Niels Schneider

Niels Schneider (; born 18 June 1987) is a French-Canadian actor. He had his breakthrough role in Xavier Dolan's film I Killed My Mother, and gained international recognition in Dolan's Heartbeats (2010). In 2011, he won the Trophée Chopard Award for Male Revelation of the Year at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, he won the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his performance in Dark Inclusion (2016). In 2019, he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. He has been living and working based in Paris for most of his career.

Early life Born in Paris, the second of five boys, he had an older brother and has three younger brothers. Schneider was 9 years old when his family moved to Montreal. He later became a naturalized citizen. His father, Jean-Paul Schneider, was an actor, and his mother, Isabelle Schneider, was a model. His paternal grandmother was a Russian Jewish immigrant to France, who came with her family as a child when they fled the Russian Revolution in 1920.

He has four brothers, including actors Aliocha, Volodiya, and Vassili Schneider. On 8 September 2003, their eldest brother, actor Vadim Schneider, and co-star Jaclyn Linetsky, both 17 years old, died as a result of a road accident while they were driving to the filming of an episode of 15/Love. Their minivan lost control and collided with oncoming traffic.

In 2017, he won the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his performance in Dark Inclusion (2016).

In 2023, he starred in the television series Of Money and Blood, directed by Xavier Giannoli.

He played General Leclerc in a two-part biopic of Charles de Gaulle, filmed in 2023 and 2024.

Personal life Schneider is an atheist. Their son, Hiro, was born on 28 August 2023. They live in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.

In 2019, Schneider was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.

In June 2024, Schneider signed a petition addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron demanding France to officially recognize the State of Palestine.

Filmography

Decorations Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (2019)