Isaach de Bankolé
Isaach de Bankolé | |
|---|---|
 Isaach de Bankolé in Karlovy Vary (2009) | |
| Born | 12 August 1957 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | |
Isaach or Isaac de Bankolé (born 12 August 1957) is an Ivorian-French-American actor.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
De Bankolé was born in Abidjan, to Yoruba parents from Benin.[4] His grandparents are from Nigeria.[5] He moved to Paris in 1975 for his last year of lycée, and pursued a master's degree in physics and mathematics. He then attended an aviation school and earned a private pilot licence, before a chance encounter with French director Gérard Vergez led him to enroll in the Cours Simon, a Parisian drama school.[6]
Career
De Bankolé has appeared in over fifty films, including Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee and Cigarettes and The Limits of Control.[7] He has been based in the United States since 1997.[4] He appeared in the movie Machetero, in the role of journalist interviewing an imprisoned Puerto Rican revolutionary, along with the members of the New York City-based punk band Ricanstruction.
De Bankolé has also appeared in Lars von Trier's Manderlay. He portrayed Steven Obanno, a terrorist, in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, and "The Lone Man", an assassin in Jim Jarmusch's film, The Limits of Control (2009).[8] In 2013, he starred as Ayodele Balogun in Andrew Dosunmu's Mother of George, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was the closing night selection for Maryland Film Festival 2013. He has also had roles in Calvary, The Last Witch Hunter, and Black Panther.
Personal life
De Bankolé is fluent in Yorùbá, Bambara, English, French, German, and speaks some Italian.[4] He was married to musician Cassandra Wilson from 2000 to 2003.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Asphalt Warriors | The Blackie | Sergio Gobbi | |
| Comment draguer tous les mecs | Honoré Clair | Jean-Paul Feuillebois | ||
| L'addition | Denis Amar | |||
| 1986 | Black Mic Mac | Lemi | Thomas Gilou | César Award for Most Promising Actor |
| Taxi Boy | Touré | Alain Page | ||
| Noir et Blanc | Claire Devers | |||
| 1987 | Lady Cops | Inspector Blaise Lacroix | Josiane Balasko | |
| 1988 | Chocolat | Protée | Claire Denis | |
| Ada dans la jungle | Bumbo | Gérard Zingg | ||
| 1989 | How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired | The Old | Jacques W. Benoit | |
| Vanille fraise | Hippolyte N'Go | Gérard Oury | Also writer | |
| 1990 | No Fear, No Die | Dah | Claire Denis (2) | |
| 1991 | Night on Earth | The Driver | Jim Jarmusch | |
| 1992 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Sgt. Barthelmy | Simon Wincer & Carl Schultz | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1993 | Heart of Darkness | Mfumu | Nicolas Roeg | TV movie |
| 1994 | Down to Earth | Leão | Pedro Costa | |
| 1995 | The Keeper | Jean Baptiste | Joe Brewster | |
| 1998 | A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries | Mamadou | James Ivory | |
| 1999 | Otomo | Frederic Otomo | Frieder Schlaich | |
| Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai | Raymond | Jim Jarmusch (2) | ||
| Cherry | Menu Man | Jon Glascoe & Joseph Pierson | ||
| 2000 | Bàttu | Saar | Cheick Oumar Sissoko | |
| 2001 | 3 A.M. | Angus | Lee Davis | |
| The Sopranos | Father Obosi | Tim Van Patten | TV series (1 episode, "Amour Fou") | |
| 2003 | Coffee and Cigarettes | Isaach | Jim Jarmusch (3) | |
| The Killing Zone | Malcolm | Joe Brewster (2) | New York VisionFest - Outstanding Achievement Award - Acting | |
| 2004 | From Other Worlds | Abraham | Barry Strugatz | |
| Homework | Jean | Kevin Asher Green | ||
| 2005 | Manderlay | Timothy | Lars von Trier | |
| Stay | Professor | Marc Forster | ||
| The Skeleton Key | Gas Station Owner | Iain Softley | ||
| Before It Had a Name | Waiter | Giada Colagrande | ||
| L'évangile selon Aîmé | Aîmé | André Chandelle | TV movie | |
