Victor Lanoux (born 18 June 1936 in Paris) is a French actor.He started out in cabaret, where he collaborated with Pierre Richard. He made one of his earliest film appearances in The Shameless Old Lady. He received two César nominations in 1976, for his roles in Cousin, cousine and Adieu poulet. His best known role outside of Europe is perhaps that of The Thief in the 1985 comedy classic National Lampoon's European Vacation. Description above from the Wikipedia article Victor Lanoux, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 18, 1936
- May 4, 2017 (aged 80)
- Paris, France
- Actor, also producer
- 15 on MovieCove · 63 credits in all
Known for
What are Victor Lanoux's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 11
A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 4 · Dark 3
Grounded 8 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0
Gentle 5 · Charged 6 · Intense 4
Steady 6 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 5
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 2
Casual 9 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 4
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 3 of 11 analyzed roles.
Show the 11 rolesHide the roles
- Shadowas Marcel in Two Men in Town (1973)
- Shadowas Pierre Lardatte in The French Detective (1975)
- Allyas Bouly in Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)
- Heraldas Michel Boutros in A Woman at Her Window (1976)
- Threshold guardianas Jacques in In a Wild Moment (1977)
- Allyas Bouly in Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977)
- Allyas Martial Gaulard in The Escape (1978)
- Heroas Ben Oppenheim in Make Room for Tomorrow (1979)
- Shadowas Insp. Farbet in Thieves After Dark (1983)
- Tricksteras Horace in Dog Day (1984)
- Heraldas Charles de Vigors in Louisiane (1984)
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous1
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 Victor Lanoux's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Victor Lanoux's 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
63 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Dommages collatéraux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

La Femme cachée (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

Les Enquêtes du commissaire Laviolette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Belle grand mère, La Trattoria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

A Hell of a Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

La Position de l'escargot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Les Grandes Bouches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Belle Grand-Mère (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

L'Alambic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

Louis la Brocante (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

Les Démons de Jésus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Je m'appelle Régine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

Lifeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

Maria des Eaux-Vives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

Le bal des casse-pieds(1992)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
RG Renseignements généraux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Venetian Red (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

L'Invité surprise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Moitié-moitié (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Sale Destin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

Scene of the Crime(1986)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
La Smala (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

The Cheat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

Thieves After Dark(1983)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Louisiane(1984)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Dog Day(1984)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Un dimanche de flics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

Stella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

Canicule (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

Is There a Frenchman in the House? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

Boulevard des assassins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

La Revanche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

Une sale affaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

Retour en force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

Make Room for Tomorrow(1979)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Dogs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

Un si joli village... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

The Escape(1978)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
In a Wild Moment(1977)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Pardon Mon Affaire, Too!(1977)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Replay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

Servant and Mistress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

A Woman at Her Window(1976)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Pardon Mon Affaire(1976)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The French Detective(1975)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Cousin, Cousine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

Mad Enough to Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

The Common Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

Death of a Guide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

La Ligne de démarcation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

Two Men in Town(1973)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Histoire d'une fille de ferme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

The Dominici Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

The Suburbs Are Everywhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

3000 Million Without an Elevator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

You Only Love Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

Normal Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

J'ai les peintres (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

The Shameless Old Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

Bayard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
La Chasse ou l'Amour ravi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 63 titles, 62 of them dated from 1964 to 2014; peak year 1976.

Biggest box office
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

Highest rated
Two Men in Town (1973)

Most popular right now
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)
Film career
Peak 1976 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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.
- 1973Screen debut· The Dominici Affair
- 1978Career best· Out of It
Billing
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 Victor Lanoux's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 55. 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 Victor Lanoux work with?
People who share at least 2 of Victor Lanoux's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alain Poiré shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Yves RobertShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977), Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Yves Robert

- Pierre Granier-DeferreShared titles: A Woman at Her Window (1976), The French Detective (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Pierre Granier-Deferre

Writers
- Jean-Loup DabadieShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977), Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Jean-Loup Dabadie

Actors
- Jean RochefortShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977), Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Jean Rochefort

- Marthe VillalongaShared titles: Thieves After Dark (1983), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977), Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Marthe Villalonga

- Jean CarmetShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Dog Day (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Jean Carmet

- Miou-MiouShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Dog Day (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Miou-Miou

Composers and editors
- Vladimir CosmaShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977), Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Vladimir Cosma

- Philippe SardeShared titles: Scene of the Crime (1986), The French Detective (1975), Two Men in Town (1973)See all 3 shared titles with Philippe Sarde

- Pierre GilletteShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Pierre Gillette

- Albert JurgensonShared titles: Dog Day (1984), The Escape (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Albert Jurgenson
Producers
- Alain PoiréShared titles: Le bal des casse-pieds (1992), The Escape (1978), Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! (1977), Pardon Mon Affaire (1976)See all 4 shared titles with Alain Poiré

Mixed roles
- Claude BerriShared titles: In a Wild Moment (1977), I Don't Know Much, But I'll Say Everything (1973)See all 2 shared titles with Claude Berri

