---
name: "Simon Abkarian"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/simon-abkarian"
fi1m_id: "simon-abkarian"
imdb_id: "nm0008787"
tmdb_id: 10917
wikidata_id: "Q1255329"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 March 1962"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 73
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-11T23:18:49.711598+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Simon Abkarian

## Identity

Simon Abkarian

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/simon-abkarian
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** simon-abkarian
- **IMDb ID:** nm0008787
- **TMDB ID:** 10917
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1255329
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Abkarian, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1255329, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0008787/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10917

Actor. Born 5 March 1962 in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, France.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 March 1962, Gonesse, Val d'Oise, France
- **Active:** 2006–present
- **Also known as:** Simone Abkarian
- **Frequently works with:** [Antonin Baudry](https://film.one/person/antonin-baudry.md), [Ardavan Safaee](https://film.one/person/ardavan-safaee.md), [Axelle Boucaï](https://film.one/person/axelle-boucai.md), [Bérénice Vila](https://film.one/person/berenice-vila.md), [Jérôme Seydoux](https://film.one/person/jerome-seydoux.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 73, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 72 (4), 2010s 80 (1), 2020s 71 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 75 to 73 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Thriller 3, History 2, Action 1, Adventure 1, Animation 1
- **Screen time:** 14 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $812m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Abkarian, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1255329, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0008787/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10917

## Coming up

- *Le lièvre* (2026-12-02)

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Persepolis*](https://film.one/film/persepolis.md) (87)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Simon Abkarian

> Simon Abkarian builds characters through posture and phrasing, and *Persepolis* shows how much he can do with the voice alone. We value the care that makes its father feel like a person with worries of his own.

In *Persepolis* (2007), Simon Abkarian helps make Marjane's father sound like someone with worries of his own. Catherine Deneuve's mother belongs to that same believable household, where the adults have more to do than explain things to the child. We were moved by the family's closeness, especially the affection in Danielle Darrieux's voice as the grandmother. It is a good place to begin with an actor whose care with speech can be as useful as his physical precision. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud give their expressive drawings a family worth caring about.

His wider film career developed through collaborations with Cédric Klapisch, alongside continuing stage work. Atom Egoyan's *Ararat* (2002) cast him as the painter Arshile Gorky, while Sally Potter's *Yes* (2004) gave him his first major English-language lead, opposite Joan Allen. These are useful reminders that the supporting roles familiar to an international audience are only part of the work. Potter's film offers a place to explore that attention to speech in a leading performance.

Martin Campbell's *Casino Royale* (2006), in which he plays Alex Dimitrios, brought wider international recognition. We rate the film highly, though its force comes principally from Daniel Craig and Eva Green, and its final stretch is protracted. For judging Abkarian himself, *Persepolis* tells us more. Its episodes can pass too quickly, but the family performances give us a reason to wish that Satrapi and Paronnaud had lingered.

For the lead in Antonin Baudry's two-part *De Gaulle: Liberté / Résistance* (2026), the walk and the voice become central tasks. His preparation combined work on posture and stride with archive study and recording sessions. The challenge is to make the character worth listening to once the likeness has been established. For a first encounter, though, choose *Persepolis* and listen to the parents.

## Biography

Simon Abkarian is a French-Armenian actor and playwright. Born on 5 March 1962 in Gonesse, Val-d'Oise, he spent his childhood in Lebanon before moving to Los Angeles, where he joined an Armenian theatre company. He returned to France in 1985 and trained at the Acting International school, later joining Ariane Mnouchkine's Théâtre du Soleil.

Abkarian left the company in 1993 and gained critical acclaim on stage for his performance in *Beast on the Moon* (2001), directed by Irina Brook, for which he received the Molière Award for Best Actor. His film roles include collaborations with Cédric Klapisch and the lead in Sally Potter's *Yes* (2004). He played Alex Dimitrios in *Casino Royale* (2006) and portrayed Charles de Gaulle in the 2026 diptych *De Gaulle: Liberté* (also known as *La Bataille de Gaulle*). He has also provided voice work, including in *Persepolis* (2007).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, lemonde.fr.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *De Gaulle: Liberté* (2026), Fi1m 72, as Charles de Gaulle — [page](https://film.one/film/de-gaulle-liberte.md)
- *De Gaulle: Résistance* (2026), Fi1m 70, as Charles de Gaulle — [page](https://film.one/film/de-gaulle-resistance.md)
- *Zero Dark Thirty* (2012), Fi1m 80, as Detainee on Monitor — [page](https://film.one/film/zero-dark-thirty.md)
- *House of Saddam* (2008), Fi1m 60, as Qais — [page](https://film.one/tv/house-of-saddam.md)
- *Persepolis* (2007), Fi1m 87, as Marjane's Father (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/persepolis.md)
- *Rendition* (2007), Fi1m 54, as Said Abdel Aziz — [page](https://film.one/film/rendition.md)
- *Casino Royale* (2006), Fi1m 86, as Alex Dimitrios — [page](https://film.one/film/casino-royale.md)

