Historical Figure
Luc Besson
b. 1959
French filmmaker (born 1959)
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Biography
Luc Paul Maurice Besson is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with the Cinéma du look film movement, he has been nominated for a César Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed the sci-fi action film Lucy (2014), the space opera film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), Dogman (2023), and the fantasy romantic movie Dracula (2025).
Timeline
The story of Luc Besson, told in moments.
Directs The Big Blue, a film about competitive free diving. It flops in the U.S. but becomes a cult phenomenon in France, playing in Parisian theaters for over a year. Young French audiences see it dozens of times.
Releases Leon: The Professional. Jean Reno as a hitman. A 12-year-old Natalie Portman in her film debut. Gary Oldman chewing every set piece to splinters. It makes $46 million worldwide and launches Portman's career.
The Fifth Element opens. Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker in orange hair. Jean-Paul Gaultier designs the costumes. It costs $90 million and makes $264 million. Critics are split. Audiences don't care.
Founds EuropaCorp, a studio built to make French films that compete globally. Over the next two decades, it produces the Taken and Transporter franchises, turning mid-budget action films into a reliable export business.
In Their Own Words (17)
Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it?
2014
If you find the actress or the actor who is perfect for the role, that’s unbeatable. If you choose someone because he’s known or because you think he’s going to make money or things, three years later, you never know. - Interview for The Thriftyjinxy (2017)
2014
“I like to start on time because I love to let the people go on time because they have families. They have kids and I don’t want to abuse them for 2 hours. - Interview for The Cinemovie (2017)
2014
You know, money will never save anyone. Compassion can save someone, love can save someone, money will never save anyone. And as long as the entire society will put money first... Money should be like third or fourth or fifth, I'm not saying lets get rid of money, but how can we put money as number one? As the only value, like if you are rich, you're famous you go VIP, why? It's just insane, the way we've transformed the society. - Interview for The Huffpost (2017)
2014
"I would rather stop too soon than too late." - Interview for The Guardian (2011)
2014
Artifacts (15)
when I entered the Army, it was one of the greatest things in the world
cause it was one of the few unifying forces which represented the whole of French society. He later wrote that "when I entered the Army, it was one of the greatest things in the world", a claim which...
My first colonel, Pétain, taught me the art of command
l (and future Marshal) Philippe Pétain, whom de Gaulle would follow for the next 15 years. He later wrote in his memoirs: "My first colonel, Pétain, taught me the art of command". It has been claimed...
Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec: un film de Luc Besson : le roman du film
Pour ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas Adèle Blanc-Sec, voici l'occasion de découvrir ce personnage mystérieux de la Belle Epoque, femme moderne avant la lettre, et justement écrivain, journaliste et...
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