Luc Besson

Lore & Background

Besson was born in Paris to parents who were former Club Med scuba-diving instructors. He planned to become a marine biologist but a diving accident at age 17 ended that path. After listing his skills, he decided to try filmmaking, visited a film set, and soon told his mother he would make films and stop school. He made a short film that he later called 'very, very bad.'

At 18, Besson returned to Paris and worked odd jobs in film, assisting directors including Claude Faraldo and Patrick Grandperret. He directed three short films, a documentary, and commercials. He moved to the United States for three years, then returned to Paris and founded his own production company, first named Les Films du Loup, later Les Films du Dauphin. In 2000, he co-founded EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.

Besson's early films Subway, The Big Blue, and La Femme Nikita are considered part of the Cinéma du look movement, a style favoring spectacle and visual impact. He has been nominated for César Awards for Léon: The Professional and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc.

Reader's Guide

Luc Besson's significance lies in his ability to blend commercial genre filmmaking with a distinctive visual style, often associated with the Cinéma du look movement. His films, such as The Big Blue and The Fifth Element, have achieved cult status and popular success, sometimes despite mixed critical reception. Besson's founding of EuropaCorp in 2000 allowed him to produce a large number of films, including the Taxi, Transporter, and Taken series, making him a major figure in French and international cinema. His work has been both praised for its ambition and criticized for prioritizing style over substance, a debate he addressed by arguing that his generation aimed to change the look of movies to make them more convincing and pleasurable. Besson's legacy includes a prolific output as writer, producer, and director, with over 50 films to his credit, and a lasting influence on action and sci-fi filmmaking.

Did You Know?

• Besson planned to become a marine biologist before a diving accident at age 17 changed his career path.
• He founded his first production company, Les Films du Loup, in 1980, later renaming it Les Films du Dauphin.
• Besson co-founded EuropaCorp in 2000 with longtime collaborator Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.
• His film Lucy earned approximately $463.4 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful French feature films ever.