## Complete filmography (97)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Le lièvre* (2026), Actor
- *Playground* (2026), as The Father
- *De Gaulle: Liberté* (2026), as Charles de Gaulle — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/de-gaulle-liberte.md)
- *De Gaulle: Résistance* (2026), as Charles de Gaulle — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/de-gaulle-resistance.md)
- *Vanished* (2026), series, as Gaspard Drax
- *Chroniques d'un indic* (2025), as Lakhdar
- *The 4th Wall* (2025), as Marwan
- *Mémoires de Palestine* (2023), as Narrator (voice)
- *Overdose* (2022), as Daniel Prat
- *Notre-Dame* (2022), series, as Max
- *The Way to Happiness* (2022), as Saül Birnbaum
- *Electre des bas-fonds* (2022), Scenario Writer
- *Restless* (2022), as Antoine Marelli
- *Cop Goes Missing* (2022), as Tristan
- *Off-Season* (2021), as Anthony
- *Permis de construire* (2021), as Müller
- *Black Notebooks* (2021), Actor
- *Les Damnés de la Commune* (2021), as Narrateur (voice)
- *Le dernier jour du jeûne* (2020), Writer
- *Wonderland* (2020), series, as Tony
- *The Audition* (2019), as Philippe
- *Someone, Somewhere* (2019), as Mansour
- *The Swallows of Kabul* (2019), as Atiq (voice)
- *Ce soir-là et les jours d'après* (2019), as Karan
- *Rebels* (2019), as Simon Bénéké, Sandra's father
- *The Sonata* (2018), as Charles Vernais
- *Cyrano, My Love* (2018), as Ange Fleury
- *Journey from Greece* (2017), as Kakourgos
- *Overdrive* (2017), as Jacomo Morier
- *Playground* (2017), series, as The Father
- *J'ai tué ma femme* (2017), as Le patron du café
- *Scribe* (2016), as Gerfaut
- *Chouf* (2016), as Le libanais
- *Malaterra* (2015), series, as Thomas Rotman
- *Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad* (2015), as Hovannès Alexandrian
- *Tehlirian on Trial: Armenia's Avenger* (2015), as Narrator
- *1915* (2015), as Simon
- *The Cut* (2014), as Krikor
- *Colt 45* (2014), as Commander Luc Denard
- *Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem* (2014), as Elisha
- *Angélique* (2013), as L'avocat François Desgrez
- *The Marchers* (2013), as Le père de Farid
- *Zero Dark Thirty* (2012), as Detainee on Monitor — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/zero-dark-thirty.md)
- *Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire de toi?* (2012), as Abraham Drucker
- *Kaboul Kitchen* (2012), series, as Colonel Amanullah
- *Zarafa* (2012), as Hassan (voice)
- *Force* (2011), as Jimi Weiss
- *Les Amants naufragés* (2011), as Milo Garavan
- *Tony's Revenge* (2011), series, as Tony Roucas
- *Comme une ombre* (2010), as Vincent
- *Turk's Head* (2010), as Le veuf
- *Pigalle, la nuit* (2009), series, as Nadir Zainoun
- *Rage* (2009), as Merlin
- *Army of Crime* (2009), as Missak Manouchian
- *Secrets of State* (2008), as Al Barad
- *The Wedding Song* (2008), as Raoul
- *Le Menteur : La Pièce !* (2008), as Lelio
- *A Day at the Museum* (2008), as Gilles Paulin
- *Khamsa* (2008), as Khamsa's Father
- *House of Saddam* (2008), series, as Qais — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-of-saddam.md)
- *A World of Ours* (2008), as L'oncle de Noé (voice)
- *The Seven Days* (2008), as Eliyau
- *Minor Revelations* (2008), Actor
- *L'Affaire Ben Barka* (2008), as le général Oufkir, ministre marocain de l'intérieur
- *Rendition* (2007), as Said Abdel Aziz — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/rendition.md)
- *New Délire* (2007), as Gunter (voice)
- *Persepolis* (2007), as Marjane's Father (voice) — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/persepolis.md)
- *Trivial* (2007), as Pierre
- *Casino Royale* (2006), as Alex Dimitrios — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/casino-royale.md)
- *The Snake* (2006), as Sam
- *Armenia* (2006), as Sarkis Arabian
- *S.A.C. : Des hommes dans l'ombre* (2005), as Cesari
- *I Saw Ben Barka Get Killed* (2005), as Mehdi Ben Barka
- *Zaina: Rider of the Atlas* (2005), as Omar
- *Yes* (2005), as He
- *The Demon Stirs* (2005), as Julien Cestac
- *Les mauvais joueurs* (2005), as Sahak
- *In Your Dreams* (2005), as Wilson
