Wikipedia

Stéphane Bak

Stéphane Bak (born 19 September 1996) is a French actor and comedian of Congolese origin. He initially pursued a career in comedy and was showcased as the "youngest comedian in France". He further transitioned to cinema. He notably played the lead role in Twist in Bamako (2021) and achieved critical acclaim in Mother and Son (2023). He appeared in two of Wes Anderson's films, The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023).

Stéphane Bak
Bak in 2023
Born (1996-09-19) 19 September 1996 (age 28)[1]
Le Blanc-Mesnil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active2010–present

Bak also lends his voice to Miles Morales in the French version of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Oscar 2019 for Best Animated Feature Film, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Furthermore, he is the face of the haute couture brand Loewe and Cartier's ambassador for haute jewelry.

Early life

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Bak is of Congolese origin;[2] and the son of a baggage handler at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport and a customer service agent, both of whom emigrated from Zaire to France in the 1980s. The future actor grew up with his six siblings in the town of Le Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis), residing there until the age of 21, within the Tilleuls neighborhood, situated in a sensitive urban area.

In 2011, he was expelled from Nelson Mandela Middle School (Le Blanc-Mesnil) due to numerous disciplinary issues and subsequently continued his education through correspondence courses.[3] He obtained authorization from the DDASS to start working at the age of 14,[4] allowing him to embark on his career in the field of humor. In 2012, he received acting training at the Cours Florent.

Following this, his career gradually shifted towards the profession of an actor.

Career

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Comedy shows and audiovisual presence (2010–2014)

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Bak started his career as a stand-up comedian in December 2010, performing in the small clubs of Paris.[5] After being denied admittance to the Comedy Club (owned by Jamel Debbouze) due to his age, he met Emmanuel Smadja, the director of the Parisien café-theater Le Pranzo. He offered him the opportunity to perform there and to present his debut sketch My name is Stephane Bak. He performed in many other places, most notably at Le Palace and at Théâtre Trévise.[6] He gained some reputation and the unofficial title of "the youngest comedian in France".

In 2011, he took part in the Montreux Comedy Festival with Les Chevaliers du fiel.[7][8] He also performed twice at the Grand Rex: first as a guest of Jamel Debbouze as part of the Carte blanche à Jamel Debbouze show, and during the Rire ensemble contre racisme (Laughing together against racism) broadcast on France 2 in prime time before two million viewers.[9] On 8 October 2011, less than a year into his career, he took part in the Nuit de l'Outre-mer on stage at the Accor Arena in Paris. He also appeared at Casino de Paris for "Le concert solidaire" organized in September 2012 for the 30th anniversary of the organization Handicap International.[10]

Spotted by the creators of the show Bref who took him under their wing, he participated in the episode "Bref. J'ai eu 30 ans", alongside Kyan Khojandi.[9] In May 2012, he had a daily presence on Le Grand Journal during the Cannes Film Festival, where he presented short sketches.[11] This marked the beginning of his collaboration with Le Grand Journal, as he officially joined the team during the following summer. He took on the role of hosting a humorous segment called Bakstage, in which he portrayed behind-the-scenes antics at the program, interacting with contributors and guests. His television journey continued in January 2014 when he became a part of the team for France 2's new prime-time access program, L'Émission pour tous, hosted by Laurent Ruquier.[12] In this role, he provided a daily humorous segment.

Simultaneously, he made appearances in two radio programs, on Europe 1 from 2012 to 2014, and on Virgin Radio from 2013 to 2014.

Debut as an actor (2014–2017)

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Bak made his initial foray into the world of cinema in 2013, at the age of 16. He took one supporting roles in two comedies: Anthony Marciano's Les gamins[citation needed] and Pierre-François Martin-Laval's Serial Teachers.[13] At this point, he expressed his desire for career growth and diversification, aiming to move beyond comedy projects and shed the label of a comedian.

