Though born in Great Neck, Long Island, Christopher Lambert's family left the US when he was only two years old. His father was a United Nations diplomat assigned to Switzerland and, as a result, Chris was educated at private boarding schools in Geneva. Inspired through his having appeared in a play at age 12, he went to the Paris Conservatoire where he remained for two years. After a few small parts in French films, beginning in 1980, he successfully competed for the title role in Warner Bros. Greystoke, la leyenda de Tarzán, el rey de los monos (1984). His co-stars included Ian Holm, James Fox and Ralph Richardson (in his final film performance). The movie was popular with Tarzan buffs for remaining faithful (in the first half at least) to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story. Two years later Lambert brought to the screen Gregory Widens' legendary Connor MacLeod, the immortal Los inmortales (1986), born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1518 and carrying over into the futuristic Los inmortales II: El desafío (1991) and Los inmortales III El hechicero (1994). In recent years he has become a producer while continuing to act in mostly action/adventure films. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Although born in the USA, Lambert is French. His father was a French diplomat stationed in the US at the United Nations at the time of Lambert's birth. Lambert's formative years were spent in Geneva, Switzerland, to where his family moved when he was two, before returning to Paris when he was 16. Lambert has served in the French military, allegedly at his father's insistence.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: ~~~~~
Spouse
Jaimyse Haft (6 February 1999 - 2006) (divorced)
Diane Lane (October 1988 - 1994) (divorced) (1 daughter)
Trade Mark
Unsettling eyes
Known for Highlander as Connor 'The Highlander' MacLeod
Gravelly, raspy voice
Trivia
The patented, intense gaze he often shows in his roles is the result of myopia at an early age.
Daughter, with Diane Lane, Eleanor Lambert (born Sept. 5 1993).
Was scheduled to appear in the David Lean-directed "Nostromo" in 1991, before Lean died, and the production came to a halt.
Has his look-alike puppet in the French show Les guignols de l'info (1988).
Mentioned by name in Vincent Delerm's song "Cosmopolitan".
In francophone markets on his US films, his forename in credits is repainted as "Christophe", which is his birth name.
Close friend of Mario Van Peebles and Sean Connery.
(July 11, 2014) Separated from his girlfriend of 7 years Sophie Marceau.
Met first wife Diane Lane in 1985, when they were both in Rome on separate publicity junkets. They married three years later.
His favorite horror films are El resplandor (1980), La semilla del diablo (1968), Posesión infernal (1981) and the original La noche de Halloween (1978).
In a 2010 interview, he stated that nowadays he lives "mostly on an airplane" and he can't stay anywhere longer than a few months. When not on location, he divides his time between his "main residence" in Switzerland, a winery in Provence and his 16-year-old daughter in Los Angeles.
Suffers from myopia, a condition that causes the eyes to focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred.
Personal Quotes
It's not a matter of becoming a superstar. Fame and money aren't the purpose of all this. No actor's going to say, "I don't want to be famous." But the main purpose for doing what I'm doing is the passion in the work.
It may be a mistake to say this, but I know my limitations as an actor and I know what I can and can not do. Robert De Niro can do everything. I can't. A "Highlander" movie is basically my thing. What I'm attempting to do is develop my ability as an actor and try to be the best I can be in the fantasy/action genre. I would love to do a "Rain Man," but I think ultimately this is my thing.
[Advice to struggling actors] The most important thing is to be passionate and ready to accept the pains that sometimes go along with the business.
Acting is still, of course, what I love to do most. The beauty of it is that by changing characters, it never gets boring.
[2010 - On if always being questioned about Highlander bothers him] No. It's like, would people like Clint Eastwood be upset because they talk about Dirty Harry? Or Mel Gibson because they talk about Mad Max or Harrison Ford because they talk about Indiana Jones? I think in some ways it's good to have at least one thing for which you could be really immortal, you know?
I was always trying, even in pure action movies, to find what was sensitive about the character more than the pure action. When I read Highlander, what interested me was the romance, the pain that this guy was carrying, not being able to die and looking around him at all the people he loved going before him.
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