Philippe Torreton


Philippe Torreton is a French actor.

Life and career

Born in Rouen, to a teacher mother, and filling station attendant father, Torreton grew up in a suburb of the city. A student at the lycée Val de Seine de Grand-Quevilly, he discovered there a certain liking for the theater that he nurtured, thanks to his teachers, - he often cites one in particular, - M.Désir. A student of CNSAD, he would return there, this time as a teacher, in October 2008.
Torreton entered the Comédie-Française in 1990 as a pensionnaire and became a sociétaire in 1994. He left in 1999 having played many prestigious roles including Scapin, Lorenzaccio, Hamlet, Henry V, Tartuffe.
He played Capitaine Conan in the film of the same name, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, based on a little-known incident from the time of the First World War, and for which he won the César Award for Best Actor 1997. And, a politically committed actor, he played the role of the principal of a primary school confronted with social problems in Ça commence aujourd'hui, again directed by Tavernier, in 1998.
He was elected in the Municipal council of the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
On 10 April 2020, during the coronavirus lockdown, Torreton was one of a handful of people to take part in a Good Friday service led by Michel Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, still being rebuilt after the fire a year earlier. All wore protective clothing. During the service, Torreton read Francis Jammes' "Je vous salue, Marie".

Selected filmography

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1991La neige et le feuClaude Pinoteau
1992L.627AntoineBertrand Tavernier
1993Une nouvelle vieFredOlivier Assayas
1994Oublie-moiFabriceNoémie Lvovsky
1994L'ange noirChristopheJean-Claude Brisseau
1994Le petit qui attend le facteurAnne-Marie Etienne
1995The BaitChief copBertrand Tavernier
1996Le bel été 1914Ernest PailleronChristian de Chalonge
1996Capitaine ConanCapitaine ConanBertrand Tavernier
1996La serva amorosaArlequinJean Douchet
1999It All Starts TodayDaniel LefebvreBertrand Tavernier
1999Tôt ou tardÉricAnne-Marie Etienne
2001Félix et LolaFélixPatrice Leconte
2001Vertiges de l'amourVincentLaurent Chouchan
2003Monsieur N.NapoleonAntoine De Caunes
2003Corps à corpsMarco Tisserand:fr:François Hanss|François Hanss
2004The LightYvon Le GuenPhilippe Lioret
2005Sky FightersBertrandGérard Pirès
2005Les Rois mauditsRobert d'ArtoisJosée DayanTV Mini-Series
2006Le Grand MeaulnesM. Seurel:fr:Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe|Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe
2007Jean de la Fontaine, le défiColbertDaniel Vigne
2007UlzhanCharlesVolker Schlöndorff
2009The President:fr:Patrick Alessandrin|Patrick Alessandrin
2011GuiltyAlain Marécaux:fr:Vincent Garenq|Vincent Garenq
2011The Art of LoveNarratorEmmanuel Mouret
2011RebellionChristian ProuteauMathieu Kassovitz
2013Mood IndigoJean-Sol PartreMichel Gondry
2013La Pièce manquanteAndré MoutonNicolas Birkenstock
2016Les Enfants de la chanceDocteur DavielMalik Chibane

Decorations