In 2014, he played Max in Once in a Lifetime,[citation needed] a dramatic comedy directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar. The film tells the story of a second-year class preparing for the National Contest of Resistance and Deportation, and it received positive reviews from critics.[14] In October 2014, the movie was screened at the Élysée Palace in the presence of the President of the Republic, François Hollande.

He is the main actor of the music video The Girl Is Mine by 99 Souls featuring Destiny's Child and Brandy. Released in November 2015, the video was nominated at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in the "Best Electronic Video" category.

In 2016, he became part of the cast of Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven, which won the César Award for Best Film in 2017. He also played the role of Jules in Team Spirit, directed by Christophe Barratier, which centered on the story of Jérôme Kerviel. He achieved his first leading role in 2017 in Seuls, a film directed by David Moreau, where he portrayed Dodji in the cinematic adaptation of the comic book.

An expanding career (2018–present)

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In 2018, Bak had a lead role as Private Faustin, in Joel Karekezi's The Mercy of the Jungle, which had its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8. Bak was selected as one of eight rising stars at the festival, through the yearly "TIFF Rising Star" programme.[2][15] He also voiced Miles Morales / Spider-Man for the French dub of Peter Ramsey's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[16] The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2019.

In 2019, he appeared as Bilal in André Téchiné's drama Farewell to the Night, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on 12 February.[17] That same year Bak starred alongside Fionn Whitehead in Sebastian Schipper's film Roads, which was previously known as Caravan.[18][19] The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.[20]

He played a significant role in Tokyo Shaking, directed by Olivier Peyon, where he shared the screen with Karine Viard. The director entrusted him with the character of Amani, an intern in the Japanese branch of a major French bank, set against the backdrop of Japan's challenges in the wake of the 2011 tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident. The film was released in theaters in 2021.

In 2022, Bak took on the leading role alongside Alice Da Luz in Dancing the Twist in Bamako, a film directed by Robert Guédiguian set during the era of socialist Mali under Modibo Keita. The film's production, which began in February 2020 in Senegal, was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed in November 2020. Bak portrayed the character of Samba, a socialist revolutionary whose political and romantic ideals are under threat.

During the same year, Stéphane Bak appeared in two films selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. He took on the leading role in Mother and Son, a film directed by Léonor Seraille, in which he portrayed the character of Jean. The film is a drama that reflects the struggles of a fractured and blended family and received critical acclaim, becoming a critical success.[21] He also made an appearance in Novembre, directed by Cédric Jiménez, a film that revolves around the pursuit of the terrorists from the November 13th terraces commando attack. Bak played the role of Djibril, an officer in the SDAT (Sub-Directorate of Anti-Terrorism). The film was a commercial success, ranking second in the French box office for the year 2022 with over three million admissions.

In 2023, he reprised his role as Miles Morales in the French version Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Bak also continued his collaboration with Wes Anderson by appearing in Asteroid City,[22] a film included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, he joined André Téchiné again in Soul Mates, alongside Noémie Merlant and Benjamin Voisin. Furthermore, he served as a jury member at the 49th American Film Festival of Deauville,[23] presided over by Guillaume Canet.

Fashion

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Bak acts as brand ambassador for Spanish fashion brand Loewe. He modelled alongside Josh O'Connor, for their Spring Summer 2023 campaign.[24]

Filmography

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Bak at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Film

