Jean-Marie Bigard

Jean-Marie Bigard is a popular -- and controversial -- French comedian, actor, writer, and director. Before getting his big break on French television in the mid-1980s, Bigard paid his dues as a stand-up comic. But in his early 30s he landed work as a writer and comedian on the variety television show "The Class," regularly working with fellow actor/writer Laurent Baffie on more than 100 comedy sketches. During this same period he wrote for the comedy troupe Dummies on the sketch program "Nowhere," penning the segment "Toniglandyl," which solidified his reputation as a comedian to watch. Although he is most well-known in France for several of his vulgar, confrontational one-man shows -- beginning with 1988's "You Said Bigard" -- Bigard has also worked frequently in television and feature films. He had a small part in the bizarre episodic comedy "The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelglück," about a psychiatrist and his dealings with various troubled patients; had a much more prominent role in Claude Zidi's comedy "Arlette," as amorous truck driver Victor; and re-teamed with Zidi for the ensemble comedy "The Box," playing a nightclub owner. He also co-starred with Jeremy Irons in Claude Lelouch's crime film "And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen" as a pharmacist, and he provided the voice of bulldog Beefy for the French release of the Adam Sandler comedy "Little Nicky." In 1999, Bigard wrote, directed, and starred in the fantastical romantic comedy "The Soul-Sister."