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1-50 of 97
- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Marie Gillain was born on 18 June 1975 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. She is an actress and director, known for Coco Before Chanel (2009), Elective Affinities (1996) and Mon père, ce héros. (1991).- Actress
- Writer
- Director
The daughter of a police officer and a social worker and the middle of three siblings, Déborah François was cast by the Dardenne brothers in L'enfant in 2005 while she was in high school. Between the ages of 10 to 16 François had taken acting classes but she did not expect to make acting her career. L'enfant won the Palme d'Or in Cannes 2005 and François was praised for her sensitive portrayal of Sonia, the young mother of the film.
Déborah François returned to Cannes in 2006 for the presentation of The Page Turner in Un Certain Regard category. The film's director, Denis Dercourt, who is also a musician, commented "I used to teach music to child prodigies, and Déborah reminds me of those; she's a child prodigy." In 2008 she received a César for Most Promising Actress for The First Day of the Rest of Your Life in which she played the teenage daughter of a family.
François's early promise has see her make many films since that display her talent and versatility. Presently she lives in Paris and is engaged to Victor, a director of photography.- Mehdi Dehbi was born on 5 December 1985 in Liège, Belgium. He is an actor, known for A Most Wanted Man (2014), The Other Son (2012) and Messiah (2020).
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Georges Simenon was a Belgian novelist, writing in the French language. He published nearly 500 different novels, and a large number of short stories. He became internationally famous for creating the French police detective Jules Maigret, as the protagonist in a celebrated series of mystery novels. Between 1931 and 1972, Simenon published 75 novels and 28 short stories about Maigret and his supporting cast. The Maigret stories have often been adapted into films, television series, and radio shows.
In 1903, Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium. His parents were the accountant Désiré Simenon and his wife Henriette Brüll. His father worked as an accountant for an insurance company. They were members of the wider Simenon family, a line of peasants from Limburg whose history had been recorded since the 1580s. Simenon's maternal ancestry was primarily German and Dutch. His mother was reputedly a distant descendant of the famed robber Gabriel Brühl (died in 1743). Simenon would later use the family name "Brühl" as one of his pen names.
In 1905, the Simenon family moved to the Outremeuse neighborhood of Liège, where Simenon would spend most of his childhood. In 1911, they moved to a larger house in the same neighborhood. The family started taking in lodgers to supplement their income. The young Simenon regularly interacted with these lodgers, who were apprentices and students of various nationalities. These interactions gave him his first taste of cosmopolitanism.
In September 1914, Simenon started attending the Collège Saint-Louis, a Jesuit high school. He dropped out of high school in June 1918, deciding against taking his year-end exams. He supported himself through a series of odd-jobs. In January 1919, the adolescent Simenon was hired as a journalist by the newspaper "Gazette de Liège". His assignments consistent of "human interest" stories, which were thought to be of trivial importance. Simenon grew interested in the seamier side of life in Liège, and started to frequent bars and cheap hotels in search of information. He also grew interested in police investigations, and attended lectures on police technique by the famed criminologist Edmond Locard (1877-1966).
Simenon wrote his first novel in June 1919, but it was not published in book form until 1921. During the early 1920s, Simenon started hanging out with members of "La Caque", a group of Bohemian artists. He was introduced by them to Régine "Tigy" Renchon, who became his girlfriend. In 1922, Simenon's father died. Simenon took the decision to move with Tigy to Paris, where he got acquainted with ordinary working-class Parisians. The city's bistros, cheap hotels, bars and restaurants would later become settings for his novels.
In 1928, Simenon took an extended sea voyage for a journalistic assignment. He discovered that he liked water travel. In 1929, he had a boat house constructed for himself and his wife, called the "Ostrogoth". They used it to travel through the French canal system. Joining them in their travels was their housekeeper Henriette "Boule" Liberge, who became Simenon's mistress. Their romantic relationship lasted for decades, unlike Simenon's previous short-lived affairs.
In 1930, Simenon wrote the first Maigret story during a boat trip in the Netherlands. It was published the following year. In 1932, Simenon's journalistic assignments caused him to travel across Africa, eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Soviet Union. In 1933, Simenon interviewed the exiled politician Leon Trotsky in Istanbul. Simenon took a trip around the world from 1934 to 1935. For much of the 1930s, Simenon was a permanent foreign resident in France.
During World War II, Simenon lived in Vendée, France. He maintained decent relationships with the German occupation authorities, and negotiated film rights of his books with German studios. Following the end of the war, Simenon was accused of being a German collaborator, but with little apparent evidence. In 1950, the French authorities temporarily forbid him to publish new works as punishment for his supposed collaboration, but the sentence was not enforced.
