Raised in Paris to a Spanish boxer father and a French secretary mother, he trained as a boxer before turning to the stage, studying at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and debuting in French cinema in 1990. A breakthrough came with Un, deux, trois, soleil (1993), earning the César for Most Promising Actor, followed by leading parts in The Horseman on the Roof (1995) and The C…
