Urbain Cancelier

Stateside, French actor Urbain Cancelier is likely best known for her role as Collignon, the mean shopkeeper who mercilessly mocks his one-armed assistant in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Oscar-nominated Parisian romantic comedy "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain." Yet there is more to Cancelier than his menacing greengrocer. His career in the performing arts began in 1980, when he took to the professional stage for the first time. For years after that he worked diligently, often under the guiding hand of renowned director Bernard Murat. Then in 1994, Cancelier made his film debut with a small role in the largely forgotten comedy "Jeans Tonic." From there he waded through several TV appearances and a couple of shorts, finally achieving notice in the Oscar-nominated, period-piece romance "Ridicule," where he played the ill-fated Louis XVI of France. The following year he performed in another sweeping costume drama, "Le Bossu," which starred César-winning actor Daniel Auteuil. Not long after sharing screen-time with France's much adored ingénue Audrey Tautou in "Amelie," Cancelier and she re-teamed on Jeunet's World War I romance "A Very Long Engagement." Cancelier has since become a recurring player for Jeunet, also popping up in his 2009 crime caper "Micmacs." An accomplished character actor, he has already appeared in more than 40 film and television productions.