Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French director born in Paris, celebrated for stylish, high-concept action films that helped define what critics termed the cinéma du look movement. Léon: The Professional, a stylized hitman drama pairing Jean Reno with a young Natalie Portman, and The Fifth Element, an extravagant science-fiction adventure starring Bruce Willis, established his gift for visually bold, internationally accessible genre spectacle. La Femme Nikita helped define the modern female-assassin thriller, while Lucy, built around an action heroine gaining superhuman cognitive powers, showed his sustained ability to fuse philosophical pretension with pure kinetic action. Besson also founded EuropaCorp, a production company extending his influence across numerous French action franchises as producer and writer. Besson's fusion of French art-cinema visual style with unapologetically commercial American-style genre storytelling made him one of the most internationally successful French directors of his generation.
Luc Besson
56 Directed
4 Series
Luc Besson is a French director born in Paris, celebrated for stylish, high-concept action films that helped define what critics termed the cinéma du look movement. Léon: The Professional, a stylized hitman drama pairing Jean Reno with a young Natalie Portman, and The Fifth Element, an extravagant science-fiction adventure starring Bruce Willis, established his gift for visually bold, internationally accessible genre spectacle. La Femme Nikita helped define the modern female-assassin thriller, while Lucy, built around an action heroine gaining superhuman cognitive powers, showed his sustained ability to fuse philosophical pretension with pure kinetic action. Besson also founded EuropaCorp, a production company extending his influence across numerous French action franchises as producer and writer. Besson's fusion of French art-cinema visual style with unapologetically commercial American-style genre storytelling made him one of the most internationally successful French directors of his generation.
Movies
Director
Léon: The Professional
1994
Director
Dracula
2025
Director
The Fifth Element
1997
Writer
Taken
2008
Director
Lucy
2014
Director
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017
Director
Anna
2019
Director
Arthur and the Invisibles
2006
Director
Dogman
2023
Director
The Family
2013
Director
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
1999
Director
Nikita
1990
Director
The Big Blue
1988
Director
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard
2009
Director
Angel-A
2005
Director
Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds
2010
Director
June and John
2025
Director
The Last Battle
1983
Director
The Lady
2011
Director
Subway
1985
Director
The Penultimate
1981
Latest Trailers
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Taxi 2
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Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Luc Besson and where are they from?
Luc Besson is 67 years old, born on March 18, 1959 in Paris, France.
What are the most famous roles of Luc Besson?
Luc Besson is best known for directing Lucy, Léon: The Professional, Taken.
How many movies has Luc Besson directed?
Over a 45-year career (since 1981), Luc Besson has directed or written 56 films and worked on 4 TV shows.
What was Luc Besson's first movie?
The career of Luc Besson began with The Last Man ().
What is Luc Besson's most recent movie or series?
Luc Besson's most recent release is Dracula, which premiered on July 30, 2025.
What TV shows has Luc Besson created or directed?
On television, Luc Besson has appeared in Transporter: The Series, Taxi Brooklyn, No Limit, Playground.
Does Luc Besson have any upcoming projects?
Yes, Luc Besson's upcoming work includes: Father Joe (2027).
Luc Besson
1959-03-18 · Paris, France
Luc Besson (born March 18, 1959) is a French director, writer, and producer, known for making highly visual thriller and action films. Besson has received numerous awards and honors, and is often credited as inventing the so-called "Cinema du look" movement in French film. He is best known for directing the action films Léon: The Professional (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), and Lucy (2014), and also produced the Taken (2008–2014) and Transporter (2002–2015) franchises.
Born in Paris, Besson spent his childhood traveling Europe with his parents and developing an enthusiasm for ocean diving, before an accident would push him toward the world of cinema. After taking odd jobs in the Parisian film scene of the time, Besson began writing stories that would eventually evolve into some of his greatest film successes: The Fifth Element and Le Grand Bleu.
In 1980 he founded his own production company, Les Films du Loup later Les Films du Dauphin, and later still EuropaCorp film company with his longtime collaborator, Pierre-Ange Le Poga.