Comprehension 2 : A talented humorist

(1) Born in Casablanca on April 19, 1971, Gad Elmaleh is an actor and comedian of Moroccan-French nationality. He speaks fluently both French and Moroccan Arabic as he was raised in a household that gave him access to a mix of cultural influences.

He was educated in Morocco, first at Georges Bizet School and later at Lycee Lyautey in Casablanca. In 1988, he moved to Montreal, Canada, where he studied political sciences for a year. He also worked on radio and started writing humorous stories which he performed in nightclubs. He soon discovered that he had a talent for entertaining people. This launched him on a career which continues today.

(2) Gad Elmaleh has had roles in a number of films and has enjoyed success as a stand-by comedian. His talents also include singing and voice-overs for animated films. His first cinema role
was in 1996 in“Salut Cousin!”, a film by Algerian screenwriter and director Merzak Ailouache.

His first  one-man show. “Décalage”, based on his own life, was performed at the Palais des Glaces in 1997.

(3) Following the success of “Décalage”, Gad Elmaleh’s second one-man show “La Vie Normale” proved to be a huge success. In 2005, Elmaleh returned to the stage with a new style in “L'autre c'est moi", in which he interacted with the audience and improvised his dialogue.In 2006, he was awarded the “Chevalier des Arts et des lettres”, by the French Minister of Culture and was voted "The funniest person in France”.

(4) Gad Elmaleh performed in Montreal and in Casablanca, before taking his shows to France, Belgium, and Switzerland in 2007. As part of the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal in July 2007, Elmaleh presented his latest production, “Papa est en Haut” for the first time. In December 2007, the show made history when all tickets were sold out at L'Olympia in Paris for seven consecutive weeks.

(5) In 2009, Elmaleh wrote, produced and acted in the film Coco which was another great success. It was based on one of his one-man shows “La Vie Normale”. In 2011, the actor had a role in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris and appeared in the film The Adventure of Tintin.

No doubt, fans are looking forward to future shows by the Moroccan-born actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh.

Year

1971

Gad Elmaleh was born.

1997

2009