Besson, Luc

(March 18, 1959, Paris, France - )

   The son of SCUBA diving instructors, he intended to become a marine biologist specializing in dolphins but finally opted for cinema. He was a trainee assistant director in France (1979 Moonraker, Lewis Gilbert, UK / France; Loulou, Maurice Pialat) and Hollywood (1980 Nude Bomb / Maxwell Smart and the Nude Bomb / US TV: The Return of Maxwell Smart, Clive Donner, USA), then assistant director (1980 Deux Lions au Soleil, Claude Faraldo; 1981 Les Bidasses aux grandes Manœuvres, also casting director, Raphaël Delpard) and second unit director (1983 Le Grand Carnaval, Al­exandre Arcady) before directing a critically praised low-budget sci-fi movie filmed in black and white and without dialogue (Le Dernier Combat). He shot several box office hits of the 1980s and 1990s and created several film production companies (Les Films du Loup, Les Films du Dauphin, EuropaCorp). From 1978 (Les Petites Sirènes, short, Luc Besson) to 2008 (From Paris with Love, Pierre Morel), he produced almost 100 movies. Other credit (as actor): 1984 Ne quittez pas (short, Sophie Schmitt).

 Filmography

1978 ◘ Les Petites Sirènes (short; also screenwriter, producer)

1981 ◘ Avant-dernier (short; also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist, producer, actor)

        ◘ Lormule (short; also screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ Voici... (short; also screenwriter, producer)

        ◘ Le Dernier Combat / UK: The Last Combat / USA: The Final Combat / The Last Battle (also co-screenwriter)

1985 ◘ Subway (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

1988 ◘ Le Grand Bleu / UK and USA: The Big Blue (also original story, co-screenwriter, uncredited actor; France / USA / Italy)

        ◘ Nikita / USA: La Femme Nikita (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Atlantis (also cinematographer, editor; shot in 1989-1991)

1994 ◘ Léon / UK: The Cleaner / Leon / USA: The Profes­sional (also screenwriter, dialogist)

1997 ◘ Le Cinquième Elément / The Fifth Element (also original story, co-screenwriter)

1999 ◘ Jeanne d'Arc / The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc / UK: Joan of Arc (also co-screenwriter, co-dialogist)

        ◘ Angel-A (also screenwriter, dialogist)

        ◘ Arthur et les Minimoys / USA: Arthur and the Invisibles (also original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer)

2008 ◘ Arthur et la Vengeance de Maltazard / USA: Ar­thur and the Revenge of Maltazard (also original novel, co-screenwriter, co-adapter, co-dialogist, producer)