1. Overview
Niels Arestrup (Niels Arestrupnils aʁestʁypFrench; February 8, 1949 - December 1, 2024) was a highly acclaimed French-Danish actor, film director, and screenwriter. Over a career spanning five decades, Arestrup became a prominent figure in both French theatre and cinema, known for his powerful and versatile performances. He garnered significant recognition, including three César Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in films such as The Beat That My Heart Skipped, A Prophet, and The French Minister. His extensive theatre work also earned him multiple accolades, including a Molière Award for Best Actor and a Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor in a Play. Beyond acting, Arestrup contributed to the arts as a director and writer, further cementing his legacy as a multifaceted talent in the French entertainment industry.
2. Early Life and Education
Niels Arestrup's early life and education laid the foundation for his distinguished career in acting.
2.1. Birth and Background
Niels Arestrup was born on February 8, 1949, in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He grew up in a family of modest means. His heritage was diverse, with his father being Danish and his mother being Breton, giving him a unique Danish-French background.
2.2. Acting Training
Arestrup pursued formal acting education in Paris, where he attended the renowned acting courses of Tania Balachova. His training under Balachova, a highly influential acting teacher, was instrumental in shaping his skills and preparing him for a career that began on the theatre stage.
3. Career
Niels Arestrup's career was marked by his extensive work across theatre, film, and television, as well as his ventures into directing and writing.
3.1. Theatre
Arestrup began his acting career in theatre, where he established himself as a formidable presence. His stage performances were critically acclaimed, leading to numerous nominations and awards. He was nominated for the Molière Award for Best Actor in 2000 for his role in Copenhagen, again in 2006 for Letters to a Young Poet, and in 2012 for Diplomacy. His work in Acting earned him the Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actor in a Play in 2017, and he later won the Molière Award for Best Actor in 2019 for his performance in Red.
His extensive theatre credits include:
| Year | Title | Author | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Life Is a Dream | Pedro Calderón de la Barca | Jean Gillibert |
| 1970-1971 | The Misanthrope | Molière | Jean Gillibert |
| The Game of Love and Chance | Pierre de Marivaux | Michel-H Dufresne | |
| 1972-1973 | Crime and Punishment | Fyodor Dostoyevsky | André Barsacq |
| 1973-1974 | La Famille | Lodewijk de Boer | Derek Goldby |
| 1975 | The Hot l Baltimore | Lanford Wilson | Alexandre Arcady |
| 1976 | Gilles de Rais | Roger Planchon | Roger Planchon |
| 1978 | Deathwatch | Jean Genet | Claude Mathieu |
| 1979 | Platonov | Anton Chekhov | Gabriel Garran |
| 1981-1982 | The Cherry Orchard | Anton Chekhov | Peter Brook |
| 1982 | The Lover | Harold Pinter | Philippe Ferran |
| La Dernière Nuit de l'été | Aleksei Arbuzov | Yves Bureau | |
| 1983 | Miss Julie | August Strindberg | Christian Benedetti & Andreas Voutsinas |
| 1984 | Dom Juan | Molière | Maurice Bénichou |
| 1985 | Fool for Love | Sam Shepard | Andreas Voutsinas |
| 1986 | B29 | Alain Page | Derek Goldby |
| 1987 | 2050, le radeau de la mort | Harald Müller | Hans-Peter Cloos |
| 1988 | Three Sisters | Anton Chekhov | Maurice Bénichou |
| 1989 | The Seagull | Anton Chekhov | Andrei Konchalovsky |
| Sade, concert d'enfers | Enzo Cormann | Philippe Adrien | |
| 1989-1990 | The Misanthrope | Molière | Pierre Pradinas |
| 1990 | Tout contre un petit bois | Jean-Michel Ribes | Jean-Michel Ribes |
