Profile photo of Christian Clavier

Christian Clavier

Christian Clavier is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is the brother of French film director Stéphane Clavier. After his high class studies at the Neuilly Lycée Pasteur—though asserted here and there, he never studied at Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) —he started his actor career with the comedic theater troupe Splendid, which had hits with films like Les Bronzés font du ski and Le Père Noël est une ordure. His most notable success without the Splendid group, and by far his biggest hit to date, was in the 1993 film les Visiteurs, where he played a character known as Jacquouille la fripouille; the character's cry of "Okkkayyy!!" became a popular exclamation after the movie's success. After les Visiteurs he was a certified star, participating in big-budget films like Astérix et Obélix contre César, Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, and the sequel and remake of Visiteurs. He also played several dramatic roles on television, including M. Thénardier in Les Misérables (2000 television version) and Napoléon in a biographical television film. Clavier has played in notable duos with: Jean Reno in les Visiteurs (the Visitors) and the US remake, Just Visiting, L'Opération Corned-Beef and L'Enquête corse (The Corsican investigation). Gérard Depardieu in Astérix et Obélix (Asterix and Obelix) and Les anges gardiens. He also runs a production company, Ouille Production. He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite on 13 June 1998, and promoted Officier (Officer) in 2005. He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 2008. He is a friend of former French président Nicolas Sarkozy, and recently emigrated to England as a result of Francois Hollande's punitive tax policy, mirrored in his Astérix co-star Gérard Depardieu's self-imposed exile to Belgium.

Filmography

2026
Cocorico 2

as Frédéric Bouvier-Sauvage

Movie
2025
Kaamelott: The Second Chapter (Part I)

as Le Jurisconsulte

Movie
2025
Million Dollar Madness

as Hippolyte

Movie
2025
Christian Clavier: La Vis Comica
Movie
2025
The Rookie Guide

as Karol Kowalski

Movie
2024
Not Without My Shrink

as Olivier Béranger

Movie
2024
Cocorico

as Frédéric Bouvier-Sauvage

Movie
2016
The Visitors: Bastille Day

as Jacquouille la Fripouille/Antoine-Claude Jacquouillet/Edmond Jacquart

Movie
2014
Serial (Bad) Weddings

as Claude Verneuil

Movie
2002
Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra

as Astérix

Movie
1977
You Won't Have Alsace-Lorraine

as Le conteur (voice)

Movie