Dominique Pinon

Dominique Pinon (born 4 March 1955) is a French actor. He is known for appearing in films directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, often playing eccentric or grotesque characters.

Early life and education
Dominique Pinon was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France on 4 March 1955. After studying at the Faculty of Arts of Poitiers, Dominique Pinon moved to Paris and enrolled at the Cours Simon.

Career
A prolific screen and theatre actor with many tens of titles to his credit, Pinon has appeared most predominantly in French films, but also in works produced and shot in England, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United States.

In film
In 1981, Jean-Jacques Beineix gave Pinon his start in cinema with the movie Diva; Pinon also acted in two later Beineix films. He has had several roles in the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He has appeared in three films by British horror director Johannes Roberts. Pinon appeared in The Bridge of San Luis Rey (in French, Le Pont du roi Saint-Louis). Adapted from a short work by Thornton Wilder by the Irish director Mary McGuckian, Pinon acted in this period piece, which was poorly reviewed and had an ensemble cast (including Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Gabriel Byrne, Kathy Bates, F. Murray Abraham, and Geraldine Chaplin). He appeared in Álex de la Iglesia's 2008 The Oxford Murders with Elijah Wood, John Hurt, and Leonor Watling.

In theater
In the theatre, he has appeared in the plays of Gildas Bourdet, Jorge Lavelli, and Valère Novarina.

Awards and recognition
Pinon received the Molière Award for Best Actor in 2004. In 2011, he was the president of the jury for the second Festival International du Film fantastique d'Audincourt. He has been an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres since 2014.