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Director Notes
2013 Serial Teachers Student Pierre-François Martin-Laval
2013 Les gamins Parking Lot Kid Anthony Marciano Comedy film
2014 Once in a Lifetime Max Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar Comedy / Drama
2016 Elle Omar Paul Verhoeven Crime / Drama / Thriller
2016 Team Spirit Jules Christopher Barratier Biography / Drama / Thriller
2016 Heaven Will Wait Copain/Friend Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar Drama
2017 Alone Dodji David Moreau
2018 The Mercy of the Jungle Private Faustin Joel Karekezi Crime / Drama / War
2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Miles Morales / Spider-Man
Voice of the French dub
2019 Farewell to the Night Bilal André Téchiné Drama
2019 Roads William Sebastian Schipper Formerly Caravan
2021 Tokyo Shaking [fr] Amani Sassou Olivier Peyon
2021 The French Dispatch Communications Specialist Wes Anderson Comedy / Drama / Romance
2021 Mali Twist Samba Robert Guédiguian
2022 Novembre Djibril Cédric Jimenez Crime / Drama / Thriller
2022 Mother and Son Jean Léonor Serraille Drama
2023 Soul Mates Franck Dawaga André Téchiné Drama
2023 Asteroid City Student Wes Anderson Comedy / Drama / Romance
2023 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Miles Morales / Spider-Man
Voice of the French dub

Music videos

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Year Artist Title Role
2014 Black M Mme Pavoshko Student
2015 99 Souls The Girl Is Mine Main actor

References

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  1. ^ Nathalie Simon (May 16, 2019). "Stéphane Bak, acteur junior". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Wassenberg, Anya (September 18, 2018). "Congolese Actor Stéphane Bak on His Intense Experience Shooting 'The Mercy of the Jungle' In Uganda". okayafrica. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  3. ^ "Congolese Actor Stéphane Bak on His Intense Experience Shooting 'The Mercy of the Jungle' In Uganda - Okayplayer". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  4. ^ à 07h00, Par Le 23 mai 2012 (2012-05-23). "Stéphane Bak, le petit dernier du " Grand Journal "". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Stéphane Bak, le petit dernier du " Grand Journal "". Le Parisien (in French). May 12, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Stéphane Bak". Montreux Comedy Festival. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  7. ^ "Gala du Samedi : " Carte Blanche aux Chevaliers du Fiel "". Montreux Comedy Festival. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "Carte Blanche aux Chevaliers du Fiel". Radio télévision suisse. December 25, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Ohnona, Joachim (April 26, 2012). "Stéphane Bak, prince du stand-up à 15 ans, marche sur les traces de Jamel". purepeople.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  10. ^ Dana, Jean-Yves (September 28, 2012). "Handicap International fête son trentième anniversaire en musique". La Croix. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "Stéphane Bak, l'ado humoriste couvé par la team de Bref | Les Inrocks". www.lesinrocks.com/ (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  12. ^ Peyron, Clémence (2014-02-25). "L'émission pour tous : Stéphane Bak a-t-il copié Bertrand Chameroy de TPMP ? (VIDEOS)". Télé 2 semaines (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  13. ^ "Les Profs". cineclap. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  14. ^ AlloCine, Les Héritiers: Les critiques presse (in French), retrieved 2023-10-26
  15. ^ "Rising Stars 2018". tiff.net. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  16. ^ De Lavaissiere, Vincent (November 13, 2018). "SPIDER-MAN NEW GENERATION : STÉPHANE BAK, OLIVIER GIROUD... LA VF DÉTAILLÉE". IGN (in French). Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  17. ^ "Programme – L'adieu à la nuit-Farewell to the Night". Berlinale. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  18. ^ "Roads – Hanway Films". Hanway Films. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  19. ^ Barraclough, Leo (November 4, 2017). "First Look: 'Dunkirk' Star Fionn Whitehead in Sebastian Schipper's 'Caravan' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  20. ^ "ROADS–2019 Tribeca Film Festival".
  21. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (2022-05-27). "Mother and Son review – moving immigrant drama goes from Ivory Coast to Paris". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  22. ^ AlloCine (2023-06-25). "Asteroid City : des acteurs français se cachent dans le film de Wes Anderson, et vous ne les avez sans doute pas vus". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  23. ^ "Le Jury". Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville (in French). 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  24. ^ "Josh O'Connor & Stephane Bak Model LOEWE Spring 2023 Looks". Male Models Scene. January 10, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
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