A chameleon-like actor boasting an eclectic filmography, Damien Bonnard has established himself in just a few short years as one of contemporary French cinema’s leading figures. In works ranging from intimate dramas to nail-biting thrillers, he creates characters brimming with tension, often grappling with harsh realities. Reims Polar is proud to honor an actor whose unique career chimes naturally with the world of crime fiction.
Originally from Alès, Damien Bonnard trained at the Nîmes School of Fine Arts before embarking on a career as a performer. After taking acting classes and several efforts in front of the camera, notably for Bertrand Blier, Alice Winocour and Rachid Bouchareb, he landed his first leading role in 2016 with Alain Guiraudie’s Staying Vertical, for which he received a César nomination and a Lumière Award for Most Promising Actor. Two years later, he starred in F.J. Ossang’s thriller 9 Fingers and played a police officer in Pierre Salvadori’s The Trouble with You, a role that earned him a César nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He re-enlisted by portraying “Pento,” a new recruit to the Montfermeil Anti-Crime Squad, in Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables, winner of the 2019 Cannes Jury Prize. His performance earned him a César nomination for Best Actor, a category in which he was nominated once again two years later for Joachim Lafosse’s The Restless.
Damien Bonnard has also led the cast of Dominik Moll’s Only the Animals (2019), Léopold Legrand’s The Sixth Child (2022), Ilan Klipper’s The Peace and Love Process (2023), Vincent Perez’s The Edge of the Blade (2023), Brigitte Sy’s Happiness Is for Tomorrow (2024), Céline Sallette’s Niki (2024) and Emmanuel Mouret’s Three Friends (2024). Internationally, he has worked with Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk, 2017), Nathan Silver (Thirst Street, 2018), Wes Anderson (The French Dispatch, 2021 and Asteroid City, 2023) and Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, 2024).
Last year, he appeared in Antoine Chevrollier’s Block Pass, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Serpent’s Path, Sylvain Desclous’s The Victoria System, Manele Labidi’s Reine mère and Joachim Lafosse’s Six Days in Spring. He begins this year by yet again putting his stamp on the crime genre with Akihiro Hata’s film Grand Ciel and the series The Hunt, broadcast on Apple TV.