In 1945, Simenon left France with his wife for an extended stay in Quebec, Canada. He wrote three novels in the local city of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson. For the following decade, Simenon and his family moved constantly across Canada and the United States. He learned to speak English with relative ease, and so did his mistress Boule. In 1949, Simenon divorced Tigy, but continued living in close proximity with her, in accordance with the divorce agreement. In 1950, Simenon married his second wife Denyse Ouimet (a French-Canadian) in Reno, Nevada. She was 17 years younger than Simenon himself. Denyse was his former secretary, and they had been romantically involved since 1945.
In 1952, Simenon briefly returned to Belgium, as he was made a member of the "Académie Royale de Belgique" (Royal Academy of Belgium). He had not actually lived in Belgium since 1922, but he remained a Belgian citizen and had become the country's most famous writer. Simenon permanently left the United States in 1955. He initially settled back in France, but then decided to move to Switzerland. In 1963, he had a new house constructed for himself in Épalinges, Vaud.
In 1964, Simenon and his wife Denyse separated permanently. His housekeeper Teresa had become his new long-term mistress. In 1978, Simenon was shocked when his daughter Marie-Jo committed suicide at the age of 25. In 1984, Simenon underwent surgery for a brain tumor. He recovered well, but his health further deteriorated during the last years of his life. In September 1989, he died in his sleep while staying in Lausanne,. He was 86-years-old at the time of his death, and had not published any major work for several years.
Simenon's works have remained popular into the 21st century. According to the 2019 version of the Index Translationum by UNESCO, Simenon was the 17th most translated writer on a global scale. In the Index, Simenon outranked the likes of of Astrid Lindgren (18th) and Pope John Paul II (19th). He ranked just below Fyodor Dostoevsky (16th) and Mark Twain (15th).- Actress
Elodie Barthels was born on 18 July 1989 in Liege, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Elixer and Grave Pleasures: High on Annihilation (2023).- Philippe Jeusette was born on 23 March 1966 in Rocourt, Liege, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Two Days, One Night (2014), The Unknown Girl (2016) and The Child (2005). He died on 25 August 2022 in Heyd, Belgium.
- Damien Chapelle was born on 8 December 1988 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. He is an actor, known for Arctic Heart (2016), Planetarium (2016) and Don Juan (2022).
- Linda Massoz was born on 3 August 1985 in Liège, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Les Lyonnais (2011), Take-Away Romance (2014) and Les secrets (2018).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Thierry Hancisse was born on 20 November 1962 in Liege, Belgium. He is an actor, known for Midnight in Paris (2011), Broken English (2007) and The Boat Race (2009).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Sébastien Furio was born on 30 April 1976 in Liège, Belgium. He is a director and writer, known for From Paris with Love (2010), Lena and the paperdoll and Little White Lies (2010).- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Benoît Dervaux was born on 15 January 1966 in Liège, Belgium. He is a cinematographer and director, known for La devinière (2000), Rwanda, Life Goes On (2014) and Gigi, Monica... et Bianca (1996).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Renaud Rutten was born on 4 August 1963 in Liège, Belgium. He is an actor and writer, known for A Song for Mama (2013), Les grands seigneurs (2022) and Louis la brocante (1998).- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Ciupka was born in 1950 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Atlantic City (1980), Nouvelle Adresse (2014) and La mystérieuse mademoiselle C. (2002).- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Willy Kurant was born on 15 February 1934 in Liege, Belgium. He was a cinematographer, known for Under the Sun of Satan (1987), Pootie Tang (2001) and The Mafia Wants Blood (1970). He died on 1 May 2021 in Paris, France.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Noël Godin is a Belgian writer, critic, actor and notorious pie thrower or entarteur. Godin, who uses the pseudonym "Georges Le Gloupier" has also inspired an unknown number of followers around the world, who now regularly provide him with details about the whereabouts of various important potential targets. Godin has appeared in many films directed by his friend Jan Bucquoy and producer Francis de Smet including the acclaimed La vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978 (1994), Camping Cosmos (1996) playing the Belgian writer Pierre Mertens. Godin was featured in the Banksy-produced documentary The Antics Roadshow (2011) which included footage of a number of his entarteur attacks.- Justine Henin is a Belgian former professional tennis player. She is considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin helped establish Belgium as a leading force in women's tennis with Kim Clijsters, and led the country to its first Fed Cup crown in 2001.
