ibrahim, his first feature, and on stage he played the title role in Othello at the Odéon in Paris. He remains a familiar presence in contemporary French cinema.

Key films

• Las noches salvajes (1992): an early appearance in the auteur cinema of the period.
• Elisa (1995): a role in Jean Becker's film.
• Banlieue 13 (2004): one of his best-known action titles outside France.
• Tell No One (2006): a performance in Guillaume Canet's thriller.
• Outside the Law (2010): a role in Rachid Bouchareb's historical drama.
• Camille Rewinds (2012): a performance that earned him a César nomination for Best Supporting Actor.