| 1991 | Ecrit sur l'Eau | Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt | Niels Arestrup |
| 1993 | Letters to a Young Poet | Rainer Maria Rilke | Niels Arestrup |
| 1995 | La Musica deuxième | Marguerite Duras | Bernard Murat |
| 1996 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Edward Albee | John Berry |
| 1997-1998 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Edward Albee | Jean-Luc Revol |
| 1999 | Étoiles | Pierre Laville | Maurice Bénichou |
| 1999-2000 | Copenhagen | Michael Frayn | Michael Blakemore |
| 2000 | Fernando Krapp m'a écrit cette lettre | Tankred Dorst | Bernard Murat |
| 2001 | Inserts | John Byrum | Niels Arestrup |
| 2002 | Phèdre | Jean Racine | Jacques Weber |
| Une nuit arabe | Roland Schimmelpfennig | Frédéric Bélier-Garcia | |
| 2003 | Each In His Own Way | Luigi Pirandello | Bernard Murat |
| 2004 | Quartet | Heiner Müller | Hans-Peter Cloos |
| L'Homme, la bête et la vertu | Luigi Pirandello | Jean-Claude Idée | |
| 2005-2006 | Letters to a Young Poet | Rainer Maria Rilke | Niels Arestrup |
| 2007 | Eva | Nicolas Bedos | Daniel Colas |
| 2008 | Beyrouth Hôtel | Rémi de Vos | Niels Arestrup |
| 2011-2012 | Diplomacy | Cyril Gely | Stéphan Meldegg |
| 2014-2016 | Le Souper | Jean-Claude Brisville | Daniel Benoin |
| 2016-2018 | Acting | Xavier Durringer | Xavier Durringer |
| 2018-2019 | Skorpios au loin | Isabelle le Nouvel | Jean-Louis Benoît |
| 2019-2020 | Red | John Logan | Jérémie Lippmann |
| 2021-2023 | 88 fois l'infini | Isabelle le Nouvel | Jérémie Lippmann |
3.2. Filmography
Arestrup's film career spanned from the 1970s to the 2020s, featuring collaborations with renowned directors and earning him significant awards. He won three César Awards for Best Supporting Actor, solidifying his status as a key figure in French cinema.
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Stavisky | Rudolph | Alain Resnais | |
| Miss O'Gynie et les hommes fleurs | Yves | Samy Pavel | ||
| 1976 | Lumière | Nano | Jeanne Moreau | |
| The Big Night | Léon | Francis Reusser | ||
| Je Tu Il Elle | The driver | Chantal Akerman | ||
| Demain les mômes | Philippe | Jean Pourtalé | ||
| If I Had to Do It All Over Again | Henri Lanot | Claude Lelouch | ||
| 1977 | The Apprentice Sorcerers | Danton | Edgardo Cozarinsky | |
| The More It Goes, the Less It Goes | Vincent | Michel Vianey | ||
| 1978 | The Song of Roland | Oton | Frank Cassenti | |
| 1979 | Memoirs of a French Whore | André | Daniel Duval | |
| La passion d'une femme sans coeur | Karl | Moïse Maatouk | Short | |
| 1980 | The Woman Cop | Dominique Allier | Yves Boisset | |
| 1981 | Seuls | Jean | Francis Reusser | |
| Du blues dans la tête | Dan | Hervé Palud | ||
| 1982 | One Man's War | Narrator | Edgardo Cozarinsky | Documentary |
| 1984 | The Future Is Woman | Gordon | Marco Ferreri | |
| 1985 | Diesel | Nelson | Robert Kramer | |
| Among Wolves | Mike | José Giovanni | ||
| Sincerely Charlotte | Mathieu | Caroline Huppert | ||
| 1986 | Le goûter chez Niels | Niels | Didier Martiny | Short |
| 1987 | La rumba | Commissioner Detaix | Roger Hanin | |
| Charlie Dingo | William | Gilles Béhat | ||
| Barbablù, Barbablù | Gastone | Fabio Carpi | ||
| 1988 | Ville étrangère | Gregor Keuschnig | Didier Goldschmidt | |
| 1989 | Doux amer | Jean | Franck Apprederis | |
| 1991 | Meeting Venus | Zoltan Szanto | István Szabó | |
| 1994 | Délit mineur | Claude | Francis Girod | |
| 1998 | Rewind | Fabrice Rivail | Sergio Gobbi | |
| 2000 | Le pique-nique de Lulu Kreutz | Jascha Steg | Didier Martiny | |
| 2002 | A Private Affair | Monsieur Siprien | Guillaume Nicloux | |
| Speak to Me of Love | Richard | Sophie Marceau | ||
| 2005 | The Beat That My Heart Skipped | Robert Seyr | Jacques Audiard | |
