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Lambert Nicolas Wilson (; né Willson, 3 August 1958) is a French actor. He is a seven-time Cesar Award nominee, four for Best Actor and three for Best Supporting Actor. Internationally, he is known for playing The Merovingian in The Matrix film series, beginning with The Matrix Reloaded.
Five years later, he played his first starring role in another film by Zinneman, Five Days One Summer, opposite Sean Connery. But the film was not a commercial success, and neither was Sahara in which Wilson co-starred with Brooke Shields. Worldly Actor Finds Method in a Monastery, The New York Times, 18 February 2011 Wilson ultimately found success in his home country: during the 1980s, he became popular with French audiences by appearing in successful films such as La Boum 2, The Public Woman and Rendez-vous. At the time, he was often cast either as tormented characters or in romantic parts, although he found himself more convincing in the former kind of roles. Lambert Wilson : “C’est douloureux d’accepter ses limites”, Télérama, 5 November 2010 (in French).
Wilson screen tested for The Living Daylights (1987) for the role of James Bond, appearing in test footage opposite Maryam d'Abo (the Bond girl in The Living Daylights) as Tatiana Romanova, re-enacting scenes from From Russia with Love (1963). In 1991, Wilson was featured in a series of Calvin Klein ads for its Eternity perfume brand, featuring Christy Turlington, reuniting for a poster ad in 1998.
Wilson released Musicals on the EMI label in 1989 (re-issued in 2004), with John McGlinn conducting Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. It features him singing songs of the American Musical Theatre catalogue, those well-known ("Maria" from West Side Story, "There But For You Go I" from Lerner & Loewe's Brigadoon, "The Cafe Song" from Les Misérables, "Johanna" from Stephen Sondheim's ), rare ("Love Song" from Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner's Love Life, "It Must Be So" from Leonard Bernstein's Candide, and "Silly People", which was cut from Sondheim's A Little Night Music), and those in-between ("Finishing the Hat" from Sunday in the Park with George, "You Do Something to Me" from Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen, "Never Will I Marry" from Frank Loesser's Greenwillow).
He has directed stage presentations of Alfred de Musset's Les Caprices de Marianne starring Laure Marsac at Paris' Bouffes du Nord as well as Jean Racine's Bérénice starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Didier Sandre at Avignon and then Chaillot.
In 1989, his performance as Abbé Pierre in the film Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre, for which he received the Jean Gabin prize, won him critical accolades. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, his screen career suffered from a series of box office failures, such as The Possessed and El Dorado.
He later said that the French producers had come, at the time, to regard him as "box office poison". He eventually won back the favour of French audiences by appearing in the successful comedies Same Old Song (1997) and Jet Set (2000).Lambert Wilson and Hervé Pons, Entretiens, Éditions du Rocher, 2009, pp. 102–106.
Wilson was cast in the role of The Merovingian in The Matrix Reloaded (2002) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), perhaps his best-known role in the American cinema. Being completely fluent in English, his strong French accent in the film is fabricated for the role. The role also popularised the Ediety tie knot, now commonly referred to as "The Merovingian".
He was the master of ceremonies for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 and 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
In February 2016, he released a tribute album called Wilson chante Montand to the singer Yves Montand to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of the artist. Among the 17 tracks on the album there is Mais qu’est-ce que j’ai ? which was composed by Henri Betti with the lyrics by Édith Piaf in 1947. The musical arrangements of the 17 songs were made by Bruno Fontaine. Also in 2016, he portrayed Jacques Cousteau in the biopic The Odyssey.
Wilson's commitment to safeguarding the environment is manifest in his support of Greenpeace and Agir pour l'Environnement amongst others. He works on behalf of the Fondation Abbé-Pierre and the Mouvement Emmaüs in France to eradicate hunger and poverty. Wilson is an ambassador for Les Toiles Enchantées (an association that brings contemporary cinema to hospitals and hospices for children), and parrain (patron) for a proposed new cinema at the Institut Français in London.