Henin won seven Grand Slam singles titles: winning the French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, the US Open in 2003 and 2007 and the Australian Open in 2004. At Wimbledon, she was the runner-up in 2001 and 2006. She also won a gold medal in the women's singles at the 2004 Olympic Games and won the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in 2006 and 2007. In total, she won 43 WTA singles titles.
She retired from professional tennis on 26 January 2011, due to a chronic elbow injury.
In 2016, she became the first Belgian tennis player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. - Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Patrick Quinet was born on 23 May 1967 in Liège, Belgium. He is a producer and actor, known for Bullhead (2011), JCVD (2008) and Certified Copy (2010).- Writer
- Director
- Actor
André Ernotte was born on 3 June 1943 in Liege, Belgium. He was a writer and director, known for The French Connection (1971), High Street (1976) and Marée basse (1975). He died on 8 March 1999 in New York City, New York, USA.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
César Franck, a French composer best known for his massive Symphony and enchanting three chorales for organ, which he wrote during the last month of his life after being hit by a horse-omnibus.
He was born César-Auguste Franck on December 10, 1822 in Liege, Belgium. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Liege before going to the Paris Conservatoire in 1835. There he studied piano with Zimmerman and organ with Benoist. His ability for sight-reading was legendary since his school days; Franck received the "Grand prix d'honneur" for transposing a fugue a third lower on sight.
Franck contributed twelve major works for organ, that made him the most important organ composer in France, and arguably second to Johann Sebastian Bach. He also wrote a massive "Symphony in D minor" (1886-88) and the "Symphonic Variations" for piano and orchestra. He admitted his interest in the music of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. In 1858 he became organist at the basilica Sainte-Clotilde and remained at that post until his death. He was a professor of organ and composition at the Paris Conservatoire, having such apprentices as Claude Debussy, Louis Vierne, and Paul Dukas.
César Franck suffered from pleurisy after he was hit by a horse-omnibus in 1890. After that accident he composed what is considered his masterpiece, the "Three Chorales" for organ. He died on November 8, 1890 in Paris, and was laid to rest in the Cimetriere du Montparnasse.- Composer
- Music Department
Falling in love with music in his early childhood, Simon Fransquet picked up his first guitar at the young age of twelve. His eager passion for all forms of art including photography, comics, painting and movie culture led him to enroll as a freshmen at Saint-Luc in Liège where, after completing a degree, he decided to fully embrace his love of music.
After spending a year studying classical guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Liège under the guidance of Hughes Kolp, he then pursuit-ed his training at Antwerpen's Jazz Studio where he would spend two years learning alongside re-known Brazilian master Victor Da Costa, finally majoring with a distinction in the fields of arrangement and composition.
His next decade was spent teaching guitar at various non-profit organizations and schools (Little Conservatoiry of Walloon Brabant, Youth center of Chênée and Jupille, the music schools Lyre d'Orphée, Croch' and Mecam...) where he would regularly oversee musical seminars and classes focusing on various topics including beginners courses, musical ensemble and DIY Lutherie (creating musical instruments from found objects) in partnership with festivals, non-profit schools, universities and various organizations.
Alongside his teaching job, Simon also worked as an apprentice for 3 years at Luther Renzo Salvador's workshop where he invented and built his own unique hybrid 8 string bass-guitar instrument as well as an arch top model for local jazz guitarist Quentin Liégeois.
Now a multi-instrumentalist specialized in various disciplines, Simon finally found his interest for both sounds and images reconciled through his newfound love of soundtrack composition, an area that would deeply benefit from the various techniques he'd learned during his various studies as well as his numerous travels abroad from which he would bring back a multitude of exotic traditional instruments.
His influences as a musician vary from classical music to jazz and experimental music as well as more modern genres such as pop, rock, metal, hip hop and R'n B but his interest really dwells in traditional world music such as Fado, Flamenco, Latin and Indian music, Balkan music, Irish traditional and so on..
Working as a session musician for over a decade, Simon has played live on more than a hundred shows both locally and internationally with his various projects (Draw Me A Landscape, Chapeaux l'fare, Taxidi, Tanaë, Montenero...) and guested with various acts. His occupations vary from composition - notably for his world music jazz quartet Taxidi - to scoring plays and spectacles such as London ensemble's Artism (produced by Exzeb) and « Les Fils De Hasard » by Martine De Michele as well as video game, commercials and movie soundtracks.
As a composer, Simon has worked on over a dozen projects from short author films to long features with partners such as Artemis Productions (OSS117, Jeux d'Enfant...) and Nexus Factory (Boule & Bill, Les Visiteurs 3) and TAKE 5 all nominated ans awarded at famous national and international movie events (Canada, United States, China, Switzerland, Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia, Russia, Romania, France, England, Austria ...)
