| Attended drama classes at Théâtre National Populaire at age 16 |
| Became affiliated with Cafe de la Gare, alongside Patrick Dewaere, Coluche and Miou-Miou |
1965 | Short film acting debut, "Le Beatnik et le minet"; directed by Roger Leenhardt |
1966 | Made TV debut on the series "Rendez-vous à Badenberg" |
1969 | Made stage debut in the play "Les Garcons de la bande/The Boys in the Band" |
1970 | Feature acting debut, "Le Tueur/The Killer" |
1972 | Appeared in a supporting role opposite Jeanne Moreau in "Nathalie Granger"; directed by Marguerite Duras |
1973 | First major film and first collaboration with director Bertrand Blier, "Les Valseuses/Going Places" |
1974 | Featured in "Vincent, François, Paul...et les autres," starring Yves Montand |
1974 | Re-teamed with director Bertrand Blier to star in "Les Valseuses" |
1975 | Featured in Barbet Schroeder's "Maitresse/Mistress" |
1976 | Cast in a supporting role in Bernardo Bertolucci's "1900" |
1977 | Re-teamed with Blier for the Oscar-nominated foreign film "Get Out Your Handkerchiefs/Preparez vos mouchoirs" |
1977 | Re-teamed with Marguerite Duras for "Le Camion" |
1980 | Won acclaim for his performance in Francois Truffaut's "Le Derniere Metro/The Last Metro" |
1981 | Again collaborated with director Truffaut for "La Femme d'a cote/The Woman Next Door" |
1982 | Garnered international attention for playing the title role in Andrzej Wajda's "Danton" |
1982 | Played a man who may or may not be who he claims in "Le Retour de Martin Guerre/The Return of Martin Guerre" |
1983 | Appeared on stage in "Tartuffe" |
1984 | First film as co-director (with Helene Viard), "Le Tartuffe" |
1986 | Offered strong turn in the title role of "Jean de Floret"; directed by Claude Berri |
1986 | Starred in the musical "Lily Passion" at Au Zenith |
1988 | Co-starred with Isabelle Adjani in "Camille Claudel" |
1988 | First film as producer (with co-star Catherine Deneuve and two others), "Drole d'endroit pour une rencontre" |
1990 | Made English-language acting debut in the romantic comedy "Green Card" |
1991 | Portrayed a divorced father trying to reconnect with his willful teenage daughter in "Mon père, ce héros" |
1991 | Received Academy Award nomination and a Cesar Award for Best Actor for portrayal of "Cyrano de Bergerac" |
1991 | Seen as an unscrupulous doctor in Blier's "Merci la vie/Thanks for Life" |
1992 | Played famed explorer Christopher Columbus in "1492: Conquest of Paradise" |
1992 | Shared the screen with real-life son Guillame in "Tous les matins du monde/All the Mornings of the World"; son portrayed the same character as his father in flashbacks |
1993 | Played a miner in 1880s Northern France in Claude Berri's "Germinal" |
1994 | Played title character in the war drama "Le Colonel Chabert/Colonel Chabert" |
1994 | Reprised role of a bewildered father in "My Father, the Hero," the American version of "Mon père, ce héros" |
1996 | Cast opposite Gena Rowlands in "Unhook the Stars," directed by Rowlands' son Nick Cassavetes |
1996 | Featured as Polonius' servant Reynaldo in Kenneth Branagh's full-length film version of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" |
1996 | Played a duplicitous anarchist in the adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Agent" |
1997 | Executive produced the Nick Cassavetes directed "She's So Lovely," starring Robin Wright Penn and Sean Penn |
1998 | Co-starred with John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons in the swashbuckling adventure "The Man in the Iron Mask" |
1998 | Had a small role as a compassionate lawyer in the romantic drama "La parola amore esiste/The Word Love Exists" |
1999 | Co-directed (with Fred Auburtin) the feature "Un Pont entre deux rives/The Bridge" |
1999 | Returned to the Paris stage for the first time in 15 years to star in "The Gates of Heaven" |
1999 | Seventh collaboration with Blier, "Les Acteurs" |
1999 | Starred as Obelix in the live-action version of the popular comic book "Asterix and Obelix contre Caesar" |
2000 | Played a capable steward coveted by King Louis XIV in "Vatel"; screened at Cannes to a less than stellar reception |
2000 | Starred as the title character in the miniseries "Balzac: A Life of Passion" (Bravo) |
2001 | Appeared in title role of the thriller "Vidocq" |
2002 | Portrayed a French expatriate in "Beneath the Banyan Trees" |
2002 | Reprised role of Obelix in "Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra," the sequel to the international hit "Asterix and Obelix" |
2003 | Co-starred in A&E miniseries "Napoléon"; also featured John Malkovich |
2005 | Co-starred with Monica Bellucci in Blier's "Combien tu m'aimes?/How Much Do You Love Me?" |
2006 | Cast as a renowned chef in "Last Holiday," starring Queen Latifah |
2006 | Played a dance hall singer in writer-director Xavier Giannoli's "The Singer" |
2007 | Co-starred in award-winning biopic " La vie en rose " opposite Marion Cotillard as French singer Edith Piaf |
2009 | Starred in "Bellamy," the last film directed by Claude Chabrol |
2010 | Starred in French drama "Mammuth," directed by Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern |
2012 | Cast as the French cook in Ang Lee's feature adaptation of "The Life of Pi" |