Wilson is Chevalier and Officier des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier and Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite. He was raised to Commandeur de l’Ordre du Mérite by President Emmanuel Macron in 2017.
In January 2018 he engaged to assist the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). in communications regarding work to eradicate world hunger and poverty ("Working for Zero Hunger"). The same year he starred in Volontaire by Hélène Fillières.
In 2021, Wilson reprised his role of The Merovingian from The Matrix franchise in The Matrix Resurrections.
| +Key | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| 1977 | Julia | Walter Franz | English | Fred Zinnemann | |
| 1979 | The Gendarme and the Extra-Terrestrials | An alien | French | Jean Girault | |
| New Generation | Jean-Charles | French | Jean-Pierre Lowf Legoff | ||
| Lady Oscar | Cocky soldier | English | Jacques Demy | ||
| From Hell to Victory | Patrice | English | Umberto Lenzi | ||
| 1981 | Chanel Solitaire | English | George Kaczender | ||
| 1982 | Five Days One Summer | Johann Biari | English | Fred Zinnemann | |
| La Boum 2 | Félix Maréchal | French | Claude Pinoteau | ||
| 1983 | Sahara | Sheikh Ahmed Al Jaffar | English | Andrew V. McLaglen | |
| 1984 | The Blood of Others | Paul | English | Claude Chabrol | |
| The Public Woman | Milan Mliska | French | Andrzej Żuławski | Nominated: César Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1985 | Rendez-vous | Quentin | French | André Téchiné | Nominated: César Award for Best Actor |
| Villain | French | Pierre Granier-Deferre | |||
| Red Kiss | Stéphane | French | Véra Belmont | ||
| 1986 | Ned | French | Yves Boisset | ||
| Corps et biens | Michel Sauvage | French | Benoît Jacquot | ||
| 1987 | The Belly of an Architect | Caspasian Speckler | English | Peter Greenaway | |
| 1988 | The Possessed | Nikolaj Stavrogin | French | Andrzej Wajda | |
| Chouans! | Tarquin Larmor | French | Philippe de Broca | ||
| El Dorado | Pedro de Ursúa | Spanish | Carlos Saura | ||
| 1989 | La Vouivre | Arsène Muselier | French | Georges Wilson | |
| Suivez cet avion | Rémi Cerneaux | French | Patrice Ambard | ||
| Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre | Abbé Pierre | French | Denis Amar | Nominated: César Award for Best Actor Won – Prix Jean Gabin | |
| 1991 | Un homme et deux femmes | Doctor Paul Baudoin | French | Valérie Stroh | |
| Shuttlecock | John Prentis | English | Andrew Piddington | ||
| 1992 | Warsaw – Year 5703 | Alek | French | Janusz Kijowski | |
| 1993 | L'Instinct de l'ange | Henry | French | Richard Dembo | |
| 1995 | Jefferson in Paris | Marquis de Lafayette | English | James Ivory | |
| 1996 | Unpredictable Nature of the River | Monsieur de la Malène | French | Bernard Giraudeau | |
| The Leading Man | Felix Webb | English | John Duigan | ||
| 1997 | Marquise | Jean Racine | French | Véra Belmont | |
| Same Old Song | Marc Duveyrier | French | Alain Resnais | Nominated: César Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1998 | Too Much (Little) Love | Paul | French | Jacques Doillon | |
| 1999 | The Last September | Hugo Montmorency | English | Deborah Warner | |
| 2000 | Jet Set | Arthus de Poulignac | French | Fabien Onteniente | Nominated: César Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| Love Torn in a Dream | Sebatol | French | Raúl Ruiz | ||
| 2001 | HS – hors service | Francis | French | Jean-Paul Lilienfeld | |
| Far from China | Jean-Pierre | French | C. S. Leigh | ||
