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Christopher Lambert

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For other people named Christopher Lambert, seeChristopher Lambert (disambiguation).

Christopher Lambert
Lambert in 2013
Born
Christophe Guy Denis Lambert

(1957-03-29)March 29, 1957(age 67)
Great Neck, New York,U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • novelist
Years active1979–present
Spouses
​
​
(m.1988;div.1994)​
Jaimyse Haft
​
​
(m.1999;div.2000)​
Children1
Christopher Lambert at theGerman Comic Con2017

Christophe Guy Denis"Christopher"Lambert(/ˈlæmbərt/;French:[lɑ̃bɛʁ];born March 29, 1957) is a French actor. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally famous for portrayingTarzaninGreystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes(1984). For his performance in the filmSubway(1985), he received theCésar Award for Best Actor.His most famous role isConnor MacLeodin the adventure-fantasy filmHighlander(1986) and thesubsequent franchise of the same name.

Early life[edit]

Christophe Guy Denis Lambert[1]was born inGreat Neck, New York,on March 29, 1957, the son of Yolande Agnès Henriette (née de Caritat de Peruzzis),[2]and Georges Lambert-Lamond,[3]a French diplomat at theUnited Nations.[4]His father was Jewish.[5]Due to his father's work, Lambert moved with his parents to Switzerland at the age of two,[1]and was raised inGeneva,where he attended theInternational School of Geneva[6]and the Institut Florimont until his teenage years,[1]when the family moved to France and settled inParis.[7]Lambert's debut in acting was in a school play age 12.[1]

Career[edit]

DirectorHugh HudsonandWarner Brotherssought out Lambert, wanting an unknown actor to playTarzan,a human raised by apes in the jungle.[8]Lambert got the role partly due to hismyopia,because when he took off his glasses it seemed he was always looking into the distance.[9]Released in 1984,Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes,was nominated for many awards.[9]Also that year, Lambert starred oppositeCatherine DeneuveinLove Songs.

He played the lead inLuc Besson's stylistic filmSubway(1985), about a man being hunted in the underground subways of Paris.[10]In 1986,Russell Mulcahy'sHighlanderpremiered.[11]In the film, Lambert starred asConnor MacLeod,an immortal warrior who could only be killed by decapitation.[11]The film became a cult hit and was an international box-office success, rock groupQueencomposed and performed the soundtrack,[7]and Lambert also appeared as MacLeod in the music video for Queen's "Princes of the Universe".[12]In 1987, Lambert played the leading role ofSalvatore GiulianoinThe Sicilian,[13]directed byMichael Cimino.In 1988, he starred inAgnieszka Holland'sTo Kill a Priest,in which he played a character based onJerzy Popiełuszkoand his murder under thePolish communist regime.[14]

In 1991,Highlander II: The Quickeningpremiered, reuniting Lambert with directorRussell Mulcahyand fellow actorSean Connery.[15]Shot inArgentinato reduce production costs; which was going through a financial crisis, much of the script was not filmed and the final result was a patchwork.[16]It was said, Lambert threatened to walk out of the project when it was nearing fruition, However, due to contractual obligations, he did reconsider.[16]In 1992, he appeared in three projects. He appeared in the first episode of the television showHighlander: The Series,passing on the lead role to actorAdrian Paul.[16]He also appeared in the French crime thrillerMax et Jérémie,co-starringPhilippe NoiretandJean-Pierre Marielle.[17]

In 1993,Carl Schenkel's suspense thrillerKnight Movespremiered, in which Lambert was both an executive producer and the lead.[18]Lambert plays achessgrandmastersuspected of murder.[18]Later that year,Stuart Gordon's science fiction filmFortresspremiered, with Lambert playing the lead.[19]The story takes place in a dystopian future where a man and his wife are sent to a maximum-security prison because they are expecting a second child, which is against the strict one-child policy.

1994 saw the release of two collaborations with actorMario Van Peebles.[16]They played the side by side leads in the action filmGunmen,and Van Peebles was the main villain inHighlander III: The Sorcerer.[16]In this third installment of the franchise, Connor MacLeod is forced to face a new, dangerous enemy, a powerful sorcerer known as Kane who wants to gain world domination.[16]Lambert also starred in the action filmRoadflower.In France, he produced his secondPatrick Braoudéfilm calledNeuf mois,which was nominated for twoCésars.[20]

