Christopher Thompson (actor)

Christopher Thompson (born 1966) is a French actor, screenwriter, and film director.

Early life

Thompson comes from a family deeply associated with theatrical arts. He is the son of film director and screenwriter Danièle Thompson, and his maternal grandfather is director Gérard Oury (1919–2006); his sister is the actress Caroline Thompson. He is married to actress Géraldine Pailhas. They have two children.

Born in New York City in 1966, Thompson was raised in his parents' home country, France. Later he returned to the United States to attend Brown University.

Career

Actor

As an actor, Thompson's first major screen role was his portrayal of the revolutionary leader Saint-Just in La Révolution française (1989), a French television epic produced for the bicentennial of the French Revolution. His principal screen credits are in French productions, including the films L'Atlantide (1992) and Giorgino (1994), and the television miniseries The Count of Monte Cristo (1998). His credits in English-language productions include supporting roles in Jefferson in Paris (1995) and The Luzhin Defence (2001).

Screenwriter

Thompson collaborated with his mother on the screenplay of her first feature-length film, La Bûche (aka Season's Beatings, 1999). The two worked together again on the script of Decalage horaire (aka Jet Lag, 2001), and their script for Fauteuils d'orchestre (aka Orchestra Seats or Avenue Montaigne, 2006) was a nominee in the category of Best Writing at the César Awards. A later collaboration, the comedy Change of Plans, was released in 2009.

Director

In 2010, Thompson made his debut as a director with a film he also scripted, Bus Palladium, starring Marc-André Grondin.