CHÉREAU, PATRICE

(1944- )

Actor, director, and screenwriter. Patrice Chéreau started his career in theater, serving as the director of the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre. He made the transition to cinema in the 1970s, and although he continued to work in the theater, the cinema became his primary focus. His early films includeLa chair de l'orchidée(1975),Judith Therpauve(1978), andHôtel de France(1987). He first came to prominence with his adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's historical novelLa Reine Margot(1994), which starredIsabelle AdjaniandDaneil Auteuil. The film won the Jury Prize atCannesand established Chéreau as a powerful director. His later films includeCeux qui m'aiment prendront le train(1999), which also received critical acclaim and won aCésarfor Best Director,Son frère(2003), which won the Silver Berlin Bear in 2003, andGabrielle(2005). He directedIntimacy(2001), based on stories by Hanif Kureishi, in English. This won the Golden Berlin Bear.

Quite apart from his directing, Chéreau has proven himself an accomplished film actor. He had roles in Andrzej Wajda'sDanton(1982), Youssef Chahine'sAdieu Bonaparte(1985), Michael Mann'sThe Last of the Mohicans(1992),Claude Berri'sLucie Aubrac(1997), Tonie Marshall'sAu plus près du paradis(2002), and Michael Haneke'sLe temps du loup(2003). He was also the narrator of Raoul Ruiz'sLe temps retrouvé(1999). His screenwriting has also been acclaimed. He won the César for his writing ofL'homme blesséin 1984.