In 1995, he played the role of the thunder godRaidenin thePaul W. S. Anderson'smovie adaptationof the popular video game seriesMortal Kombat.[21]The plot of the film follows the warrior monkLiu Kang,the actorJohnny Cage,and the soldierSonya Blade,all three guided by the godRaiden,[21]on their journey to combat the evil sorcererShang Tsungand his forces in a tournament to save Earth.[21]Lambert later reprised the role in the MK Movie Skin Pack in the 2020 gameMortal Kombat 11.[21]Also that year, he also starred in the American-Japanese martial arts action filmThe Hunted,directed byJ. F. Lawton,with a cast that includedJohn Lone,Joan Chen,Yoshio Harada,andYoko Shimada,[22]and producedXavier Beauvois'sDon't Forget You're Going to Die,which won the Special Jury Award at theGijón International Film Festival,won thePrix Jean Vigo,won theJury Prizeand was nominated for thePalme d'Orat theCannes Film Festival.[13][23]Lambert was also an executive producer onChris Columbus'Nine Months,[13]an English-language remake ofNeuf mois.[13]

In 1996, Lambert was an executive producer and the lead inNils Gaup's western filmNorth Star,co-starringJames Caan.[13]The same year he was a producer ofWhen Saturday Comes,a football sport drama starringSean Bean.[13]In 1997, he starred in Gabriele Salvatores'cyberpunkscience fiction filmNirvana.[17]The film tells the story of avirtual realitygame designer,played by Lambert, who discovers that the main character of his game has achieved sentience due to an attack by acomputer virus.The film was screened out of competition at theCannes Film Festival.[24]The same year, he also co-lead withIce-Tin the action filmMean Guns,[13]and starred in the French filmArlettebyClaude Zidi.[13]

In 1998, he produced and starred inOperation Splitsville,a remake ofGénial, mes parents divorcent,which he produced several years earlier. The same year, he produced and played a man with a mental disability, who moved into a nursing home, in the filmGideon.[17]In 1999, he produced and starred inRussell Mulcahy'sResurrection,[13]where he plays a detective who is assigned to investigate the savage murder of a man who has bled to death from a severed arm. He also starred inscience fantasy-action filmBeowulf.[17]In 2000, he played in the fourth installment of theHighlanderfranchise,Highlander: Endgame.[16]The film reunited him withAdrian Paul,and would be last sequel Lambert appeared in.[16]The same year, he was still on the run from authorities in the sequelFortress 2: Re-Entry.[17]

Lambert,Isabelle Huppert,andClaire Denisat the66th Venice Film Festival2009

He also starred inJohn Glen'sThe Point Men,about a team of Israeli agents being killed off one-by-one after a botched anti-terrorist operation. In 2003, he played inAbsolon,apost-apocalypticscience fictionthriller film.[13]He was an executive producer on the filmThe Confessor(also known asThe Good Shepherd) starringChristian Slater,Molly Parker,andStephen Rea.In 2006, he was an executive producer and star on the filmDay of Wrath.[13]He also played a supporting role inRichard Kelly'sSouthland Tales.[13]

In 2007, he starred in the vampire filmMetamorphosis.[13]He starred in theSophie Marceaudirected French filmTrivial.[13]In 2009, Lambert was a lead inClaire Denis'White Material;both the film and Lambert's performance received critical acclaim.[25][7][26]The film starsIsabelle Huppertas a struggling French coffee producer in an unnamed French speaking African country, who decides to stay at her coffee plantation in spite of an erupting civil war.[7]The film has appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2010.[27]That year, he also acted inCartagena,with Sophie Marceau starring as a beautiful, free-spirited woman who becomes bedridden following a terrible accident. Against her better judgement, she hires a drunk middle-aged former boxer (Lambert) to cook and care for her. Although unqualified for the position, he is desperate for work, and slowly he wins the trust of the woman, who teaches him how to read. The film also won several awards in France.[citation needed]

Lambert withSophie Marceauin October 2012

In 2011, Lambert starred as the villainous head monk Methodius in theGhost RidersequelGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,starringNicolas Cage,in 2011.[28]He underwent sword training for three months[29]and shaved his head.[30]The film made $132.6 million worldwide.[31]Shortly afterwards, he got the role of Marcel Janvier (alias "The Chameleon" ), a recurring villain in award-winning hit police crime TV dramaNCIS: Los Angeles.His character was in six episodes from 2012 to 2013 – the two highest-rated seasons of the show.[32]

In 2014, he played in the biographical crime drama filmElectric Slide,about the Los Angeles-based bank robberEddie Dodson.In 2015, he co-starred in Claude Lelouch'sUn plus une,a Frenchromantic comedyfilm. He also co-starred in the biographical film10 Days in a Madhouse,about the experiences of undercover journalistNellie Bly.In 2016 he co-starred inHail, Caesar!,a comedy film written, produced, edited, and directed byJoel and Ethan Coen.It is a fictional story that follows the real-life "fixer"Eddie Mannix(Josh Brolin) working in theHollywood film industry in the 1950s,trying to discover what happened to a cast member who vanished during the filming of a biblical epic. That year, he cameoed as a French Army Captain inLa folle histoire de Max et Léon,a FrenchWorld War IIcomedy film. He also had a recurring role in the Russian-Portuguese biographical television showMata Hari.That year, he also played the lead villain in the martial arts filmKickboxer: Retaliation.

