# Jalil Lespert

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.
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

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 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 |
| 1999 | Human Resources | Franck | French: Ressources humaines |
| 1999 | A Major Inconvenience | Laurent | French: Un dérangement considérable |
| 2000 | Sade | Augustin | |
| 2001 | Inch'Allah Dimanche | Le chauffeur de bus | English: Sunday God Willing |
| 2001 | Bella ciao | Oreste Mancini | Directed by Stéphane Giusti |
| 2002 | L'idole | Philippe | English: The Idol |
| 2002 | Vivre me tue | Daniel Smaïl | English: Life Kills Me |
| 2003 | Les Amateurs | Jamel Mezaoui "J.P." | Directed by Martin Valente |
| 2003 | 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 |
| 2005 | Virgil | Virgil | |
| 2005 | Le Petit Lieutenant | Antoine Derouère | English: The Young Lieutenant |
| 2006 | Le voyage en Arménie | Simon | Directed by Robert Guédiguian |
| 2006 | 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 | |
| 2011 | A Butterfly Kiss | Paul | French: Un baiser papillon |
| 2011 | Love and Bruises | Giovanni | |
| 2013 | Landes | Txomin Iban | |
| 2013 | 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 |
| 2016 | 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 |
| 2020 | Beasts | Sylvain Rousseau | French: La terre des hommes |
| 2021 | Tralala | Benjamin Trescazes | |
| 2021 | 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)
* Lumières Award for Most Promising Actor (6th Lumières Awards, for Human Resources)
* Étoiles d'or du cinéma français [fr] (2001, Best Actor, for Human Resources)