Élie Semoun
Élie Semoun was born in France, to a Sephardic Jewish family of Moroccan-Jewish and Algerian-Jewish descent. In 1980 at the age of 17, Semoun wrote two collections of poems and two plays. Beginning in 1988, he had regular appearances on the television series Vivement lundi! on TF1, where he played a horse mounted on rollers.
His comedy career began in 1990 with his partner Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, with whom he wrote and performed daring, skits with scathing takes generally taboo subjects such as racism and poverty, often playing up contrasts between himself and his partner in terms of origin, color, and religion.
Their first show was held at Café de la Gare in 1991. The duo acquired a certain notoriety in 1992 after several appearances on their fellow comedian Arthur's show Emission Impossible, where they were noticed for their particularly corrosive sketches. They followed this up with one success after another at Le Splendid Theater, Paris's Palais des glaces, and at Casino de Paris. Élie and Dieudonné formed one of the most popular comic duos of the 1990s.
In 1997 the duo split due to artistic and financial differences. Élie resented how Dieudonné handled their relations with the media and admitted that he was unhappy that his friend had turned towards film (and that he left to appear in the United States) and antisemitism. Dieudonné managed the financial aspects of their career, and Semoun felt their money was not divided equitably.
Breaking out on his own, Semoun continued his success with Petites Annonces d'Élie (which had been at first intended to be a show with Dieudonné) alongside his friend the actor Franck Dubosc. Once again his performance was promoted by his friend on the show Les Enfants de la télé (France) Inspired by actual classified ads recorded by them in a van, the "Petites Annonces d'Élie" (Élie's Classified Ads) are seen through the character of Cyprian, a repulsive looking man searching for a "busty blond".
Semoun went back on stage with a one-man show, Élie and Semoun. He supported Bertrand Delanoë during Paris's municipal elections of 2001 and Lionel Jospin during the presidential election of 2002. In 2003, he released an album of French songs called simply "Chansons". In early 2005, he performed in a show (co-authored with Franck Dubosc and Muriel Robin entitled Élie Semoun se prend pour qui?
Élie Semoun maintained in the years following his separation with Dieudonné a complex and strained relationship with his former partner. First strained, then reconciled, they have again grown apart during the public controversy aroused by the political stances of Dieudonné. "Some have speculated on the reunion of our duo, but I must tell you that this is clearly out of the question! It's over." In 2012, he declared that "the Dieudonné he knew and the Dieudonné of today appear to him like two completely different people, and he is unable to reconcile them in his mind". ...
Source: Article "Élie Semoun" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography (168 Appearances)
Ducobu et le fantôme de Saint-Potache
Babylone, police de proximité
My Darling Family
The Gardener
On aurait dû aller en Grèce
Que le meilleur gagne ! Le quiz des générations
La Grande Semaine
Ducobu Goes Green!
Meudon rire de tout - 2ème édition
Camille & images en hebdo
L'Incroyable Embouteillage
Elie Semoun et ses monstres
Les Enfoirés 2023 - Enfoirés un jour, toujours
My Old Man
Bonsoir Monsieur Devos
Elie Semoun, l'effroyable vérité
Anne Roumanoff & co s'amusent !
The Grand Restaurant IV
Tous Inconnus
Classico
Quelle époque !
Arnaud Ducret dans tous ses états
Two Much for the Job
Jamel et ses amis au Marrakech du rire 2022 : 10 ans
Ducobu 4 President
That's My Jam France
They Love Each Other... Well, Almost!
Drôles de familles
Haters
Les seigneurs du château
Stuck Together
Camping : Histoire d'un succès
Fake News
Le Grand Show des humoristes - Spécial couples
Kevgad & Friends au Fridge Comedy
Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire de toi, Maman ?
I Love You Coiffure
Le Grand Show des humoristes
Ducoboo 3
Kemps
La Boîte à secrets
Peplum: la folle histoire du mariage de Cléopâtre
Sixty
Ce soir, c'est Palmashow
Soirée Pyjama
The Secret Song
Muriel Robin, oser être soi...
Les 100 vidéos qui ont fait rire le monde entier
Neuilly sa mère, sa mère !
Jamel et ses amis au Marrakech du rire 2018
Looking for Teddy
3615 code Arthur et Jarry
Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion
La famille, ça me fait bien rire !
20 sketches, une vie
M'rire Festival : Gala D'ouverture
Festival International du Rire de Liège 2017
Jamel et ses amis au Marrakech du rire 2017
Le Point Virgule fait l'Olympia - 10e édition
Le meilleur des annonces d'Elie Semoun
Elie Semoun - À partager
La presque soirée présidentielle
Les duos impossibles de Jérémy Ferrari : 3ème édition
Quotidien
Jamel et ses amis au Marrakech du rire 2016
Festival International du Rire de Liège 2015
Capitaine Marleau
Jamel et ses amis au Marrakech du rire 2015
Le Placard
Gad Elmaleh - 20 ans de scène !
Gad Elmaleh - Le Big Show
The Crazy Evening of Palmashow 2
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods
A Village Almost Perfect!
Ma pire angoisse
Serial (Bad) Weddings
Départ immédiat
Elie Semoun : Tranches de vies
The Unexpected Getaway
Porn in the Hood
Ducoboo 2: Crazy Vacation
Vendredi, tout est permis
Emilie Jolie
Platane
Bref
Carte Blanche à Anne Roumanoff
Ducoboo
Marrakech du rire
Second Chance
Made in Jamel
The Storytelling Show
Un divorce de chien
Elie Semoun - Merki...
C à vous
Neuilly Yo Mama!
Park Benches
Cyprien
Rien dans les poches
Surviving Sid
Panique dans l'oreillette
Les Petites Annonces la suite de la suite
Les Petites Annonces d'Elie - L'Essentiel
Daddy Cool
Asterix at the Olympic Games
Elie annonce Semoun, la suite de la suite
Moot-Moot
Franck Dubosc - Les Pour Toi Public 2
Salut les Terriens !
Muppets TV
Les Galas juste pour rire : Un monde sans femme
Elie Semoun se prend pour qui ?
Riviera
Zapping Family
Once Upon a Time in the Oued
Aux abois
La vie de Michel Muller est plus belle que la vôtre
Iznogoud
Kaamelott
La Nuit du rire II à l'Olympia
Lucky Luke and the Daltons
Casablanca Driver
People : Jet Set 2
Les Zacros de la Télé
The Car Keys
Les Petites Annonces d'Elie - La Suite...
Elie annonce Semoun, la suite...
Franck Dubosc - Les Pour Toi Public
Elie Semoun à l'Olympia
Les petites annonces d'Elie - L'intégrale
If I Was Him
Caméra Café
Burger Quiz
Elie annonce Semoun
La Cape et l'épée
Second life
Old School
Who Wants to Win Millions?
Love Me
Jamel Show
Elie Semoun - Elie et Semoun au Palais des Glaces
Stringer
Les Grandes Bouches
Les Enfoirés 1999 - Dernière édition avant l'an 2000
Les Parasites
Vivement dimanche
Vivement dimanche prochain
Charité biz'ness
Let There Be Light!
Le Clone
Les Enfoirés 1998 - Enfoirés en cœur
Everything Must Disappear
Les Démons de Jésus
Les Bidochon
Elie & Dieudonné - En garde à vue
The Three Brothers
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
Elie & Dieudonné - Une certaine idée de la France
Zone interdite
Élie & Dieudonné
Papa veut pas que je t'épouse
Maigret
Que le meilleur gagne
Édouard et ses filles
Fort Boyard
Téléthon
Sacrée Soirée
Cérémonie des César