Lambert plays the role of SS officerKarl Frenzelin the Russian filmSobiborby directorKonstantin Khabensky,which was released in 2018. The film is a World War II drama about the only successful uprising in a Nazi death camp.[33]It was selected as the Russian entry for theBest Foreign Language Filmat the91st Academy Awards.[34]Lambert received high praise for "an outstanding and nuanced performance; he is unrecognisable as Frenzel, a demonic, fractured character".[35]

Lambert was part of the ensemble cast ofBel Cantofrom directorPaul Weitz,an adaptation of the 2002 novel of thesame name,byAnn Patchett.Lambert played the role of a French ambassador who was part of theJapanese embassy hostage crisis(also called the Lima Crisis) of 1996–1997 in Lima, Peru. Lambert received praise, along with the rest of the cast, for "performances [that] are uniformly excellent".[36]

Other ventures[edit]

Lambert has written two novels:La fille porte-bonheurin 2011 andLe jugein 2015.[37][38]

Along with owning a mineral water business and food processing plant, Lambert producesCôtes du Rhônewines with his business partner Eric Beaumard at a vineyard inSainte-Cécile-les-Vignes.The label,Les Garrigues de Beaumard-Lambert,tops out at 4,000 cases and is sold mostly in Europe. Beaumard has primary creative control of the winery, but Lambert conducts barrel tests and monitors the various stages of the wine's evolution.[39]

Personal life[edit]

Lambert was married to American actressDiane Lanefrom 1988 until their divorce in 1994.[40]Their daughter was born in 1993.[7]Lambert married American actress Jaimyse Haft in 1999, and they divorced in 2000.[citation needed]From 2007 to 2014, he dated French actressSophie Marceau.[41][42]

