Distinguished African-born actor; Isaach de Bankole takes the celebrity spotlight for this week.
Isaach De Bankole is one of the most celebrated household names in Cote d’Ivoire.
Born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Isaach De Bankole is of Yoruba heritage. His grandparents are from Nigeria and he is one of Cote d’Ivoire’s most popular actors.
Isaach De Bankolé, César Award-winning actor, is the tenth of 16 children. As soon as he reached his 17th birthday, he quickly made plans to move to Paris, enroll in university, and establish himself as an engineer.
He was discovered on the streets of Paris while studying to be an airline pilot, with dedication, he earned a private pilot license. Later on, he had a chance encounter with French director Gérard Vergez which led him to enroll in the Cours Simon, a Parisian drama school.
He has a degree in acting from Cours Simon and a Masters’s in Mathematics from the Universite de Paris.
His filmography includes roles in more than fifty films, including Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee, and Cigarettes, and The Limits of Control, all directed by Jim Jarmusch. Most recently, he has appeared in the films Black Panther (2018) and Shaft (2019).
Since 1997, he’s been living in the United States where he has starred in both arthouse films and Hollywood blockbusters.
He was married to singer-songwriter Cassandra Wilson from 2000 to 2003.
Here is one of his quotes:
“There may be side actors, but I don’t think there are side characters per se. I think a great performance has nothing to do with the length, but the presence of the performer, his ability to captivate the audience, the power of his imagination.”
