Élie Semoun

Élie Semoun (born Élie Semhoun on 16 October 1963) is a French comedian, actor, director, writer and singer.

Life and career Élie Semoun was born in France, to a Sephardic Jewish family of Moroccan-Jewish and Algerian-Jewish descent. In 1980 at the age of 17, Semoun wrote two collections of poems and two plays ("Pièce d'identité" and "Pièce décousue"). He graduated from high school at the Lycée Descartes in Antony (Hauts-de-Seine) in 1982. Beginning in 1988, he had regular appearances on the television series Vivement lundi! on TF1, where he played a horse mounted on rollers.

His comedy career began in 1990 with his partner Dieudonné, with whom he wrote and performed daring skits with scathing takes on generally taboo subjects such as racism and poverty, often playing up contrasts between himself and his partner in terms of origin, color, and religion.

Their first show was held at Café de la Gare in 1991. The duo acquired a certain notoriety in 1992 after several appearances on their fellow comedian Arthur's show Emission Impossible, where they were noticed for their particularly corrosive sketches. They followed this up with one success after another at Le Splendid Theater, Paris's Palais des glaces, and at Casino de Paris. Élie and Dieudonné formed one of the most popular comic duos of the 1990s.

In 1997 the duo split due to artistic and financial differences. Élie resented how Dieudonné handled their relations with the media and admitted that he was unhappy that his friend had turned towards film (and that he left to appear in the United States) and antisemitism. Dieudonné managed the financial aspects of their career, and Semoun felt their money was not divided equitably.

Breaking out on his own, Semoun continued his success with Petites Annonces d'Élie (which had at first been intended to be a show with Dieudonné) alongside his friend the actor Franck Dubosc. Once again his performance was promoted by his friend on the show Les Enfants de la télé (France) Inspired by actual classified ads recorded by them in a van, the "Petites Annonces d'Élie" (Élie's Classified Ads) are seen through the character of Cyprian, a repulsive-looking man searching for a "busty blond".

Semoun went back on stage with a one-man show, Élie and Semoun. He supported Bertrand Delanoë during Paris's municipal elections of 2001 and Lionel Jospin during the presidential election of 2002. In 2003, he released an album of French songs called simply "Chansons". In early 2005, he performed in a show (co-authored with Franck Dubosc and Muriel Robin) entitled Élie Semoun se prend pour qui?

In the years following his separation with Dieudonné, Élie Semoun maintained a complex and strained relationship with his former partner. First strained, then reconciled, they have again grown apart during the public controversy aroused by the political stances of Dieudonné. "Some have speculated on the reunion of our duo, but I must tell you that this is clearly out of the question! It's over." In 2012, he declared that "the Dieudonné he knew and the Dieudonné of today appear to him like two completely different people, and he is unable to reconcile them in his mind".

He has a son, Antoine, born in 1995 in Rennes. He shares custody with his ex-wife, Annie Florence Jeannesson, whom he divorced in 2002.

Semoun is the second cousin of singer and actor Patrick Bruel, the grandfather of Bruel being the brother of Semoun's grandmother.

According to Paris Match, the actor has been in a relationship with Aude Fraineau, a worker in audiovisual production who is thirty years younger than him (born in 1990), since 2023. In 2025 he announced on the Quotidien show that she would give birth soon.

Shows 1991: Élie Semoun et Dieudonné au Théâtre du Splendid Saint-Martin, directed by Pascal Légitimus 1996: Élie Semoun et Dieudonné en garde à vue 1999: Élie et Semoun au Palais des Glaces, directed by Muriel Robin 2002: Élie Semoun à l'Olympia, directed by Roger Louret 2005–2006: Élie Semoun se prend pour qui ?, directed by Roger Louret 2008–2009: Merki…, directed by Roger Louret 2012: Tranches de Vies, directed by Muriel Robin

Theater 2012: Tartarin de Tarascon by Jérôme Savary, directed by the author, Théâtre André Malraux 2012: Inconnu à cette adresse by Kressmann Taylor, directed by Delphine de Malherbe, théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau 2014: Le Placard by Francis Veber, directed by the author, Théâtre des Nouveautés

Filmography

Television

1989: Pause-café Pause Tendresse de Serge Leroy (3rd episode): Alberto 1988–1991: Vivement lundi! 1990: Édouard et ses filles by Michel Lang 1996: François Kleber – L'Embrouilleur 1996: Maigret – Maigret tend un piège 2001–2003: Caméra Café (at least 3 episodes) 2002: Si j'étais lui by Philippe Triboit 2004: Kaamelott (5 episodes) : the Witch Hunter 2008: Rien dans les poches by Marion Vernoux 2010: Un divorce de chien by Lorraine Lévy : Julien 2011: Very Bad Blagues de Palmashow (épisode 58) 2012: Bref by Kyan Khojandi (episode 53) :the classified ads seller 2013: Hitchcock by Mocky – episode "Selon la loi" 2013: Nos chers voisins fêtent l'été : Ludovic, un représentant de commerce, victime de la ruse des voisins 2013: Y'a pas d'âge (1 episode) 2013: What Ze Teuf (2 episodes) : Himself

