Stéphane Bak
Stéphane Bak (born September 19, 1996)[1] is a French actor and comedian. He was considered to be "The youngest comedian in France," in 2012.[2] As an actor his most notable film roles include Christopher Barratier's Team Spirit, David Moreau's Alone, and Paul Verhoeven’s award-winning Elle. More recently, Bak has starred in André Téchiné’s Farewell to the Night and Joël Karekezi’s The Mercy of the Jungle.
Stéphane Bak | |
---|---|
Bak in 2012 | |
Born | Le Blanc-Mesnil, France | September 19, 1996
Nationality | French |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2010–present |
Early life
Bak was born in Le Blanc-Mesnil, Seine-Saint-Denis.[3] Bak is of Congolese origin;[4] his father is a delivery driver and his mother is a receptionist, and he has four brothers and sisters. In 2011, he was expelled from high school and forced to take correspondence courses.[4] He was authorised by the French Department of Social Affairs to start working at the age of 14.[2][5]
Career
Bak started his career as a stand-up comedian in December 2010, performing in the small clubs of Paris,[5] most notably at Le Palace and at Théâtre Trévise.[6]
In 2011, he participated in the Montreux Comedy Festival alongside the comedic duo Les Chevaliers du fiel.[7][8] In September 2012, he performed at Grand Rex as part of the evening "Rire ensemble contre le racisme", broadcast on France 2 in prime time before two million viewers.[9] He also appeared at Casino de Paris for "Le Concert solidaire" organized in September 2012 for the 30th anniversary of the organitation Handicap International.[10]
Spotted by the creators of the show Bref who took him under their wing, he participated in the episode "Bref. J'ai eu 30 ans", alongside Kyan Khojandi.[9] In 2013, he played the part of a dealer in the film Les gamins;[11] he also appeared in Pierre-François Martin-Laval, Serial Teachers.[12]
Bak has participated in several television shows. During the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, he intervened every day to present a minisketch for the show Grand Journal of Canal+.[2][5]
In 2014, he had a segment in the show L'Émission pour tous presented by Laurent Ruquier on France 2.[13] That same year he played the role of Max in Once in a Lifetime.[14] He is the main actor of the music video The Girl Is Mine by 99 Souls featuring Destiny's Child and Brandy, released in November 2015, the video was nominated at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in the "Best Electronic Video" category.
In 2016, he appeared as Omar in Paul Verhoeven's Elle, and as Jules in Christophe Barratier's Team Spirit. In 2017, he played Dodji in David Moreau's Alone.
In 2018, Bak had his first lead role as Private Faustin, in Joel Karekezi's The Mercy of the Jungle, which had its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8. Bak was selected as one of eight rising stars at the festival, through the yearly "TIFF Rising Star" programme.[4][15] He also voiced Miles Morales / Spider-Man for the French dub of Peter Ramsey's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[16]
In 2019, he appeared as Bilal in André Téchiné's drama Farewell to the Night, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 12.[17] That same year Bak starred alongside Fionn Whitehead in Sebastian Schipper's film Roads, which was previously known as Caravan.[18][19] The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.[20]
Filmography
Film
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Serial Teachers | Student | Pierre-François Martin-Laval | |
2013 | Les gamins | Parking Lot Kid | Anthony Marciano | |
2014 | Once in a Lifetime | Max | Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar | |
2016 | Elle | Omar | Paul Verhoeven | |
2016 | Team Spirit | Jules | Christopher Barratier | |
2016 | Heaven Will Wait | Friend | Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar | |
2017 | Alone | Dodji | David Moreau | |
2018 | The Mercy of the Jungle | Private Faustin | Joel Karekezi | |
2018 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Miles Morales / Spider-Man | Voice of the French dub | |
2019 | Farewell to the Night | Bilal | André Téchiné | |
2019 | Roads | William | Sebastian Schipper | Formerly Caravan |
2020 | The French Dispatch |
TBA | Wes Anderson | Post-production |
Music videos
Year | Artist | Title | Role |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Black M | Mme Pavoshko | Student |
2015 | 99 Souls | The Girl Is Mine | Main actor |
References
- Nathalie Simon (May 16, 2019). "Stéphane Bak, acteur junior". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- Le Guilcher, Geoffrey (April 25, 2012). "Stéphane Bak, l'ado humoriste couvé par la team de Bref". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- "Des comiques au berceau". Le Parisien (in French). April 16, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- Wassenberg, Anya (September 18, 2018). "Congolese Actor Stéphane Bak on His Intense Experience Shooting 'The Mercy of the Jungle' In Uganda". okayafrica. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- "Stéphane Bak, le petit dernier du " Grand Journal "". Le Parisien (in French). May 12, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- "Stéphane Bak". Montreux Comedy Festival. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- "Gala du Samedi : " Carte Blanche aux Chevaliers du Fiel "". Montreux Comedy Festival. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- "Carte Blanche aux Chevaliers du Fiel". Radio télévision suisse. December 25, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- Ohnona, Joachim (April 26, 2012). "Stéphane Bak, prince du stand-up à 15 ans, marche sur les traces de Jamel". purepeople.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- Dana, Jean-Yves (September 28, 2012). "Handicap International fête son trentième anniversaire en musique". La Croix. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
- Les Gamins on IMDb
- "Les Profs". cineclap. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
- Peyron, Clémence (February 25, 2014). "L'émission pour tous : Stéphane Bak a-t-il copié Bertrand Chameroy de TPMP ?". Programme.TV. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- Les Héritiers on IMDb
- "Rising Stars 2018". tiff.net. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- De Lavaissiere, Vincent (November 13, 2018). "SPIDER-MAN NEW GENERATION : STÉPHANE BAK, OLIVIER GIROUD... LA VF DÉTAILLÉE". IGN (in French). Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- "Programme – L'adieu à la nuit-Farewell to the Night". Berlinale. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- "Roads – Hanway Films". Hanway Films. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- Barraclough, Leo (November 4, 2017). "First Look: 'Dunkirk' Star Fionn Whitehead in Sebastian Schipper's 'Caravan' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- "ROADS–2019 Tribeca Film Festival".