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Farid Chopel

Farid Chopel

Actor · 1952 – 2008 · Paris, France

Farid Chopel, whose real name was Farid Amar Rabia, was born on December 4, 1952, in Paris and died on April 20, 2008, in the same city. He was a French actor and singer. The only child of Algerian immigrant parents, Farid Chopel was born in Paris and had a relatively happy childhood despite the absence of his father and the arrest of his stepfather, who was a leader in the FLN (National Liberation Front). Raised by his mother and grandmother, he initially aspired to become a doctor, until he discovered theater in high school. Blessed with an unusual physique and boundless energy, the young Chopel made his debut in experimental physical theater with the troupe "Laïla," and events quickly unfolded from there. In the late 1970s, he became the writer and performer of several famous shows, which he would perform throughout his career and all over the world, including "Chopélia," "Les Aviateurs," and "Le cri de la girafe." An icon of the 80s, Farid Chopel is first and foremost a stage performer. This didn't stop him from answering the call of cinema. Tony Gatlif offered him his first film role in "Les Princes," alongside Gérard Darmon and the director himself. Several memorable supporting roles followed, under the direction of prestigious filmmakers such as Bertrand Blier (My Best Friend's Girl, 1983), Denis Amar (The Bill, 1984), Gérard Oury (The Revenge of the Feathered Serpent, 1984), Josiane Balasko (Bag of Knots, 1984), and Agnès Varda (Jane B. by Agnès V., 1987). In the mid-1980s, his stage and film career was at its peak. Constantly involved in the nightlife scene and accumulating shows and other advertising and film appearances at a frenetic pace, Farid Chopel began a long downward spiral at the dawn of the 1990s. The reason: his severe addiction to drugs and alcohol. His addiction became so severe that he was no longer able to work. He underwent several stints in rehab. He managed to escape this hell in the early 2000s, thanks in particular to the support of his partner, Brigitte Morel. He even returned to the stage with a well-received one-man show ("Le Pont du milieu") and published his autobiography ("Farid Chopel - Et Je Danse Encore"). But the consequences of all those years of excess quickly caught up with him: the actor died on April 20, 2008, four weeks after his diagnosis, during his hospitalization at Cochin Hospital, shortly after the release of Khaled Ghorbal's moving film, "Un Si Beau Voyage," his last film. Farid Chopel is buried in the Bezons cemetery, Anémones section, division A3.

Movies19

  • Movie5.7

    La carne

    The Flesh

    1991 · 67 votes

  • Movie7.1

    Les Princes

    1983 · 7 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Jane B. par Agnès V.

    Jane B. by Agnès V.

    1988 · 68 votes

  • Movie4.6

    Les Fauves

    Wild Animals

    1984 · 12 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Gradiva (C'est Gradiva qui vous appelle)

    It's Gradiva Who Is Calling You

    2007 · 30 votes

  • Movie4.7

    La Vengeance du serpent à plumes

    The Vengeance of the Winged Serpent

    1984 · 80 votes

  • Movie5.8

    La Femme de mon pote

    My Best Friend's Girl

    1983 · 97 votes

  • Movie4.9

    L'Addition

    1984 · 23 votes

  • Movie10.0

    La Goutte d'or

    1990 · 1 votes

  • Movie4.9

    Il banchetto di Platone

    Plato's Banquet

    1989 · 9 votes

  • Movie4.7

    C'est beau une ville la nuit

    A City Is Beautiful at Night

    2006 · 3 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Suivez mon regard

    Follow My Gaze

    1986 · 5 votes

  • Movie9.0

    La guerre de l'eau

    Water War

    1998 · 1 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Sac de nœuds

    All Mixed Up

    1985 · 30 votes

  • Movie8.0

    La Fine Équipe

    Run for Your Life

    1997 · 1 votes

  • Movie5.5

    Un vampire au paradis

    A Vampire in Paradise

    1992 · 2 votes

  • Movie10.0

    Le Torero Hallucinogène

    The Hallucinogenic Toreador

    1986 · 1 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Irena et les ombres

    Irena and the Shadows

    1987 · 1 votes

  • Movie

Series7

  • TV8.0

    Le Grand Échiquier

    1972 · 3 votes

  • TV6.0

    Zone interdite

    1993 · 3 votes

  • TV3.3
  • TV6.1

    Nulle part ailleurs

    1987 · 8 votes

  • TV8.0

    Merci Bernard

    1982 · 1 votes

  • TV8.7

    Bains de Minuit

    1987 · 3 votes

  • TV8.0

    Descente de Police

    1985 · 1 votes