Lambert has profoundmyopiaand cannot see without hisglasses.He cannot wearcontact lensesand often has to perform while virtually blind, which has led to injuries while performing his own stunts.[43]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Language Notes
1979 Ciao, les mecs Thug at the dance party French Credited as Christophe Lambert
1980 The Telephone Bar Paul "Bébé" Franchi French as Christophe Lambert
1981 Douchka French TV film
1981 Asphalte Un médecin à l'hôpital / The doctor French as Christophe Lambert
1981 Une sale affaire Mullard French as Christophe Lambert
1981 Putain d'histoire d'amour Inspecteur de police French as Christophe Lambert
1982 Légitime violence Jockey French as Christophe Lambert
1982 Cinéma 16: La Dame de cœur Marcel French TV series episode
1984 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes John Clayton/Tarzan English
1985 Paroles et Musique Jeremy French as Christophe Lambert
1985 Subway Fred French César Award for Best Actoras Christophe Lambert
1986 Highlander Connor MacLeod English
1986 I Love You Michel French as Christophe Lambert
1987 The Sicilian Salvatore Giuliano English
1988 Priceless Beauty(a.k.a.Love Dream) Menrou English
1988 To Kill a Priest Father Alek English
1990 Why Me? Gus Cardinale English
1991 Highlander II: The Quickening Connor MacLeod English
1992 Knight Moves Peter Sanderson English
1992 Highlander: The Series Connor MacLeod English TV (one episode)
1992 Max et Jérémie Jeremie Kolachowsky French as Christophe Lambert
1992 Fortress John Henry Brennick English
1993 Loaded Weapon 1 Man with Car Phone English Deleted scene, uncredited
1994 Gunmen Dani Servigo English
1994 Roadflower Jack English
1994 Highlander III: The Sorcerer Connor MacLeod / Russell Nash English
1995 The Hunted Paul Racine English
1995 Nine Months — English Executive producer
1995 Mortal Kombat Raiden English
1996 North Star Hudson Saanteek English as Christophe Lambert
1996 Adrenalin: Fear the Rush Lemieux English
1996 Hercule et Sherlock Vincent French as Christophe Lambert
1997 Nirvana Jimi Dini Italian
1997 Arlette Frank Martin French as Christophe Lambert
1997 Mean Guns Lou English
1999 Operation Splitsville Max, P.E. Teacher English
1999 Resurrection John Prudhomme English also writer
1999 Beowulf Beowulf English
1999 Gideon Gideon Oliver Dobbs English
2000 Fortress 2: Re-Entry John Henry Brennick English
2000 Highlander: Endgame Connor MacLeod English
2001 Aparté Short film
2001 Druids Vercingetorix English as Christophe Lambert
2001 Mazinkaiser Additional Voices Video game
2001 The Point Men Tony Eckhardt English
2002 King of Bandit Jing Additional Voices TV miniseries, credited as Chris Lambert
2002 The Piano Player Alex Laney English
2003 Absolon Detective Norman Scot English
2003 Janis and John Léon French
2004 À ton image Thomas French
2005 Dalida Richard Chanfray, Comte de Saint-Germain French TV miniseries
2006 Day of Wrath Ruy de Mendoza English
2006 Southland Tales Walter Mung English
2006 Le Lièvre de Vatanen Tom Vatanen French as Christophe Lambert
2007 Metamorphosis Constantine Thurzo English
2007 Trivial Jacques French as Christophe Lambert
2008 The Chauffeur(Kierowca) Devereaux Polish
2009 White Material Andre Vial French as Christophe Lambert[7]
2009 Les Associés Philippe Kaminski French TV film, credited as Christophe Lambert
2009 Cartagena Leo French as Christophe Lambert
2010 Das Geheimnis der Wale Chris Cassell German TV film
2011 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Methodius English
2013 Blood Shot The President English
2012–2013 NCIS: Los Angeles Marcel Janvier / The Chameleon English TV series (6 episodes)
2014 Electric Slide Roy Fortune English
2015 Un plus une Samuel Hamon French
2016 Hail, Caesar! Arne Slessum English
2016 La folle histoire de Max et Léon Captain Lassard French Also co-produced
2017 Mothers[44] English Film
2017 Mata Hari Gustav Kramer Russian TV miniseries
2017 Everyone's Life Antoine de Vidas French
2017 Call My Agent! Himself French TV series (1 episode)
2018 Kickboxer: Retaliation Thomas Moore English
2018 Sobibor Karl Frenzel Russian Russian Holocaust film
2018 Bel Canto Simon Thibault English
2019 The Blacklist Bastien Moreau / The Corsican English TV series
2020 Capitaine Marleau Thierry Bégodeau French TV series
2021 The Creeps[45][46] English In development

Video games[edit]

