Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in Highlander (1986).
Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (born March 29, 1957) is a French actor, he is best known for playing the Immortal Connor MacLeod nicknamed "The Highlander".
He is also known for his roles as Tarzan in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and as the thunder god Raiden in the first movie adaption of the popular video game Mortal Kombat. He is credited in French-speaking countries as Christophe Lambert.
Early life[]
Lambert was born in Great Neck, New York. His father was a French diplomat in the United Nations. Lambert grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, where his family moved when he was two, before returning to Paris when he was 16. He first caught the acting bug after participating in a school play at the age of twelve. His parents however wanted him to have a job with security and saw acting as unsafe, so to please his parents he took a job with the London Stock Exchange, but after about six months he left the L.S.E. to help a friend run a shop in Paris. He also served in the French military at his father's insistence.
Acting career[]
After appearing in supporting roles in several French films, Christopher was discovered by international audiences when director Hugh Hudson cast him in the title role of Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). That same year, he also played his first lead role in a French film by appearing opposite Catherine Deneuve in Paroles et musique. In 1985, Lambert played the male lead in Luc Besson's Subway, for which he was awarded a César Award for Best Actor, the next year he appeared in Highlander (1986), in which he starred as Connor MacLeod, it was an international success, as well as his most famous role. He reprised his role as Connor in all the movie sequels that were released (excluding, The Source) and had a cameo appearance in the pilot of the television series entitled "The Gathering".
In 1987 he appeared in The Sicilian, directed by Michael Cimino he played Salvatore Giuliano, it was less successful than his previous pictures, receiving a lukewarm reception by critics and being only marginally profitable. His next film To Kill a Priest, in which he played a character based on Jerzy Popiełuszko, was well received by critics but was a financial failure. During the 1990s, Lambert starred in action, thriller and science fiction films such as Knight Moves (1991), Fortress (1993), Gunmen (1994) and Mean Guns (1997), or the Italian-produced Nirvana (1997). His filmography included low-budget films such as Adrenalin: Fear the Rush, which were generally poorly-received by critics. Some of his films enjoyed only direct-to-video release. In the course of that decade, Lambert also occasionally appeared in French films such as Max et Jérémie (1992) and also producing the films Génial, mes parents divorcent (1990) and Neuf mois (1994).
Lacking a recent box-office success, in 1995 he played the role of the thunder god Raiden in a movie adaptation of the popular video game series Mortal Kombat. It was a hit and went straight to Number 1 at the box office. Lambert was interested in reprising his character in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but he was committed to his role in Beowulf (1998), thus the role was given to James Remar. In 2001, he played the lead role of Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in the France-Canada production Druids, which was a critical and financial failure. 2009 saw him get the lead role in Tales of an Ancient Empire, which is directed by Albert Pyun; he plays alongside Cynthia Curnan, Kevin Sorbo, and Melissa Ordway.
In 2010 it was announced that he was to appear in Ghost Rider : Spirit Of Vengeance (or Ghost Rider 2) alongside Nicholas Cage.
Personal life[]
Lambert was married to Diane Lane from 1988 to 1994. Their daughter, Eleanor Jasmine, was born on September 5, 1993. After dating Alba Parietti in 1996, he married Jaimyse Haft in February 1999. In 2007 he started dating Sophie Marceau with whom he appeared in La Disparue de Deauville.
Lambert has myopia and has great difficulty seeing without his glasses. Because he cannot wear contact lenses, he is often forced to act while virtually blind. This has led to injuries while performing his own stunts without glasses. His myopia is often credited as being part of his appeal, by giving his stare a peculiar charm.
Christopher is also the owner of a Winery along with owning a mineral water business and food processing plant, Lambert produces Côtes-du-Rhône wines with partner Éric Beaumard. The vineyard is located in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, France. The label, Les Garrigues de Beaumard-Lambert, tops out at 4,000 cases and is sold mostly in Europe. Beaumard has primary creative control of the winery, but Lambert conducts barrel tests and monitors the various stages of evolution. Novus Vinum gave his vintage 1998 Les Garrigues a score of 13/20.