| 2006 | Casino Royale | Steven Obanno | Martin Campbell | |
| Miami Vice | Neptune | Michael Mann | ||
| 5up 2down | Hunter | Steven Kessler | ||
| The Unit | General Togar | James Whitmore Jr. | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 2007 | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Laurent | Julian Schnabel | |
| Battle in Seattle | Abasi | Stuart Townsend | ||
| The Fifth Patient | Captain Mugambe | Amir Mann | ||
| 2008 | The Guitar | Roscoe Wasz | Amy Redford | |
| Machetero | Jean Dumont | Vagabond Beaumont | ||
| 24: Redemption | President Ule Matobo | Jon Cassar | TV movie | |
| 2009 | White Material | The Boxer | Claire Denis (3) | |
| The Limits of Control | The Lone Man | Jim Jarmusch (4) | ||
| 24 | President Ule Matobo | Brad Turner, Milan Cheylov, Jon Cassar (2) | TV series (6 episodes) | |
| 2010 | I Am Slave | Bah | Gabriel Range | TV movie |
| Getting High! | Hunter | Messiah Rhodes | Short | |
| 2011 | Oka ! | Bassoun | Lavinia Currier | |
| 2012 | Désordres | Vincent | Etienne Faure | |
| 2013 | Mother of George | Ayodele Balogun | Andrew Dosunmu | |
| The Ordained | Mr. Obiku | R. J. Cutler | TV movie | |
| 2014 | Calvary | Simon | John Michael McDonagh | |
| Run | Assa | Philippe Lacôte | Nominated - Trophees du Cinema - Best Supporting Actor | |
| Mirage | Francis | Szabolcs Hajdu | ||
| Where the Road Runs Out | George | Rudolf Buitendach | ||
| White Collar | Luc Renaud | Sanford Bookstaver & Jeff F. King | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| 2015 | The Last Witch Hunter | Max Schlesinger | Breck Eisner | |
| The Good Wife | Larry Oliver | Matt Shakman | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 2016 | Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer | Jacques | Joseph Cedar | |
| 2017 | Double Play | Ernesto | Ernest R. Dickerson | |
| 2018 | Black Panther | River Tribe Elder | Ryan Coogler | |
| 2019 | Shaft | Pierro 'Gordito' Carrera | Tim Story | |
| 2020 | French Exit | Julius | Azazel Jacobs |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Author | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Quay West | Bernard-Marie Koltès | Patrice Chéreau | Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers |
| 1987 | Dans la solitude des champs de coton | Bernard-Marie Koltès | Patrice Chéreau (2) | Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers |
| 1988 | Le Retour au désert | Bernard-Marie Koltès | Patrice Chéreau (3) | Théâtre Renaud-Barrault |
| 1989 | La Force d'aimer | Martin Luther King, Jr. | Patrice Chéreau (4) | Théâtre Renaud-Barrault |
Awards
- 1987 César Award for Most Promising Actor for his role in Black Mic Mac.
References
- ^ "Isaach De Bankolé: De Black Mic Mac à Black Panther". NOFI. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "New York Times". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ "Isaach De Bankolé An Unexpected Gentleman". MADMUSEUM. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ a b c Segun Oguntola (6 June 2011). "Isaach De Bankolé: A Flower of the Tribe". Nigerians in America. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
- ^ "Jim Jarmusch interviews Isaach De Bankole" (in German). Filmgalerie451.de. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ Bélanger, Denis (June–August 1989). "Entretien avec Isaach de Bankolé" (PDF). Ciné-Bulles. p. 38. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "The Limits of Control". The Guardian. United Kingdom. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (30 April 2009). "New York Times". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
External links
- 1957 births
- 20th-century Ivorian male actors
- 21st-century Ivorian male actors
- Ivorian emigrants to the United States
- Ivorian expatriates in France
- Ivorian male actors
- Ivorian people of Nigerian descent
- Ivorian people of Yoruba descent
- Living people
- Male actors in Yoruba cinema
- Most Promising Actor César Award winners
- People from Abidjan
- University of Paris alumni