Arthur (TV presenter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur
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Arthur in 2010
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Jacques Essebag
10 March 1966 Casablanca, Morocco
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| Occupation | Television host |
Jacques Essebag (born on 10 March 1966), known to many as Arthur, is a famous French TV host, producer, and comedian. He is well-known for his energetic personality and popular shows.
Arthur started his career in the late 1980s on local radio stations in Paris. In the early 1990s, he became very popular hosting shows like Arthur et les pirates and PlanetArthur on major radio stations such as Fun Radio and Europe 1.
By 1991, Arthur also began hosting TV shows on channels like France 2 and TF1. Some of his most famous TV programs include Les Enfants de la télé and La Fureur.
Besides radio and TV, Arthur has also performed on stage. He has done two one-man comedy shows, Arthur en vrai (2005) and I Show (2009). He also acted in the play Le Dîner de Cons (2007) with actor Dany Boon.
Since the mid-1990s, Arthur has also been involved in the business side of media. He was a vice president at Endemol, a big TV production company, until 2006. Since 2008, he has owned the radio station Ouï FM.
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Arthur's Early Life
Jacques Essebag was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on 10 March 1966. His father, Michel Essebag, was an accountant, and his mother was a homemaker. He has one brother named Olivier.
In 1967, his family moved from Morocco to Massy, near Paris, France. After finishing high school, Arthur started studying law at the University of Paris-Sud 11. While he was still a student, he began his first radio show called Tonus on a local radio station in Massy. This show shared sports scores for the city.
Arthur's Radio Journey
In 1987, Arthur became a presenter on RFM. He chose the name "Arthur" to avoid confusion with another person who had the same name. After a short time on Kiss Fm in 1988, he joined Skyrock in 1989. There, he created a show called Les zigotos du matin with a co-host named Skyman.
Radio in the 1990s
On Fun Radio, Arthur met Emmanuel Lévy, also known as Maître Lévy. Lévy became his director and worked with him on his TV career later on.
In 1992, Arthur left Fun Radio to join Europe 1. Europe 1 wanted to attract younger listeners. For four seasons, Arthur hosted Arthur et les pirates in the afternoons. He worked with Maître Levy, Alexandre Devois, Princess Jade, Rémy Caccia, and Michèle Bernier. The show featured similar games to his previous radio shows.
In September 1996, he moved to Europe 2 to host La Matinale (The Morning Show). This show featured many funny sketches with fake listeners. His comedy team included Maître Levy, Gad Elmaleh, Axelle Laffont, Tex, Gus, François Meunier, and Philippe Lelièvre.
Radio in the 2000s
In early 2000, Arthur left Europe 2 and returned to Fun Radio. He hosted PlanetArthur every afternoon with Maître Levy, Myriam, Valérie Benaïm, and Cyril Hanouna.
In 2004, Arthur had a disagreement with Fun Radio because another host, Sébastien Cauet, joined the station. Arthur did not want to work on the same radio station as Cauet. Fun Radio did not want to let Arthur leave his contract. Arthur then made three special shows called Libérez Arthur (Free Arthur), asking to be released from his contract. Fun Radio stopped broadcasting these shows. Later, a court ended Arthur's contract with Fun Radio.
In October 2007, Arthur and Cauet finally made up. They appeared on each other's TV shows, showing that they were friends again.
A few months after leaving Fun Radio, Arthur went back to Europe 2. He hosted Arthur et les Pirates again with Maître Levy, Princesse Jade, and Jonathan Lambert. His first show back set a world record for the longest continuous radio show, lasting 33 hours! This record was later broken by Cauet.
From September 2005 to February 2006, Arthur hosted a new show called Radio Arthur with Manu Levy, Jaz, and Jonathan Lambert.
Arthur's TV Career
In 1992, Arthur started his TV career with L'Émission impossible on TF1. This show was a mix of a talk show and funny sketches. It helped introduce new comedians to the public, such as Élie Semoun and Dieudonné M'bala M'bala.