The full-length feature Nous Quatre directed by Stéphane Hénocque with actor Renaud Rutten for which Simon wrote the soundtrack has received numerous standing ovations during its various premieres at the Kinepolis leather of Rocourt and was pr-nominated for Best Original Soundtrack Of The Year at the world re-known Magritte movie festival. His work also includes a part of the score of « Terra Masonica » by Tristan Bourlard awarded for the Master piece award in Washington and also the full score of « When Arabs Danced » by Jawad Rhalib nominated and awarded in famous international movie's festivals (Switzerland, Toronto, New York...)
In 2013, Simon released his first OST album which he composed for the movie « Finir En Beauté » directed Vincent Smitz, the pair collaborating again on two occasions (« Babysitting Story » and « Ice Scream », both produced by Artémis.)
Two years later, his band « Taxidi » released their first full official LP titled « Dreamy Train », produced by HomeRecords and featuring guests such as Karim Baggili, Quentin Liégeois, Antoine Dawans, Taio Thai (Old Jazzy Beat Mastaz), Alain Deval with physical releases in the Benelux and Japan.
In 2016, his third OST album written for the movie « Nous Quatre » with the help of Jérôme Magnée (Dan San) was released.
He subsequently replaced guitarist Carmelo Perstigiacomo (Vaya Con Dios) in Montenero, a play recalling the tale of three Italian immigrants in Belgium during the mid 40's directed by Martine DE Michele who later directed « the sons of Hasard » which Simon also partly scored.
Freshly admitted in the Belgian Screen Composers Guild, he's now working for General Scores alongside re-known composers such as Vincent Liben (Mud flow) and Thierry Plas (Machiavel)
Simon is working on many soundtracks for various short and long feature films, plays and new TV shows coming in 2019. He also working on his project alone on stage.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
- Actor
Jean-François Ravagnan was born on 28 November 1983 in Liège, Belgium. He is an assistant director and director, known for Rise (2015), The Kid with a Bike (2011) and The Exception (2016).- Actor
- Writer
- Sound Department
Serge Thiriet was born on 3 September 1965 in Liège, Belgium. He is an actor and writer, known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Robert, ce héros (1998) and Beyond Good & Evil (2003).- Actor
- Director
Roger Darton was born on 25 June 1927 in Liège, Belgium. He was an actor and director, known for Les petites sauvages (1982), The Panther Squad (1984) and The Girls of the Golden Saloon (1975). He died on 24 November 2012 in Liège, Belgium.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Harry Cleven was born on 19 August 1956 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. He is an actor and director, known for Trouble (2005), Mr. Nobody (2009) and Angel (2016).- Didier Toupy was born on 10 July 1959 in Liège, Belgium. He was an actor, known for The Giants (2011), The First, the Last (2016) and Eldorado (2008). He died on 19 October 2015 in Liège, Belgium.
- Berthe Bovy was born on 6 January 1887 in Liege, Belgium. She was an actress, known for Le joueur (1938), La reine Margot (1910) and No Trifling with Love (1910). She was married to Pierre Fresnay. She died on 26 February 1977 in Montgeron, Essonne, Île-de-France, France.
- Luc Walpot was born in 1959 in Hermalle-sous-Argenteau, Oupeye, Liège, Belgium. He is a writer, known for Heute Journal (1978), ZDF-Mittagsmagazin (1989) and Heute Journal update (2020).
- András Szigeti was born on 31 August 1940 in Liege, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Princ, a katona (1966), A feladat (1975) and A koppányi aga testamentuma (1967). He died on 28 March 1998 in Nyíregyháza, Hungary.
- Actor
- Art Department
- Soundtrack
Jonatan Cerrada was born on 12 September 1985 in Liège, Belgium. He is an actor, known for Robots (2005), The Lachance Kids (2017) and Liam dan Laila (2018).- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Nicolas Debot was born on 24 November 1973 in Liège, Belgium. He is a director and producer, known for Och vi blir tyngdlösa (2002), Faust 2.0 (2014) and Trouble quio (2002).- Art Department
Jeremie Simon Vetro was born on 1 November 1988 in Liège, Belgium. He is known for Stolen Away (2020).- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry was born on 8 February 1741 in Liège, Belgium. André-Ernest-Modeste was a composer, known for Valmont (1989), Love & Friendship (2016) and The Novel of Werther (1938). André-Ernest-Modeste died on 24 September 1813 in Montmorency, France.- Monique Watteau was born on 23 December 1929 in Liège, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Deux sous de violettes (1951), La double méprise (1952) and Questo mondo proibito (1963). She was previously married to Scott Lindberg and Bernard Heuvelmans.
