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Patrick Chesnais

Patrick Chesnais

Actor · Born March 18, 1947 (79) · La Garenne-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Patrick Chesnais (born 18 March 1947) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Patrick Chesnais was born in La Garenne-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine. He was educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen. In 1989, he won the César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in the film La Lectrice directed by Michel Deville. In 1994, he starred in Harold Pinter's Le Retour, and in 1992, in La Belle Histoire by Claude Lelouch. He starred in Hany Tamba's Melodrama Habibi in 2008. He is married to fellow actor Josiane Stoléru. Source: Article "Patrick Chesnais" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 18, 1947 (79)
From
La Garenne-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 121 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 14% in 30 days

What are Patrick Chesnais' films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
35%
Self
30%
Society
10%
Survival
9%
Ideas
7%
Power
6%
Morality
3%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 7 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 11 · Charged 10 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 13 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 8 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Threshold guardian: 3 of 10 analyzed roles.

Threshold guardian
3 of 10
Hero
2 of 10
Mentor
2 of 10
Ally
1 of 10
Trickster
1 of 10
Shadow
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
14
Melancholic
13
Tense
9
Contemplative
10
Hopeful
6
Other
17

How their films linger

Bittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet14
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Patrick Chesnais' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Patrick Chesnais' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

121 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • La Tournée (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Marius De Villeduc

  • The Islanders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Pierre

  • Another Alice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as La Chenille

  • Tous Inconnus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as ("Cinéma Cinémas" segment)

  • Chroma(2022)

    as Jacques Rénier

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Charlotte Rampling, le cinéma comme un essentiel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Lui-même

  • Missing Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 4 episodes · as Paul Varan

  • We are Red Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Voiceover

  • Laval, le collaborateur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Pierre Laval

  • Like Thunder in a Cloudless Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Père de Paul

  • Lui(2021)

    as Priest

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • C'est quoi ce papy ?!(2021)

    as Papy

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • HIP: High Intellectual Potential(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · as Serge Alvaro

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • César Wagner(2020)

    Show 1 episode · as Gilles Weiss

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Tant qu'il y a de l'amour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Jean

  • Sweetheart(2019)

    as Jules

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Adopt a Daddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Vigo

  • The Emperor of Paris(2018)

    as Henry

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • My Mother Is Crazy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Alvaro

  • Insoupçonnable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · as Damien Moreau

  • Me and El Che (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Go

  • School Is Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Gilbert

  • Demi-sœurs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Le notaire

  • Noir Enigma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Commissaire Rousseau

  • The Exes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Didier

  • The Summer of All My Parents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Michel Lanoy

  • Lost in Armenia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Bolzec

  • The Roommates Party(2015)

    as Le voisin excentrique

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Nevermore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Rousseau

  • Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Actor

  • Où es-tu maintenant ? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as le commandant Brosky

  • Planter les Choux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as André

  • The List of My Desires(2014)

    as Le père de Jocelyne

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • La Braconne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Danny

  • Marjorie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Bleu Catacombes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Commissaire Rousseau

  • 60 Going On 12 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Pierrot

  • Bright Days Ahead(2013)

    as Philippe

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Les Enfoirés 2013 - La Boîte à Musique des Enfoirés (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • Les Saisons meurtrières (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 4 episodes · as le commissaire Rousseau

  • Welcome Aboard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Taillendier

  • Hiver rouge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Commissaire Rousseau

  • You Will Be My Son(2011)

    as François Amelot

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Great Restaurant II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as The Prostitute Costumer

  • Je vous ai compris : De Gaulle, 1958-1962 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Général de Gaulle

  • In Gold We Trust(2010)

    as Georges

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Vieilles canailles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Martin

  • Feu la mère de Madame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Lucien

  • All Girls Cry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Bob

  • Climax (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Gérard

  • Blame It on Mum(2009)

    as Henry Celliers

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Le code a changé(2009)

    as Erwann

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Duel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 4 episodes · as Philippe Dellas

  • Home Sweet Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Gédéon

  • Melodrama Habibi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Bruno Caprice

