Lambert Wilson

Lambert Nicolas Wilson (French: [lɑ̃bɛʁ wilsɔn]; né Willson, 3 August 1958) is a French actor. He is a seven-time César Award nominee, four for Best Actor and three for Best Supporting Actor. Internationally, he is known for playing The Merovingian in The Matrix film series, beginning with The Matrix Reloaded.

Biography

Early life

Wilson is the son of Georges Wilson, who was an actor, theatrical manager and director of the Théâtre National Populaire. As a teenager, he had little interest in the French theatre and aimed to become an "American actor" and appear in Hollywood pictures. He studied acting at the Drama Centre London to learn English. He played his first movie role in the 1977 American film Julia, directed by Fred Zinnemann.

Five years later, he played his first starring role in another film by Zinneman, Five Days One Summer, opposite Sean Connery. But the film was not a commercial success, and neither was Sahara in which Wilson co-starred with Brooke Shields. Wilson ultimately found success in his home country: during the 1980s, he became popular with French audiences by appearing in successful films such as La Boum 2, The Public Woman and Rendez-vous. At the time, he was often cast either as tormented characters or in romantic parts, although he found himself more convincing in the former kind of roles.