| 2002 | Les tombales | Joseph | French | Christophe Barratier | Short film |
| 2003 | It's Easier for a Camel... | Aurelio | French | Valeria Bruni Tedeschi | |
| The Matrix Reloaded | The Merovingian | English | The Wachowskis | ||
| Dédales | Brennac | French | René Manzor | ||
| The Matrix Revolutions | The Merovingian | English | The Wachowskis | ||
| Timeline | Lord Arnaut | English | Richard Donner | ||
| Not on the Lips | Eric Thomson | French | Alain Resnais | ||
| 2004 | People | Brother Arthus | French | Fabien Onteniente | |
| Catwoman | George Hedare | English | Pitof | Nominated: Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor | |
| 2005 | Sahara | Yves Massarde | English | Breck Eisner | |
| Good Girl | Philippe | French | Sophie Fillières | ||
| L'Anniversaire | Raphaël | French | Diane Kurys | ||
| Palais royal! | Prince Arnaud | French | Valérie Lemercier | ||
| 2006 | Private Fears in Public Places | Dan | French | Alain Resnais | Nominated: Lumière Award for Best Actor |
| 2007 | Flawless | Finch | English | Michael Radford | |
| Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure | Lucky Luke (voice) | French | Olivier Jean-Marie | ||
| 2008 | Dante 01 | Saint-Georges | French | Marc Caro | |
| The Great Alibi | Pierre Collier | French | Pascal Bonitzer | ||
| Comme les autres | Emmanuel François Xavier Bernier | French | Vincent Garenq | ||
| Babylon A.D. | Dr. Arthur Darquandier | English | Mathieu Kassovitz | ||
| The Lazarus Project | Avery | English | John Glenn | ||
| 2009 | Victor | Jérôme Courcelle | French | Thomas Gilou | |
| 2010 | Imogène McCarthery | Samuel Tyler | French | Alexandre Charlot Franck Magnier | |
| The Princess of Montpensier | François de Chabannes | French | Bertrand Tavernier | ||
| Of Gods and Men | Christian | French | Xavier Beauvois | Nominated: César Award for Best Actor | |
| 2012 | Blind Man | Narvik | French | Xavier Palud | |
| HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami | General Pochero | French | Alain Chabat | ||
| You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet | Lambert Wilson | French | Alain Resnais | ||
| Ernest & Celestine | Ernest (voice) | French | Stéphane Aubier Vincent Patar Benjamin Renner | ||
| 2013 | Bicycling with Molière | Gauthier Valence | French | Philippe Le Guay | |
| ReWined | The Professor | Italian | Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani | ||
| 2014 | Barbecue | Antoine Chevalier | French | Éric Lavaine | |
| 5 to 7 | Valéry Pierpont | English | Victor Levin | ||
| The Nostalgist | The Man | English | Giacomo Cimini | Short film | |
| Posthumous | Daniel S. Volpe | English | Lulu Wang | ||
| 2015 | Suite Française | Viscount de Montmort | English | Saul Dibb | |
| Sins of a Father | John | English | Andrew Piddington | ||
| Rabid Dogs | The Father | French | Éric Hannezo | ||
| 2016 | The Odyssey | Jacques-Yves Cousteau | French | Jérôme Salle | Nominated: Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor |
| One Man and His Cow | Philippe | French | Mohamed Hamidi | ||
| The Jungle Book | Baloo (voice) | English | Jon Favreau | French dub | |
| Tout de suite maintenant | Barsac | French | Pascal Bonitzer | ||
| The Confessions | Roché's lover | Italian | Roberto Andò | ||
| Solo | Michel | Italian | Laura Morante | ||
| 2017 | Baby Bumps | Marc | French | Noémie Saglio | |
| Corporate | Stéphane Froncart | French | Nicolas Silhol | ||
| The Royal Exchange | Philippe V | French | Marc Dugain | ||