Film

1988: Toilette-Zone by Laurence Arcadias 1995: Les Trois Frères by Bernard Campan and Didier Bourdon : Brice 1995: Les Bidochon by Serge Korber : René 1996: Titus et Cortex by Jean Claude Buziac 1996: Tout doit disparaître by Philippe Muyl: Gérard Piche 1997: Les Démons de Jésus by Bernie Bonvoisin: Gérard 1997: Le Clone by Fabio Conversi: Thomas 1997: Que la lumière soit by Arthur Joffé: God the shopkeeper 1998: Charité biz'ness by Thierry Barthes: Momo/Massipu 1998: Les Grandes Bouches by Bernie Bonvoisin: Fichier 1999: L'Ami du jardin by Jean-Louis Bouchaud 1999: Les Parasites by Philippe de Chauveron: Brigadier Max Schmitt 1999: Love Me by Laetitia Masson: l'amoureux 1999: Stringer by Klaus Biedermann: Filo 2000: Old School by Karim Abbou and Kader Ayd: Dealer 2000: Deuxième vie by Patrick Braoudé: Steve Michaud 2002: Si j'étais lui by Philippe Triboit: Tristan 2003: The Car Keys by Laurent Baffie: Himself 2004: People by Fabien Onteniente: Cyril Legall 2004: Casablanca Driver by Maurice Barthélemy: Mr. X 2004: Les Dalton by Philippe Haim: Docteur Doxey / Customs Officer 2004: La vie de Michel Muller est plus belle que la vôtre by Michel Muller 2005: Iznogoud by Patrick Braoudé: Prince 2005: Once Upon a Time in the Oued by Djamel Bensalah: Maitre d'hôtel 2005: Riviera by Anne Villacèque: Romansky 2005: Aux abois by Philippe Collin: Paul 2008: Asterix at the Olympic Games by Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann : Judge Omega 2008: 15 ans et demi by Thomas Sorriaux and François Desagnat: Angry Automobilist 2009: Cyprien by David Charhon: Cyprien 2009: Park Benches by Bruno Podalydès: Le dragueur 2009: Neuilly sa mère ! by Gabriel Julien-Laferrière: Court Bailiff 2010: La Chance de ma vie by Nicolas Cuche: Philippe Markus 2011: L'Élève Ducobu by Philippe de Chauveron: Gustave Latouche 2012: Les Vacances de Ducobu by Philippe de Chauveron: Gustave Latouche 2012: Les Kaïra by Franck Gastambide: lui-même 2014: Les Trois Frères : le retour by Didier Bourdon and Bernard Campan: Mr Gérard 2014: Les Francis by Fabrice Begotti: Prefect 2014: Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu? by Philippe de Chauveron 2014: La Grande séduction by Stéphane Meunier 2018: Neuilly sa mère, sa mère ! by Gabriel Julien-Laferrière 2020: Ducobu 3: Gustave Latouche 2022: Ducobu Président!: Gustave Latouche

Short films 1985: Poussière d'étoiles by Agnès Merlet 2000: Le Truc by Stéphane Bélaïsch 2007: Dominique Laffin, portrait d'une enfant pas sage, by Laurent Perrin 2012: L'âge de Glace 4: Élie Semoun visite Blue Sky; (document shown Sunday 24 juin 2012 by Gulli). 2014: Les Trois Frères, le retour

Voice Work

Film

Animated films 1995: Pocahontas: French voice of Wiggins 2002: The Magic Roundabout directed by Dave Borthwick: voice of Zébulon 2002: Ice Age directed by Chris Wedge: French voice of Sid 2002: Gouille et Gar by Gamer (short film): voice of Gouille 2005: Robots of Chris Wedge: French voice of Fender 2006: Ice Age: The Meltdown directed by Carlos Saldanha: French voice of Sid 2006: Charlotte's Web directed by Gary Winick: French voice of Rat Templeton 2009: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: French voice of Sid 2010: A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures: French voice of adult Ray 2010: Allez raconte ! directed by Jean-Christophe Roger: Éric 2011: Animals United: French voice of Billy the Meerkat 2011: Émilie Jolie directed by Francis Nielsen and Philippe Chatel: voices of Belzébuth and Prince Charming 2012: Ice Age: Continental Drift : French voice of Sid 2012: Sammy's Great Escape directed by Ben Stassen : French voice of adult Ray 2014: The Mansions of the Gods directed by Alexandre Astier : voice of Ubiquitus 2016: Ice Age: Collision Course: French voice of Sid

Television

Series 1988: Les Années collège : Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni)

Shows with Dieudonné 1991–1993: Élie et Dieudonné 1993: L'avis des bêtes - Une certaine idée de la France 1996: Élie et Dieudonné en garde à vue

Shows with Franck Dubosc Les Petites Annonces d'Élie Élie Annonce Semoun 2000 Élie Annonce Semoun : la suite de La suite

Video 1999: Élie et Semoun au Palais des Glaces 2000: Élie annonce Semoun, 5th volume of short ads (55 classified ads) 2002: Les Petites Annonces d'Élie l'intégrale, the first 3 volumes released on VHS in the late 1990s and the unprecedented volume 4 (the best of the first 3) (167 classified ads) 2002 : Élie Semoun à l'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix 2003 : Élie annonce Semoun, la suite, 6th volume of classified ads 2006 : Élie Semoun se prend pour qui ? 2007 : Élie annonce Semoun, la suite de la suite, 7th volume of classified ads (56 classified ads) 2008 : Merki 2008 : Les Petites Annonces d'Élie (l'essentiel){Avec Franck Dubosc}(more than160 classified ads) 2012 : Tranches de vies

Video games 1998 : Dreamcast (voiceover promotional advertising Sega console "Up to six billion players") 2003 : Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Les Ptizêtres, additional voices)

Albums 2003 : Chansons 2007 : Sur le fil

Books Les Annonces en BD, bande dessinée, Jungle : Tome I, Si tu es blonde…, 2004. Tome II, J'suis choooquée, 2005. Best of 2009. Élie Semoun se prend pour qui ?, graphic novel, Jungle, 2006. Kévina, Mikeline, Toufik et les autres…, Fetjaine, 2008. Je grandirai plus tard, Flammarion, 2013.