- Cédric Vaes was born on 11 August 1998 in Rocourt, Liege, Belgium. He is an actor, known for Ganglands (2021).
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Location Management
- Additional Crew
Guillaume Fairon was born on 28 June 1995 in Liège, Belgium. He is known for The Eavesdropper (2016), The Most Assassinated Woman in the World (2018) and Chroma (2022).- Actor
- Writer
Marcel Cabay was born on 10 December 1921 in Liège, Belgium. He was an actor and writer, known for Les berger (1970), CF-RCK (1959) and Le clan Beaulieu (1978). He died on 7 June 1990 in Greenfield Park, Québec, Canada.- Axel Witsel was born on 12 January 1989 in Liège, Belgium.
- Animation Department
Nic Broca was born on 18 April 1932 in Liège, Belgium. He is known for Asterix the Gaul (1967), The Big Bang (1987) and Pinocchio in Outer Space (1965). He died on 7 February 1993 in Belgium.- Jacques Pelzer was born on 24 June 1924 in Liège, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1967) and A l'intention de Mlle Issoufou a Bilma (1971). He died on 6 August 1994.
- Martine Regnier was born on 11 April 1956 in Liège, Belgium. She was an actress, known for Du bout des lèvres (1976), Les amours de la belle époque (1979) and Dennis the Menace (1986). She died on 25 November 2022 in Granville, Manche, France.
- Soundtrack
Jacques Hustin was born on 15 March 1940 in Liège, Belgium. He died on 6 April 2009.- Freigeist van Tazzy is a Switzerland-based actor and voice actor known for his appearance in the feature films Eternal Midnight (2018) and World Order: Three Days and Three Nights (2021).
After his high school graduation he started to work as a software engineer.
Freigeist married South African-born Deidre Müller in Lüderitz, Namibia on March 10, 1995. They have one child, Ian Malcolm Müller. In 2003 the family moved to Ireland where he was naturalized in 2011.
In Summer 2013, at the mature age of 47, Freigeist slipped into Dublin's independent filmmaking scene. He started out as an extra in horror, splatter and action movies and later played speaking roles in a number of student films, TV ads and music videos.
In August 2014 Freigeist van Tazzy moved to the Swiss canton of Zurich where he still resides. He continued to work as an actor. He appeared in a number of feature films. His biggest role so far was the one of the suspended Detective Superintendent and alcoholic in the German movie World Order: Three Days and Three Nights (2021). - Maurice Hennequin was born on 10 December 1863 in Liege, Belgium. He was a writer, known for The Gay Deceiver (1926), Passionnément (1932) and A Kiss in a Taxi (1927). He was married to Mademoiselle Braem. He died on 3 September 1926 in Montreux, Switzerland.
- Melissa Jiménez was born in 1987 in Liège, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Wyclef Jean Feat. Will.i.am, Imposs, Jimmy O & Melissa Jiménez: Let Me Touch Your Button (2008), Tu cara me suena (2011) and Pasapalabra (2000). She has been married to Marc Bartra Aregall since 18 June 2017. They have three children.
- Stanislas-André Steeman was born on 23 January 1908 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. He was a writer and actor, known for The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942), La muerte camina en la lluvia (1948) and Brelan d'as (1952). He died on 15 December 1970 in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Erika Maaz was born on 8 June 1952 in Liége. She is an actress, known for O.K. Mister (1979), Little Girl in Blue Velvet (1978) and Comment draguer toutes les filles... (1981).
- Jean Balthasar was born on 9 September 1920 in Liege, Belgium. He is an actor, known for Case 33: Antwerp (1964), The Adventures of Gil Blas (1956) and Checkerboard (1959).
- Juliette Malherbe was born on 21 December 1898 in Liege, Belgium. She was an actress, known for Un vol (1917), Le porion (1921) and Le calvaire d'une reine (1915). She died on 7 March 1982 in France.
- Alex Mondose was born on 28 November 1893 in Liège, Belgium. He was an actor, known for J'ai gagné un million (1936) and La belote de Ture Bloemkuul (1956). He died on 8 January 1972 in Brussels, Belgium.
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Jean-Michel Charlier was born on 30 October 1924 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. He was a writer and director, known for The Aeronauts (1967), Les dossiers noirs (1974) and Les nouveaux chevaliers du ciel (1988). He was married to Christiane. He died on 10 July 1989 in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, France.