Born on March 18, 1959 in Paris, Luc Besson did not wander a long time in the Parisian avenues. And due ! Dad - Mr. Univers 1962 - and mom are both G.O. (Nice Organizers) with the Club Med. Logical consequence : his childhood proceeds in paradisiac places which enable him to discover the diving, which will become his true passion. At 8 years, Luc furrows sea-beds and discusses with murenes, octopuses and others merous. All things considered, all is cool. However, to 17 years, Besson must say good-bye to the palms of diving. Into full transfered in the funds, a bubble of air blocks his optic nerve. He misses becoming blind.

Deprived of his first passion, he turns to his second, the writing. For two years already, he has written stories. Abracadabrantes perhaps, magic surely. One of them reports the war between the physical representation of the devil and a man of the future, which has "the fifth element". His ideas push him towards the image : the photography, of course, but also the cinema, of which he thinks much. Provided with a Super-8 camera, he turns around the studios, is madedrive back, still tested ! After a crowd of odd jobs, he sinks with Hollywood and find a job on the series "Max la menace". Palpitating work not very, since it makes photocopies and other small jobs of the same quality. Return to the fold.

Besson thinks that to work in the cinema, a school must be reproduced on his CV. He is thus presented to Idhec, which drives back it in its turn. Called upon reason : Besson, in his list of his preferred directors, gave the name of Steven Spielberg ! Not desapointed, Besson never the less manages to find a place of second assistant, then of first, amongst other things on "Les Bidasses aux grandes manœuvres", by Raphaël Delpard, on the plate of which he meets a young actor beginning named Jean Reno...:) In 1982, Luc Besson believes his chance finally arrived. The turning of "The Last Battle", his first film, with Jean Reno, begins. Too much beautiful to be true. The producer with draws his balls. A few months later, not discouraged, Besson creates "Les Films du Loup" with Pierre Jolivet (met with the Club Med). They find investors, for the majority foreigners in the world of the cinema, and true turning starts finally. "The Last Battle" will receive the Great Price of the Festival of Avoriaz and the visit of many witnesses. Luc Besson is done noticed then in the trade, like the young wonder of the French cinema, which will bring a new wind.

Three years later, Luc Besson initiates the French with the Parisian underground life with "Subway", and produces also the clip "Pull Marine", of Isabelle Adjani (he will realize in 1993 a clip for Mylène Farmer). "Subway" becomes the ultimate film of the 80's, glazed paper and images shock. Worship. Successes will be connected then : successes public, but not always critical. Besson does not like too the press, and she returns well it to him. In 1988 arrives "The Big Blue", presented to the Festival of Cannes, and denigrated with a free spite by the press ! Plunged in apnea in the amniotic liquid of the childhood dreamed of Luc (and in the oceans, by the same occasion), "The Big Blue" becomes the film worship of a whole generation, with nearly ten million inputs in France ! A true phenomen on of society, which will make close the large and bad mouth of the French press, and of the detractors of the film... Because Besson, with two large consecutive successes and his new statute of "worship director", is seen attacking by some jealous not supporting his success (France is a country which has his mysteries...).

Despite everything, his films make scores more than remarkable in France and also abroad, and reveal actors regularly. Jean-Marc Barr initially, for "The Big Blue", then rediscovery of Anne Parillaud for the thriller with double face "La Femme Nikita", which reinvents action's films (wonderfull !) and explosion of Natalie Portman in what remains for me the largest masterpiece of Luc Besson to date ; "The Professional", sublime film, of an intense emotion, which allows the French director and his friend/actor Jean Reno to impose himself on the United-States.

Between "La Femme Nikita" and "The Professional", Besson partly carries out "Atlantis" a sublime film on his friends the fish which, without breaking the hut, gains a pretty success, due to the masterly composition of Eric Serra. After "The Professional", Besson thus crosses finally the Atlantic to concretize its older project : "The Fifth Element". Gigantic production, gigantic distribution (the film cost the neighbourhoods of 100 M$, the film most expensive in the history of the European cinema !).And once again, the public, this time international, arrives in mass to discover this splendid futuristic history, with a realization out of the commun run ! Besson became a star international, as proves it, if it of it is necessary still, the casting which joined him for the needs of "Joan of Arc-The Messenger", his eighth film, and his most succeeded work and most mature... And then, Besson, it is also the production : "Kamikaze", by Didier Grousset, in 1986, but especially "Taxi 1" and "Taxi 2", without hoping the formidable one "Nil by mouth", by his friend Gary Oldman, or the productions as various as "Dancer" or "Kiss of the Dragon", his next prodution (with large budget) with Jet Li. Success until the end !

Filmography

Director : 1983, Le Dernier Combat 1985, Subway 1988, Le Grand Bleu 1990, Nikita 1991, Atlantis 1994, Léon 1997, Le Cinquième Elément 1999, Jeanne d'Arc Short film : 1981, L'Avant Dernier

Producer : 1986, Kamikaze, by Didier Grousset 1991, Lune Froide, by Patrick Bouchitay 1993, L'enfant lion, by Patrick Gramperet 1997, Nil By Mouth, by Gary Oldman 1998, Taxi, by Gérard Pirès 2000, Taxi 2, by Gérard Krawczyk 2000, The Dancer, by Fred Garson 2000, Exit, by Olivier Megaton 2000, 15 août, by Patrick Allessandrin 2001, Yamakasi, by Ariel Zeitoun 2001, Kiss of the Dragon, by Christophe Nahon 2001, Wasabi, by Gérard Krawczyk 2001, Peau d'Ange, by Vincent Perez

Main video clips : Serge Gainsbourg, Mon beau légionnaire Isabelle Adjani, Pull Marine Mylène Farmer, Que mon coeur lâche Main publicities : Rouge Pulp de L'Oréal Citroën Berlingot spéciale "10 ans du Grand Bleu" Chanel n°5 Club Internet