Year Title Role Language Notes
2020 Mortal Kombat 11 Raiden ( "Earthrealm" ) English Voice and model based on his past performance as the character in the 1995 live action film[47]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcd"Christophe Lambert".tv.apple.RetrievedFebruary 14,2023.
  2. ^"Yolande Agnès Henriette Lambert, Christopher Lambert's mother".geni.July 5, 1928.RetrievedJanuary 5,2020.
  3. ^"Georges Lazare Maurice Lambert-Lamond, Christopher Lambert's father".geni.September 5, 1910.RetrievedMay 23,2022.
  4. ^"Association of Former International Civil Servants - Geneva AFICS Bulletin Vol.62, No.5, December 2003"(PDF).December 1, 2003.RetrievedDecember 18,2018.
  5. ^Brown, Annie (December 17, 2018)."Highlander icon Christopher Lambert looks back on Scottish cult classic 32 years on".Daily Record.RetrievedMay 23,2022.
  6. ^"Echo 21 (Fall 2017) by International School of Geneva - Issuu".issuu.December 20, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2024.
  7. ^abcdefDavies, Lizzie (June 17, 2010)."How Christophe Lambert went from action flops to arthouse acclaim".The Guardian.RetrievedOctober 3,2015.
  8. ^"The Charlotte News, 29 March 1984".The Charlotte News.March 29, 1984. p. 41.RetrievedJanuary 6,2021.
  9. ^ab"The Secrets Behind That Other Tarzan Movie — The One That Earned a Dog a Screenwriting Oscar Nomination".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMarch 29,2018.
  10. ^Maslin, Janet (November 6, 1985)."The Screen: 'Subway'".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 29,2018.
  11. ^ab"AFI Catelog of Feature Films 1893–1993 - Highlander (1986) 7 March 1986".catalog.afi.RetrievedDecember 31,2019.
  12. ^Bartkowiak, Matthew (2010).Sounds of the Future: Essays on Music in Science Fiction Films.North Carolina: McFarland & Co. p. 19.ISBN978-0786444809.RetrievedFebruary 22,2019.
  13. ^abcdefghijklmn"Christopher Lambert",tvguide,retrievedFebruary 23,2023
  14. ^"To Kill a Priest",rottentomatoes,retrievedMarch 29,2018
  15. ^"AFI Catelog of Feature Films 1893–1993 - Highlander II: The Quickening".catalog.afi.RetrievedDecember 31,2019.
  16. ^abcdefghWilliams, Owen."Highlander: a history".Empire.RetrievedJuly 11,2016.
  17. ^abcde"Christopher Lambert Filmography",dfi.dk,retrievedApril 20,2019
  18. ^ab"AFI Catelog of Feature Films 1893–1993 - Knight Moves (1993)".catalog.afi.RetrievedJune 9,2019.
  19. ^"AFI Catelog of Feature Films 1893–1993 - Fortress (1993)".catalog.afi.RetrievedJune 8,2019.
  20. ^"Neuf mois",academie-cinema.org,1994,retrievedFebruary 22,2023
  21. ^abcdYin-Poole, Wesley (November 25, 2020),"Mortal Kombat 11's Klassic movie skin pack gives us the Christopher Lambert Raiden we remember",eurogamer.net
  22. ^O'Bryan, Joey (March 3, 1995),"The Hunted 1995",austinchronicle
  23. ^"Don't Forget You're Going to Die (N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir)",mubi,retrievedNovember 21,2013
  24. ^"Nirvana - Festival de Cannes".Festival de Cannes.RetrievedMarch 30,2018.
  25. ^"Review: Running Scared: Claire Denis'White Material".September 15, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 18,2011.
  26. ^"Rotten Tomatoes".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedJanuary 13,2011.
  27. ^"Top Tens: January 8, 2011".moviecitynews.Archived fromthe originalon April 1, 2018.RetrievedMarch 31,2018.
  28. ^"Announcement ofGhost Rider 2casting ".Official Christopher Lambert Website. November 17, 2010.RetrievedMarch 25,2011.
  29. ^"Ghost Rider 2Casting Updates ".Fusedfilm. October 12, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon December 25, 2011.RetrievedMarch 26,2011.
  30. ^"La bonne étoile de Christophe Lambert"(in French). TVMag. February 25, 2011.RetrievedMarch 23,2011.
  31. ^"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012) - Box Office Mojo".boxofficemojo.RetrievedApril 1,2018.
  32. ^"ratings » Television and Record Industry History Resources".timbrooks.net.RetrievedApril 1,2018.
  33. ^"Константин Хабенский стал режиссером фильма" Собибор "".Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
  34. ^Kozlov, Vladimir (September 10, 2018)."Oscars: Russia Selects 'Sobibor' for Foreign-Language Category".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedSeptember 10,2018.
  35. ^Brown, Annie (December 17, 2018)."Highlander icon Christopher Lambert looks back on Scottish cult classic 32 years on".Daily Record.RetrievedDecember 19,2018.
  36. ^Stephan, Farber (September 10, 2018). "'Bel Canto': Film Review."The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  37. ^LAMBERT, Christophe (February 24, 2011).La fille porte-bonheur.Paris: Plon.ISBN9782259213141.
  38. ^Lambert, Christophe (August 17, 2015).Le juge(in French). Plon.ISBN9782259230032.
  39. ^"Christophe Lambert & Eric Beaumard Interview - Les Garrigues | Gayot".gayot.RetrievedApril 1,2018.
  40. ^Dougherty, Margot; Hutchings, David (February 13, 1989)."Diane Lane, with a New Husband and No Fear of Flying, Takes Wing Again inLonesome Dove".People.Archived fromthe originalon May 18, 2016.RetrievedMay 1,2008.
  41. ^Atkinson, Michael (2008).Exile cinema: filmmakers at work beyond Hollywood.SUNY Press. pp. 82–86.
  42. ^"Sophie Marceau interview".sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de(in German). September 6, 2012.RetrievedMarch 16,2016.
  43. ^"From Apeman to Mogul".EW.September 23, 1993.Archivedfrom the original on October 11, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  44. ^"Mothers (2017)".Archived fromthe originalon January 23, 2022.RetrievedApril 15,2020.
  45. ^Jeremy Kay:Finnish creature feature ‘The Creeps’ starring Christopher Lambert gears up for production start (exclusive),'Screen Daily,March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  46. ^Brad Miska:‘The Creeps’: Christopher Lambert Celebrates Monsterfest In Finnish Creature Feature,Bloody Disgusting,March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  47. ^@MortalKombat (November 23, 2020)."🤔 #MKUltimate"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.

External links[edit]

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