Isaach De Bankolé Biography

MARITAL STATUS
Professions Actor , Executive Producer , Executive Producer more
Nationalities Ivorian, Beninese
Birth August 12, 1957 (Abidjan – Ivory Coast)

BIOGRAPHY
Isaach de Bankolé was born in Ivory Coast, but his parents came from Benin, and his grandparents from Nigeria. At 17, he left for Paris with the idea of ​​becoming an airplane pilot. A graduate in mathematics, he nevertheless decided to turn to comedy, and joined the Cours Simon.

Appearing on screen in 1984 in L’Arbalète and L’Addition , he gained notoriety two years later thanks to the success of Black Mic Mac , a tender and funny portrait of the black community in Paris by Thomas Gilou . His composition as a false marabout earned him the César for Most Promising Actor in 1987. We then found him in other comedies, from Keufs to Vanille Strawberry , but the one who worked in the theater with Chéreau and Mesguich was quickly spotted by the two Claires of the cinema of author: Devers ( Black and White ) and especially Denis , who offers him two of his most beautiful roles, the boy of a French family settled in Cameroon in Chocolat (1988) and an organizer of cockfights in S’en fucks death (1990).

At the beginning of the 90s, a wonderful bond was formed between de Bankolé and an American friend of Claire Denis , Jim Jarmusch : taxi driver for a blind Béatrice Dalle in Night on Earth , he played a jokey ice cream seller in Ghost Dog (1999) . ). This cosmopolitan actor tours with the Portuguese Pedro Costa , the Malian Sissoko ( Batu , his first experience in Africa) and the Dane Lars von Trier – he plays a rebellious and sensual slave in Manderlay (2005).

Living in the United States since 1997, in 2000 he signed a documentary on his wife, the singer Cassandra Wilson , made his debut as a producer ( Homework , 2004), joined the cast of Miami Vice and Casino Royale (2006) and appeared in the TV movie 24 hours – Redemption . That didn’t stop him from reuniting with Claire Denis ( White Material , 2010) and Jim Jarmusch , who in 2009 gave him the lead role in The Limits of Control , that of a mysterious outlaw.