Gad Elmaleh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gad Elmaleh
Elmaleh at 2019 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1971-04-19) 19 April 1971 (age 54) Casablanca, Morocco
Nationality	Moroccan Canadian
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1994–present
Partner(s)	Anne Brochet (1998–2002) Charlotte Casiraghi (2011–2015)
Children	2

Gad Elmaleh is a famous Moroccan-Canadian comedian and actor. He is very well-known in countries where French is spoken, like France and Morocco. He has also become popular in the United States.

Gad Elmaleh has starred in many movies, including Coco, Priceless, La Doublure, and Midnight in Paris. People in France once voted him the funniest person in the country. He has received special awards for his work in arts and culture from both France and Quebec, Canada. In 2015 and 2018, he went on comedy tours across the United States. In 2019, he starred in the Netflix TV series Huge in France.

Early Life and Education

Gad Elmaleh was born and grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, on April 19, 1971. His family was Moroccan Jewish. He grew up speaking both Moroccan Arabic and French. When he was a child, his father was a mime, and Gad would help him during his shows. His brother, Arié, is an actor and singer, and his sister, Judith, is an actress and director.

He went to school in Casablanca. When he was 17, his family moved from Morocco to Canada. He studied political science in Montreal at the University of Montreal and McGill University for four years, but he did not finish his degree. In 1992, Gad Elmaleh moved to Paris, France, to study acting.

Comedy Career

At the Olympia theatre

Gad Elmaleh's first one-man comedy show was called Décalages, which means "Shifts" or "Differences". He performed it in 1997. This show was about his own life story, from leaving Morocco after high school to studying in Montreal and then acting in France.

His fame grew even more with his second show, La Vie Normale (Normal Life). This was his first time performing at the famous Olympia theatre in Paris. The show was also longer than two hours.

Bringing New Comedy Styles

His show L'autre c'est moi (The Other One Is Me), which came out in 2005, had more improvisation. This meant he would make up jokes on the spot and talk with the audience. Gad Elmaleh is known for bringing the American style of stand-up comedy to France.

In 2007, viewers of the TV channel TF1 voted him the "funniest man of the year" out of 50 comedians. Later that year, he started his fifth one-man show, Papa est en haut (Dad Is Upstairs). He set a new record by selling out seven weeks in a row at the Olympia theatre in Paris. Overall, one million tickets were sold for this show.

In 2013, he appeared on Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. His sixth stand-up show was called Sans Tambour (Drumless).

Comedy in the United States

Elmaleh at the Deauville American Film Festival in 2010

In 2015, Gad Elmaleh moved to New York City and started an American comedy tour called "Oh My Gad". He had already performed in a mix of French and Arabic in Morocco. He also included some Hebrew in shows in Israel.

Even though he speaks English well, he worked with an English teacher to write his jokes. This helped him understand the small differences in the English language. Unlike his French shows, his English shows were fully written out, with no improvisation.

In September 2016, a radio show called This American Life featured a story about Gad Elmaleh's move to American comedy. On December 15, 2016, he performed stand-up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

His French stand-up special, Gad Gone Wild, was filmed in Montreal, Canada, and released on Netflix in January 2017. An English language comedy special was released in March 2018.

Acting Career

Gad Elmaleh's first movie was Salut cousin ! He later appeared in films like L'homme est une femme comme les autres and Train de Vie. In 2000, he played "Dov" in La Vérité si je mens ! 2.

The funny character "Chouchou" from his show La Vie Normale was made into a movie called Chouchou in 2002. This movie was very popular.

Elmaleh signing autographs in 2007

In 2004, he starred in the movie Olé! with Gérard Depardieu. In 2005, he played François Pignon in La Doublure (The Valet). In 2006, he appeared with Audrey Tautou in Priceless.

He was the French voice of Barry B. Benson in the 2007 animated movie Bee Movie. This is where he met and became friends with Jerry Seinfeld.

In 2009, he released the movie Coco, which he directed, wrote, and starred in. It was the number one movie in France, Belgium, and Switzerland when it opened. In 2010, he took on a serious role in The Round Up, a movie about historical events during World War II.

In 2011, he had a small part in Woody Allen's movie Midnight in Paris. He also appeared in the animated film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, directed by Steven Spielberg. The same year, he had a small role in Jack & Jill. In 2012, he had a small part in The Dictator. In 2019, his Netflix series Huge in France helped him reach more American viewers.

Personal Life

Gad Elmaleh has two children. He has a son named Noé with French actress Anne Brochet. He also has a son named Raphaël with Charlotte Casiraghi.

In 2022, there were reports that he had converted to Catholicism. However, he stated in 2023 that he had not actually converted.

Awards and Recognition

In 2004, Gad Elmaleh received an award for the best one-man show from SACEM in France. In 2006, he won a Crystal Globes Award for his show La Vie Normale.

Also in 2006, the French Minister of Culture gave him the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, which is a special honor for people who have contributed to the arts. In 2017, he was made a Member of the National Order of Quebec by the premier of Quebec, Canada.

Filmography

• Les soeurs d'Hamlet (1996)
• XXL (1997)
• Hi Cousin (1997)
• Vive la République ! (1997)
• Man Is a Woman (1998)
• Train of Life (1998)
• On fait comme on a dit (1999)
• Deuxième vie (2000)
• Dr. Dolittle 2 (2000), French voice of Archie
• Les Gens en maillot de bain ne sont pas (forcément) superficiels (2001)
• La Vérité si je mens ! 2 (2001)
• A+ Pollux (2002)
• Chouchou (2003), also screenwriter
• Les 11 commandements (2004)
• Ole! (2005)
• The Valet (2005)
• Priceless (2006)
• Comme ton père (2007)
• Bee Movie (2007), French voice of Barry B. Benson
• Coco (2009), also director and screenwriter
• Despicable Me (2010), French voice of Gru
• The Round Up (2010)
• Midnight in Paris (2011)
• A Monster in Paris (2011), French and original voice of Raoul
• The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
• Jack & Jill (2011)
• Happiness Never Comes Alone (2012)
• Capital (2012)
• The Dream Team (2012)
• The Dictator (2012)
• Mood Indigo (2013)
• Despicable Me 2 (2013), French voice of Gru
• The Midnight Orchestra, (2014)
• Minions (2015), French voice of young Gru
• Pattaya, (2016)
• Welcome to America (Short), (2017)
• Loue-moi!, (2017)
• Despicable Me 3 (2017), French voice of Gru
• Huge in France (2019), TV series by Netflix
• Flashback (2021)
• Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), French voice of young Gru
• Despicable Me 4 (2024), French voice of Gru

Discography

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Gad Elmaleh para niños