In 1994, he started hosting Les Enfants de la télé on France 2 with Pierre Tchernia. In 1996, he also hosted La Fureur du samedi soir, a karaoke show. He later brought both of these popular shows to TF1. He also co-hosted the Victoires de la Musique awards show with Michel Drucker.
Arthur then launched other entertainment shows on TF1, like Rêve d'un soir and 120 minutes de bonheur. He also produced successful shows like Exclusif and La Grosse Émission through his production company, Case Productions.
In 2001, Arthur became a vice president at Endemol France. This company launched many reality shows in France. Arthur sold his shares in Endemol in late 2006.
Arthur continued to host Les Enfants de la Télé and other popular programs, including TF1's À prendre ou à laisser, which is the French version of Deal or No Deal. He also hosted the 2007 NRJ Music Awards.
In August 2007, he decided to leave À prendre ou à laisser to focus on his theater career. Les Enfants de la télé and the New Year's Eve special shows remained his main TV programs. He briefly returned to host À prendre ou à laisser in 2009.
Since November 2010, Arthur has hosted Ce Soir Avec Arthur on the Comedie! channel. This weekly show mixes news and humor. Comedians like Claudia Tagbo and Ary Abittan join him. Some parts of the show were noted for being very similar to the American show The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. However, Arthur and Craig Ferguson later appeared on each other's shows, showing that they were friendly and that the similarities were meant as a tribute.
Arthur's Theater Career
In September 2005, Arthur started his theater career with a one-man show called Arthur en vrai. He wanted to show the audience a different side of himself. This show toured in Europe, North Africa, and Quebec, and over 100,000 people in France saw it.
In 2007, Arthur auditioned for the play Le Dîner de Cons and got the role of Pierre Brochan, acting alongside Dany Boon. The play was very popular with critics and audiences, performed over 200 times, and seen by 150,000 people. The tour ended early in March 2008 due to the huge success of Dany Boon's film Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis.
In late 2008, Arthur began his second one-man show, I Show. In this comedy show, he talked about different aspects of new technologies. In January 2009, a performance in Ardèche was canceled due to protests. In February 2009, three more shows were canceled. Arthur spoke out publicly, saying he was being unfairly targeted.
Arthur's Personal Life
Arthur has a son named Samuel with a former model, Léa Vigny. On 12 February 2004, he married Estelle Lefébure, who was previously married to David Hallyday. They divorced in April 2008.
In 2007, Arthur publicly supported Nicolas Sarkozy during the presidential election campaign.
Arthur's Works
Theater and One-Man Shows
- 2006: Arthur en vrai
- 2007: Le Dîner de Cons with Dany Boon
- 2009: iShow
TV Programs
- Vendredi, tout est permis avec Arthur (2011–present)
- Ce Soir Avec Arthur (2010–present)
- Les Enfants de la télé (1994–present)
- À prendre ou à laisser (2004–2006; 2009)
- Rêve d'un jour / Rêve d'un soir
- Le bêtisier du samedi (1995–1996)
- La Fureur (1996–2000)
- Les enfants du 31 (2006–2007)
- C.I.A.
- 120 minutes de bonheur (2001–2005)
- Personne n'est parfait
- Le zapping du samedi
- Nice People (with Flavie Flament) (2003)
Filmography
- Les Bidochon, 1996
- Paparazzi, 1998
- Mes amis, 1999
Discography
- 1992: Arthur à La Télé, à La Radio (EMI)
- 1996: Les enfants de la télé (Versailles)
- 1999: La Fureur - Les hits (EMI)
- 1999: La Fureur - Les hits de l'été (EMI)
- 1999: La Fureur - Les slows (EMI)
- 1999: La Fureur - Les succès de toujours (EMI)
- 2002: Planetarthur, La compil' (Sony)
- 2003: Planetarthur, Le retour (Sony)