| L'Empereur | Narrator | French | Luc Jacquet | Nature documentary film | |
| 2018 | Au bout des doigts ( In Your Hands) | Pierre Geithner | French | Ludovic Bernard | |
| Volontaire | Rivière | French | Hélène Fillières | ||
| 2019 | The Translators | Éric Angstrom | French | Régis Roinsard | |
| 2020 | De Gaulle | Charles de Gaulle | French | Gabriel Le Bomin | Nominated: César Award for Best Actor |
| 2021 | Benedetta | The Nuncio | French | Paul Verhoeven | |
| The Matrix Resurrections | The Merovingian | English | Lana Wachowski | ||
| 2022 | Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris | Marquis de Chassagne | English | Anthony Fabian | |
| Ernest (voice) | French | Julien Chheng Jean-Christophe Roger | |||
| 2023 | A Great Friend | Vincent Delcour | French | Éric Besnard | |
| 2025 | Chopin, a Sonata in Paris | Louis Philippe I | Polish, French, Spanish | Michał Kwieciński | |
| TBA | The Bitter End | English | Mike Newell | ||
| 1978 | Gaston Phébus | Yvain | French | Bernard Borderie | 6 episodes |
| 1980 | Cinéma 16: Les filles d'Adam | Gilbert | French | Éric Le Hung | TV film |
| Au feu le préfet | Patrick Callaghan | French | Alain Boudet | ||
| L'Inconnue d'Arras | The grandfather | French | Raymond Rouleau | ||
| 1981 | Quatre femmes, quatre vies: La Maison bleue | Jean-Paul Taillandier | French | Robert Mazoyer | |
| La dernière nuit | The assistant executioner | French | Didier Decoin | ||
| Histoire contemporaine | Henri de Brèce | French | Michel Boisrond | Miniseries | |
| 1982 | The Trojan War Will Not Take Place | Paris | French | Raymond Rouleau | TV film |
| 1983 | La Caravane | Éric | French | Roger Gillioz | |
| 1986 | La Storia | Carlo Vivaldi / Davide Segre | Italian | Luigi Comencini | |
| 1992 | Strangers | The Guy | English | Joan Tewkesbury | |
| Frankenstein | Dr. Henry Clerval | English | David Wickes | ||
| 1994 | Une qui promet | Ferdinand | French | Marianne Lamour | |
| Les Caprices de Marianne | Octave | French | Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe | ||
| Rage and Outrage: The Dreyfus Affair | Drumont | French | Raoul Sangla | ||
| 1995 | Pour une vie ou deux | Noël Gregorio | French | Marc Angelo | |
| 1996 | Le Secret d'Iris | Pierrot | French | Élisabeth Rappeneau | |
| 1997 | Quand le chat sourit | French | Sabine Azéma | ||
| 2000 | Don Quixote | Duke | English | Peter Yates | |
| 2001 | Le divin enfant | Father Marc Aubray | French | Stéphane Clavier | |
| 2004 | Colette, une femme libre | Henry de Jouvenel | French | Nadine Trintignant | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 2009 | The Philanthropist | Yves Moehringer | English | Duane Clark | Episode: "Paris" |
| 2012 | The Hollow Crown | Charles, King of France | English | Thea Sharrock | Episode: "Henry V" |
| 2013 | Manipulations | Franck Barrot | French | Laurent Herbiet | TV film Nominated: Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Best Performance by an Actor |
| 2022 | Totems | Charles Contignet | French | Frédéric Jardin Jérôme Salle Antoine Blossier | Amazon TV Series |
| 2023 | Jon (voice) | English | Julien Chheng | Episode: "The Spy Dancer" | |
| 2024 | Vincent Ledu | French | Fabrice Gobert Daniel Grou | Apple TV+ series - main role | |
| 2027 | Harry Potter | Nicolas Flamel | English | HBO series - recurring role |
| 2003 | Enter the Matrix | The Merovingian | English | The Wachowskis | Voice role |
| 2005 | The Matrix Online | ||||
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