| 2006 | Les fragments d'Antonin | Professor Lantier | Gabriel Le Bomin | |
| 2007 | Le candidat | Georges | Niels Arestrup | |
| La part animale | Henri Chaumier | Sébastien Jaudeau | ||
| The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Roussin | Julian Schnabel | ||
| 2009 | A Prophet | César Luciani | Jacques Audiard | |
| L'affaire Farewell | Vallier | Christian Carion | ||
| 2010 | Sarah's Key | Jules Dufaure | Gilles Paquet-Brenner | |
| Small World | Thomas Senn | Bruno Chiche | ||
| The Big Picture | Bartholomé | Éric Lartigau | ||
| 2011 | War Horse | Grandfather | Steven Spielberg | |
| You Will Be My Son | Paul de Marseul | Gilles Legrand | ||
| 2012 | Our Children | André Pinget | Joachim Lafosse | |
| 2013 | The French Minister | Claude Maupas | Bertrand Tavernier | |
| 2014 | 96 hours | Victor Kancel | Frédéric Schoendoerffer | |
| The Dune | Reuven | Yossi Aviram | ||
| Diplomacy | Général von Choltitz | Volker Schlöndorff | ||
| 2015 | By the Sea | Michel | Angelina Jolie | |
| Papa lumière | Jacques | Ada Loueilh | ||
| 2017 | Return to Montauk | Walter | Volker Schlöndorff | |
| See You Up There | President Marcel Péricourt | Albert Dupontel | ||
| 2018 | At Eternity's Gate | Madman | Julian Schnabel | |
| 2020 | Villa Caprice | Luc Germon | Bernard Stora | |
| 2023 | Divertimento | Sergiu Celibidache | Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar |
3.3. Television
Arestrup also made significant contributions to television, appearing in numerous TV movies and series throughout his career.
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | La dernière carte | Wilhem Kasda | Marcel Cravenne | TV movie |
| Messieurs les jurés | Jean-Roger Pasquier | André Michel | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 1977 | Thaw | Jean-Luc | Markus Imhoof | TV movie |
| Cinéma 16 | Brandy | Bernard Dubois | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 1978 | Lulu | Schwarz | Marcel Bluwal | TV movie |
| 1979 | Le tourbillon des jours | Germain | Jacques Doniol-Valcroze | TV mini-series |
| 1980 | Bruges la morte | Hugues Viane | Alain Dhénaut | TV movie |
| Le petit théâtre d'Antenne 2 | The client | Jacques Audoir | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 1981 | Les héritiers | Serge | Bruno Gantillon | TV series (1 episode) |
| Mon meilleur Noël | The father | Gabriel Axel | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 1982 | La cerisaie | Lopakhine | Peter Brook | TV movie |
| La danse de mort | Kurt | Claude Chabrol | TV movie | |
| Le retour d'Elisabeth Wolff | Stan Pilgrim | Josée Dayan | TV movie | |
| Les secrets de la princesse de Cadignan | Rastignac | Jacques Deray | TV movie | |
| 1983 | Les poneys sauvages | Ben | Robert Mazoyer | TV mini-series |
| 1984 | Mademoiselle Julie | Jean | Yves-André Hubert | TV movie |
| 1987 | Série noire | Angelo | Daniel Duval | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1988 | La ruelle au clair de lune | Professor Hans Klemm | Édouard Molinaro | TV movie |
| 1989 | Manon Roland | Danton | Édouard Molinaro | TV movie |
| The Post Office Girl | Ferdinand Farner | Édouard Molinaro | TV mini-series | |
| 1991 | La grande dune | Keiser | Bernard Stora | TV movie |
| 1992 | La femme abandonnée | Oskar de Wilno | Édouard Molinaro | TV movie |
| 1993 | Albert Savarus | Albert Savarus | Alexandre Astruc | TV movie |
| 1995 | Les derniers jours de la victime | Mendizabal | Bruno Gantillon | TV movie |
| 2000 | La part de l'ombre | Charles Oberlé | Philippe Venault | TV movie |
| Fernando Krapp m'a écrit cette lettre | Fernando Krapp | Yves di Tullio & Bernard Murat | TV movie | |
| 2002 | Les enquêtes d'Éloïse Rome | Van Rooten | Didier Le Pêcheur | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2006 | Le Rainbow Warrior | The Duke | Pierre Boutron | TV movie |
