Historical Figure
Luc Besson
b. 1959
French filmmaker (born 1959)
Talk to Luc Besson
Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI
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
Sometimes I see people finish a film and they go, "Yeah, that was good. Where are we going to eat?" - Interview for The Slashfilm (2016)
2014
"The most important thing is always the story. Then come the actors." - Interview for The Cinema (2018)
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
“If you’re a race runner, and you run, and progress, and you have the feeling that, yeah, you’re pretty good. You watch your time, and every week you make it better, and there’s a certain moment that you feel that maybe you can go to the Olympic games because you feel good. And then you watch TV and you see Usain Bolt. And then you say, ‘I’m not going to go this year, I’m going in four years’. - Interview for The Alarabiya (2017)
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...
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...
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...
More from the Postwar
Explore what happened on the days that shaped Luc Besson's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.