Photo: Marc Roussel / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Bernard-Henri Lévy is the rare intellectual who refuses the comfort of the armchair, and that is precisely why he fascinates me. A leader of the Nouveaux Philosophes at twenty-eight, he has spent decades writing, filming, and physically inserting himself into the world's conflict zones, collecting prizes and Ukrainian honors along the way. He is also relentlessly controversial, and I would not have it otherwise. Whatever one makes of his conclusions, he stakes his body on his arguments rather than hiding behind them. That willingness to be wrong in public, loudly and at personal cost, strikes me as a vanishing kind of courage.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Bernard-Henri Lévy
- Name (Japanese)
- ベルナール＝アンリ・レヴィ
- Reading
- べるなーる＝あんり・れゔぃ
- Born
- November 5, 1948 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Rat
- Origin
- Beni Saf, Aïn Témouchent Province, Algeria
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- philosopher / film director / screenwriter / journalist / novelist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1984 Prix Médicis
- 1988 Prix Interallié
- 2002 “Today” Prize
- 2003 Livre et droits humains award
- 2023 Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class
- 2023 Daniel Pearl Award
- Assistance to the Army (chest badge of Ukraine)
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Adventures on the Freedom Road: The French Intellectuals in the 20th Century | — | |
| Notable work | American Vertigo | — | |
| Notable work | Left in Dark Times | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Bernard-Henri Lévy born?
Born November 5, 1948 (age 77).
Where is Bernard-Henri Lévy from?
Bernard-Henri Lévy is from Beni Saf, Aïn Témouchent Province, Algeria.
What does Bernard-Henri Lévy do?
Bernard-Henri Lévy works as philosopher, film director, screenwriter, journalist, novelist.
What is Bernard-Henri Lévy known for?
Notable works include Adventures on the Freedom Road: The French Intellectuals in the 20th Century, American Vertigo, Left in Dark Times.
Philosopher — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from Algeria →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-19
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.