Gilbert Melki

Gilbert Melki (born 12 November 1958) is a French actor.

Life and career
Nephew of actor Claude Melki (The Acrobat), Melki grew up in a Jewish family from Algeria. His father, an antiques dealer, came from Khenchela in Algeria and his mother was from France. Both hid during the World War II: his father in Lyon and his mother in Normandy.

His father sent him to a woodworking school, but Melki only stayed a few months. At 20 he decided to move towards comedy and took multiple drama classes. Fearful of not being up to par he went to live for several years in Italy.

After a first appearance on screen in 1992 in the Claude Chabrol film Betty, Gilbert Melki rose to prominence in 1996 through Would I Lie To You? by Thomas Gilou in which he played Patrick Abitbol, a great businessman and millionaire megalomaniac, a role he revisited in the sequel in 2001.

His later films include the 2005 film Crustacés et Coquillages. In 2012, he moved to television with the Canal+ comedy series Kaboul Kitchen.

Filmography

 * 1992
 * Betty by Claude Chabrol


 * 1997
 * La Vérité si je mens ! by Thomas Gilou
 * Un amour de sorcière by René Manzor
 * Une journée de merde by Miguel Courtois


 * 1998
 *  by
 * La Patinoire by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
 * Grève party by Fabien Onteniente


 * 1999
 * Chili con carne by Thomas Gilou
 * Monsieur Naphtali by Olivier Schatzky
 * Vénus beauté (institut) by Tonie Marshall


 * 2000
 * On fait comme on a dit by Philippe Berenger
 * La Taule by Alain Robak


 * 2001
 * A Hell of a Day by Marion Vernoux
 *  by Antoine de Caunes
 * La Vérité si je mens ! 2 by Thomas Gilou


 * 2002
 * Un couple épatant by Lucas Belvaux
 * Cavale by Lucas Belvaux
 * Après la vie by Lucas Belvaux
 * Au plus près du paradis by Tonie Marshall


 * 2003
 * Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran by François Dupeyron
 * Rencontre avec le dragon by Hélène Angel


 * 2004
 * Les Temps qui changent (Changing Times) by André Téchiné
 * Prendre femme by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz
 * Incautos by Miguel Bardem
 * Confidences trop intimes (Intimate Strangers) by Patrice Leconte


 * 2005
 * Angel-A by Luc Besson
 * Palais royal! by Valérie Lemercier


 * 2006
 * Crustacés et coquillages (Cockles and Muscles) by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau
 * Ça brûle by Claire Simon
 * La Raison du plus faible by Lucas Belvaux
 * Mr. Average


 * 2007
 * Le Deuxième Souffle by Alain Corneau
 * Anna M. by Michel Spinosa
 * Très bien, merci by Emmanuelle Cuau
 * Cowboy by Benoît Mariage
 * Le Tueur by Cédric Anger


 * 2008
 * Made in Italy by Stéphane Giusti
 * Largo Winch by Jérôme Salle


 * 2009
 * Accomplices by Frédéric Mermoud


 * 2010
 * Le Mac by Pascal Bourdiaux
 * L’Avocat by Cédric Anger


 * 2012
 * La vérité si je mens ! 3 by Thomas Gilou
 * 2016
 * Vendeur by Sylvain Desclous
 * 2019
 * Le Bazar de la Charité by Alexandre Laurent