Photo: Globetrotteur17 / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What fascinates me about Olivier Marchal is the order of his life: cop first, storyteller second. Born in Talence in 1958, he lived the streets before he ever wrote about them, and you feel that authenticity in 36 Quai des Orfèvres, which earned three César nominations, and in the gritty series Braquo. The 2010 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres confirms the establishment took notice. I tend to trust artists who lived the material before dramatizing it, and Marchal is the rare one whose police background isn't a gimmick but the spine of everything he makes. French crime cinema is richer for him.
Overview
Olivier Marchal (born 14 November 1958) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and a former policeman. In 2005, he was nominated for three César Awards (Best Director, Best Film and Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation) for his film 36 Quai des Orfèvres. He also created the popular French television police drama Braquo and wrote and directed some episodes in its first season (2009).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Olivier Marchal
- Name (Japanese)
- オリヴィエ・マルシャル
- Reading
- おりゔぃえ・まるしゃる
- Born
- November 14, 1958 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Dog
- Origin
- Talence, France
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / film actor / film producer / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2010 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from France →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
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.