| 2009 | Suite noire | Gérard | Emmanuelle Bercot | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2016 | Republican Gangsters | Francis Laugier | Ziad Doueiri | TV series (8 episodes) |
| 2017 | Capitaine Marleau | Hervé Gerfaut | Josée Dayan | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2019 | Calls | Adam | Timothée Hochet | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2022 | Black Butterflies | Albert Desiderio | Olivier Abbou | TV series (6 episodes) |
3.4. Director and Writer
Beyond his acting roles, Niels Arestrup also explored his talents as a director and screenwriter.
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Du blues dans la tête | Writer |
| 2007 | The Candidate | Director and writer |
4. Personal Life
In 2012, after a decade-long relationship, Niels Arestrup married actress, screenwriter, and author Isabelle Le Nouvel. In the same year, they welcomed twins, a boy and a girl.
5. Death
Niels Arestrup passed away on December 1, 2024, at the age of 75, in Ville-d'Avray, France. His death followed a long illness. The news of his passing was announced by his wife.
6. Accolades
Niels Arestrup received numerous awards and nominations throughout his career, recognizing his exceptional talent in both film and theatre.
| Year | Award | Category | Film/Play | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Prix du Syndicat de la critique | Best Actor | Copenhagen | Won |
| Molière Award | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Molière Award | Best Actor | Letters to a Young Poet | Nominated |
| 2006 | César Award | Best Supporting Actor | The Beat That My Heart Skipped | Won |
| 2010 | César Award | Best Supporting Actor | A Prophet | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| International Cinephile Society | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| International Online Cinema Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| Italian Online Movie Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Molière Award | Best Actor | Diplomacy | Nominated |
| César Award | Best Supporting Actor | The Big Picture | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Seattle International Film Festival | Best Actor | You Will Be My Son | Nominated |
| 2019 | César Award | Best Supporting Actor | The French Minister | Won |
| Globe de Cristal Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | César Award | Best Actor | Diplomacy | Nominated |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | Best Actor | Won | ||
| 2016 | L'Association des Critiques de Séries | Best Actor | Baron Noir | Nominated |
| 2017 | ACS Awards | Best Actor | Republican Gangsters | - |
| Globe de Cristal Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Acting | Won | |
| 2018 | César Award | Best Supporting Actor | See You Up There | Nominated |
| 2020 | Molière Award | Best Actor | Red | Won |
| 2023 | ACS Awards | Best Supporting Role in a TV Series : 40 minutes | Black Butterflies | - |
7. Legacy and Impact
Niels Arestrup's legacy is defined by his profound contributions to French and international cinema and theatre. His versatile acting style allowed him to portray a wide range of characters, from the menacing crime boss César Luciani in A Prophet to the nuanced diplomat in Diplomacy. His ability to embody complex roles with depth and intensity made him a favorite among critics and audiences alike. The numerous awards he received, including multiple César and Molière Awards, underscore his significant impact and enduring influence on the performing arts. Arestrup's work continues to be celebrated for its artistic integrity and the powerful emotional resonance he brought to every performance.