Gad Elmaleh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gad Elmaleh
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Gad Elmaleh at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival
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| Born | 19 April 1971 Casablanca, Morocco
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| Nationality | Moroccan |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Partner(s) | Anne Brochet (1998–2002) Charlotte Casiraghi (2011–2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Gad Elmaleh (born 19 April 1971) is a famous Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. He is very well-known in French-speaking countries, especially in France, Morocco, and the United States.
He has starred in many movies like Coco, Priceless, La Doublure, and Midnight in Paris. People once voted him the funniest person in France! He also received special honors, like being named a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France and a knight of the National Order of Quebec in Canada. In 2015 and 2018, Gad Elmaleh went on comedy tours across the United States. In 2019, he starred in the Netflix TV series Huge in France.
Early Life
Gad Elmaleh was born and grew up in Casablanca, Morocco. He came from a Jewish family. Growing up, he spoke both Moroccan Arabic and French. His father was a mime, a performer who tells stories using only body movements. Gad would often introduce his father on stage. 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 at a university in Montreal for four years, but he did not finish his degree. In 1992, Gad Elmaleh moved to Paris, France, to study acting at a famous drama school called Cours Florent.
Career
Gad Elmaleh is famous for both his comedy shows and his acting in movies and TV.
Comedy Shows
Gad Elmaleh's first one-man show was called Décalages (which means Shifts). He performed it in 1997. This show was about his own life story. It talked about leaving Morocco after high school, studying in Montreal, and then moving to France to study acting.
He became even more famous with his second one-man show, La Vie Normale (Normal Life). This was his first time performing at the famous Olympia theatre in Paris. This show was also longer than two hours. It was released on DVD in 2001.
His show L'autre c'est moi (The Other One Is Me) from 2005 was different. It had more improvisation and he talked more with the audience. People say he helped bring the American style of stand-up comedy to France. He performed this show in Canada, the U.S. (on Broadway!), and Morocco. Over 300,000 people watched this show, and its DVD sold 1.5 million copies!
In 2007, TV viewers in France voted him the "funniest man of the year." Later that year, he started his fifth one-man show, Papa est en haut (Dad is Up There). He set a new record by selling out seven weeks in a row at the Olympia theatre in Paris. In total, one million tickets were sold for this show.
In 2013, he appeared on Jerry Seinfeld's online show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. His sixth stand-up show was called Sans Tambour (Drumless).
In 2016, he performed with comedian Kev Adams in a TV special called Tout est Possible (Everything is Possible).
Gad Elmaleh often performs in a mix of French and Arabic, especially in Morocco. He has even used some Hebrew in shows in Israel. People sometimes call him the "Seinfeld of France." He finds this a nice compliment because both he and Seinfeld get their comedy ideas from everyday life. They are also friends!
Moving to the United States
In 2015, Gad Elmaleh started a tour in the United States called "Oh My Gad." He moved to New York City. He speaks English very well, but he works with a teacher to make sure his English jokes are perfect. In his English shows, everything is carefully planned, unlike his French shows where he improvises more.
In September 2016, a radio show called This American Life featured Gad Elmaleh. They talked about how challenging it was for him to switch to American comedy. In December 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 2017. An English language special came out in 2018.
Acting Roles
Gad Elmaleh's first movie was Salut cousin !. He later appeared in L'homme est une femme comme les autres and Train de Vie. He became very popular for his character "Chouchou" from his show La Vie Normale. This character was so loved that he starred as Chouchou in the movie Chouchou (2002). This film was very successful.
In 2004, he starred in the movie Olé! with Gérard Depardieu. In 2005, he played the main character, François Pignon, in La Doublure (The Valet). In 2006, he was in Priceless with Audrey Tautou.
He was the French voice of Barry B. Benson in the 2007 animated movie Bee Movie. This is where he met Jerry Seinfeld and they became friends.
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. In 2010, he took on a serious role in The Round Up, a movie about important historical events.
In 2011, he had a small part in Woody Allen's movie Midnight in Paris. He also appeared in the motion-capture film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, directed by Steven Spielberg. That same year, he had a cameo as a French chef in Jack & Jill. In 2012, he had a small role in The Dictator. In 2019, his Netflix series Huge in France helped him reach more American viewers. The series even had a special appearance by Jerry Seinfeld.
Gad Elmaleh has also lent his voice to the French versions of the Despicable Me movies as Gru.
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.
Honors and Awards
Gad Elmaleh has received several awards for his work.
- In 2004, he won an award for best one-man show from SACEM in France.
- In 2006, he received 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 artists.
- In 2017, he was made a Member of the National Order of Quebec in Canada.
