Farid Chopel

Known for ActingBorn 1952-12-04Died 2008-04-20Paris, 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.Read more

Movies & web series

La Goutte d'or

The Hallucinogenic Toreador

Water War

Bains de Minuit

Run for Your Life

Descente de Police

Merci Bernard

Le Grand Échiquier

Les Princes

Irena and the Shadows

Jane B. by Agnès V.

It's Gradiva Who Is Calling You

Follow My Gaze

Nulle part ailleurs

Zone interdite

My Best Friend's Girl

The Flesh

A Vampire in Paradise

All Mixed Up

Plato's Banquet

L'Addition

A City Is Beautiful at Night

The Vengeance of the Winged Serpent

Wild Animals

Victoires de la musique

Un si beau voyage