Jamel Debbouze (born 18 June 1975 in Paris) is a French-Moroccan comedian, actor, screenwriter, film producer and director.
Both of his parents were immigrants from Morocco who settled in the French city of Trappes. He grew up in the city's economically-deprived suburbs, and lost the use of his right arm when it was struck by an incoming train in 1990 (another young man of his age died in this accident). He always keeps his withered right hand in his pocket for this reason.
He gained success in the early 2000s with his role in the medical sitcom H on Canal+ alongside Éric Judor and Ramzy Bedia, his stand-up comedy sketches and the role of Edifis in the massively successful live-action film adaptation of Asterix and Cleopatra, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. He has worked extensively with Alain Chabat on several films (including Mission Cleopatra) and with other notable French comedians such as Florence Foresti, Fred Testot and Gad Elmaleh.
He also created the Canal+ Talent Show Jamel Comedy Club, which aimed at discovering and encouraging new French stand-up comedy talents. When the show ended, he opened a comedy theatre with the same goals and name in Paris. He's also the founder of the Marrakech du rire ("Marrakech of Laughter") comedy festival in the titular city in Morocco, which is held since 2011.
Selected filmography:
Live-Action Film & Television Roles:
- H (1998-2002) as Jamel Dridi
- Amélie (2001) as Lucien
- Asterix films as Edifis
- Le Boulet (2002) as the Moroccan prison guard
- Angel-A (2005) as André Moussah
- Days of Glory (2006) as Saïd Otmani
- Outside the Law (2010) as Saïd
- HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (2012) as Pablito Camaron
- Alad'2 (2018) as Shah Zaman
- La Petite Histoire de France (2021) as Gaspard's alleged doppleganger (also creator and producer)
French Dubs:
- Dinosaur (2000) as Zini
- Monsters University (2013) as Art
- Toy Story 4 (2019) as Ducky
- The Lion King (2019) as Timon