- *To Take A Wife* (2004), as Eliyahoo
- *Not For, or Against (Quite the Contrary)* (2003), as Freddy
- *The Legend of Princess Parva* (2003), as Swami (voice)
- *Almost Peaceful* (2002), as Albert
- *Aram* (2002), as Aram
- *The Truth About Charlie* (2002), as Lieutenant Dessalines
- *Ararat* (2002), as Arshile Gorky
- *Spooks* (2002), series, as Dariush Bakhshi — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/spooks.md)
- *Lila Lili* (1999), as Simon
- *Tempest in a Teapot* (1997), Actor
- *J'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici* (1997), as Simon
- *The Silence of Rak* (1997), as Customer
- *When the Cat's Away* (1996), as Carlos
- *Dead Man Walking* (1995), Thanks — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md)
- *Ana El Awan* (1994), Actor
- *The Goldfish* (1994), as Customer
- *La nuit miraculeuse* (1989), Actor
- *God Will Know His Own*, Actor
- *Malin Fors*, series, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Simon Abkarian](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-1f634625b669.jpg) Simon Abkarian — Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Simon_Abkarian_Cannes_2019.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Asil Rais et Simon Abkarian en costumes pour L'Indiade d'Ariane Mnouchkine au Théâtre du Soleil en 1987.](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-8fa5f053e2c4.jpg) Asil Rais et Simon Abkarian en costumes pour L'Indiade d'Ariane Mnouchkine au Théâtre du Soleil en 1987. — Maria A. Baus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Asil_Rais_%26_Simon_Abkarian_-_Indiade_-_1987.jpg/1280px-Asil_Rais_%26_Simon_Abkarian_-_Indiade_-_1987.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Opening ceremony of the Deauville American Film Festival 2026 — Simon Abkarian](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-5765a60048b2.jpg) Opening ceremony of the Deauville American Film Festival 2026 — Simon Abkarian — Elyot Boudart, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Deauville_American_Film_Festival_2026_%E2%80%94_Simon_Abkarian.jpg/1280px-Opening_ceremony_of_the_Deauville_American_Film_Festival_2026_%E2%80%94_Simon_Abkarian.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Simon Abkarian, french actor, october 16, 2010](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-d821e6158538.jpg) Simon Abkarian, french actor, october 16, 2010 — Wikinade, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Simon_Abkarian_%282010%29.jpg/1280px-Simon_Abkarian_%282010%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Simon Abkarian](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-c901ac6f181e.jpg) Simon Abkarian — Image via TMDB
- ![Simon Abkarian](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-20b41043fdbe.jpg) Simon Abkarian — Image via TMDB
- ![Simon Abkarian chante avec — et accompagné par — son fils Djivan Abkarian et les Howlin' Jaws (2022).](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-33c1d7fd7963.jpg) Simon Abkarian chante avec — et accompagné par — son fils Djivan Abkarian et les Howlin' Jaws (2022). — Wikinade, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Simon_Abkarian_%282022%29.jpg/1280px-Simon_Abkarian_%282022%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Simon Abkarian dans L'Indiade au Théâtre du Soleil en 1987.](https://film.one/media/person/94267/gallery-300555d4c28a.jpg) Simon Abkarian dans L'Indiade au Théâtre du Soleil en 1987. — Maria A. Baus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Simon_Abkarian_-_Indiade_-_1987.jpg/1280px-Simon_Abkarian_-_Indiade_-_1987.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 5 won

- Molière Award for Best Director 2020: Molière Award for Best Director (won)
- Molière de l'auteur 2020: Molière de l'auteur (won)
- Molière du théâtre public 2020: Molière du théâtre public (won)
- Knight of the National Order of Merit 2010: Knight of the National Order of Merit (won)
- Molière Award for Best Actor 2001: Molière Award for Best Actor (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/simon-abkarian