Frédéric Chau Explained

Birth Date:6 June 1977
Birth Place:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Occupation:Actor
Citizenship:France
Years Active:2006–present

Frédéric Chau (born 6 June 1977) is a French actor.

Life and career

Frédéric Chau was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to parents of the Chinese minority in Cambodia. In 1977, while his mother was pregnant with him, his parents left Phnom Penh for Vietnam in order to escape the Khmer Rouge who were massacring civilians. He was only six months old when his family emigrated to France. They settled in the district of Marx-Dormoy in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, then moved very quickly to the Paris suburbs in Villetaneuse, Seine-Saint-Denis.

After being spotted by a fashion photographer, he briefly worked as a model for the People International advertising agency. Passionate about travel, he was recruited in 1998 by Air France as a steward, while he took comedy classes.

In 2005, Frédéric Chau went on stage and made a name for himself by performing different skits and performing in several stand-up scenes, notably at the Ménilmontant theater. In 2006, wearing his white shirt, his tie and his impeccable suit jacket, he was the only Asian at the Jamel Comedy Club and he enjoyed it: "Not easy to be an Asian comedian if you do not do karate, spring rolls, or you know nothing about computers!"

In 2010 he had a small role in the French/Hollywood production From Paris With Love (2010), starring John Rhys Meyers and John Travolta, as a Chinese maître'd employed by the French-Asian Triads.

In 2014, he played in Serial (Bad) Weddings with Christian Clavier and Chantal Lauby by Philippe de Chauveron. The same year, he played a secondary role in Lucy, Luc Besson's blockbuster, which earned him the title of "Most successful French actor in 2014" by Première magazine, which noted that the accumulation of these two successes allowed him to total nearly 17.5 million ticket sales over the year.[1]

In September 2015, he published an autobiography, Je viens de si loin (I come from so far in English), with Philippe Rey Editions. He reveals much about himself on his journey, the exile of his parents, the life of an immigrant in this country and in this city, and his experiences with assimilation/integration.

In 2019, he starred in a lead role in a film called Made in China (2019).

Filmography

Feature films

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
2008 Crise dans le secteur bancaireMartinMarc SchausShort film
Osc DisT Fabius DuboisShort film
20095 films contre l'homophobie : Fusion Man MarcXavier Gens & Marius ValeShort film
Eden Is WestThe AsianCosta-Gavras
TranPatrick Alessandrin
Neuilly Yo Mama!Chow-Yung-FiGabriel Laferrière
Beverly Hills ChihuahuaEl DiabloRaja GosnellFrench voice
2010 Rien à perdreJean-Henri MeunierShort film
Coursier RicoHervé Renoh
From Paris with LoveChinese Maitre d'Pierre Morel
Les Princes de la nuit Patrick Levy
Bacon on the SideLucienAnne De Petrini
2011Halal police d'ÉtatMathieu CohenRachid Dhibou
Mince alors!BaptisteCharlotte De Turckheim
2013Rock Paper Scissors (Roche papier ciseaux)MuffinYan Turgeon Lanouette
Paris à tout prixMister ChanReem Kherici
2014Serial (Bad) WeddingsChao LingPhilippe de Chauveron
DealerLinuxJean Luc Herbulot
LucyThe StewardLuc Besson
2015Feuilles de printempsGregoire NguyenStéphane Ly-CuongShort film
2016UchroniaThe Global Minister of Homelessness and you and meChristophe Gofette
2017Valerian and the City of a Thousand PlanetsSergeant NezaLuc BessonFrench voice
2018Serial (Bad) Weddings 2Chao LingPhilippe de Chauveron
Made in ChinaFrançoisJulien Abraham
2019The TranslatorsChen YaoRégis Roinsard

Television

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
2008La TaupeFrançois ShaozuVincenzo MaranoTV movie
Inside Jamel Comedy ClubHimselfJamel DebbouzeTV series
2009La Belle VieTin KokVirginie WagonTV movie
La Taupe 2François ShaozuVincenzo MaranoTV movie
Les Incroyables Aventures de Fusion ManMarcXavier GensTV movie
2013Les LimiersDr. NguyenAlain DesRochersTV series - Episode 1
2015Nos chers voisinsMartin, Karine's exGuest
2017Kim KongChoi Han SungStephen CafieroTV series

Music video

YearMusicSinger
20021er GaouMagic System
2010Splinters of SoulChloé Micout
2013D'un ave MariaPascal Obispo

Publication

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: L'acteur français qui a eu le plus de succès en 2014, c'est Frédéric Chau. Première magazine. 22 December 2014. 1 March 2018. French.
  2. Web site: Je viens de si loin, Frédéric Chau . 1 March 2018 . Editions Philippe Rey . French.