  • The Maiden and the Wolves(2008)

    as Léon Amblard

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Héros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Clovis Costa

  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly(2007)

    as Dr. Lepage

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Price to Pay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Grégoire

  • Chez Maupassant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 1 episode · as Ernest Dufour

  • J'invente rien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Armand

  • Cheating Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Le détective

  • Le Grand Charles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 2 episodes · as Général Giraud

  • Not Here to Be Loved(2005)

    as Jean-Claude

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • J'irai cracher sur vos tongs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • Tu vas rire, mais je te quitte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Norbert

  • Kaamelott (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 7 episodes · as Lucius Sillius Sallustius

  • Casablanca Driver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Coll Murray, le journaliste

  • Mixed Marriage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Jean-Yves Dupreux, père de Jean-Christophe

  • Totally Nuts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · as Lieutenant Lescaro

  • Le ventre de Juliette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Abel

  • Mille millièmes(2002)

    as Gérard

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Sexes très opposés (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Fernand

  • Irène (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Gazet

  • Fool's Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Commissaire Aguerre

  • Te quiero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Franck

  • Charming Fellow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · as Octave

  • Kennedy et moi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Paul Gurney

  • Man of My Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Charles

  • Children of the Century(1999)

    as Gustave Planche

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • After Sex(1997)

    as Philippe Clovier

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Sidecar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Julien Dessales

  • Life's Little Treasures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Bertrand

  • Pas d'amour sans amour! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Michel

  • Regards d'enfance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Le Père

  • Drôles d'oiseaux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Commissaire Voitot

  • The Beautiful Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Pierre Lhermitte

  • La pagaille(1991)

    as Jean-Jacques

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Triplex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Nicolas Montgerbier

  • Netchayev is Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Marc Leloy

  • Promotion canapé (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as André

  • Le Sixième Doigt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Simon

  • The Austrian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Herman

  • Feu sur le candidat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Jean-Marcel Mazzetti

  • There Were Days... and Moons(1990)

    as Le docteur

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Thank You Satan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Alain Monnier

  • Kiss Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Pierre - le père

  • Chère canaille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Paul

  • Les cigognes n'en font qu'à leur tête(1989)

    as Jérémie

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • La Lectrice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as le P.D.G.

  • Le Génie du faux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 4 episodes · as Johann Gelder

  • Blanche and Marie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Germinal

  • Jacques le fataliste et son maître(1984)

    as Jacques

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Les Sacrifiés (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Gino

  • Cap Canaille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Wim

  • Neige(1981)

    as First inspector

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • La Guerre des insectes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 4 episodes · as Michel Servin

  • le mariage de figaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as figaro

  • Premier voyage(1980)

    as Yan Lambert

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Imprint of Giants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Martial Dromner

  • L'Œil du maître (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Marc Dumas

  • Cocktail Molotov (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Rucker

  • Out of Whack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Jeffy / L'inspecteur Lujon / M. Poitronneau

  • Make Room for Tomorrow(1979)

    as Billy

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Dossier 51 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Hadès

  • The Castaways of Turtle Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Gérard

  • Monsieur Albert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as François

  • Tatort(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Anders Etchegoyen

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Eldorado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • Feignasse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Regarde-moi quand je te quitte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Pierre

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 120 titles, 117 of them dated from 1970 to 2025; peak year 2018.

Biggest box office

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

$20M worldwide

Highest rated

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Midcredits 98th

Film career

19702025

Peak 2018 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1976Screen debut· The Castaways of Turtle Island
  • 2005First top-billed film· Not Here to Be Loved
  • 2018Career best· The Emperor of Paris

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting120 of 120: 118 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score43rdDirecting2 of 120: 0 only directing, 2 with another role

By decade

1970s6 · acting1980s16 · acting1990s18 · acting2000s28 · 28 acting · 2 crew2010s35 · acting2020s14 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 6% of 32 roles
7691061116

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Patrick Chesnais' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 25; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 28 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

Jacques le fataliste et son maître (1984)

99th percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Patrick Chesnais work with?

People who share at least 2 of Patrick Chesnais' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Karin Viard shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers