Due to a riding accident, Guillaume Canet opted to pursue a career as an actor. The world of horsemanship's loss was certainly a gain for the entertainment industry. Since his breakthrough in 1997's "Barracuda", this attractive brunet with a beaming smile has graced several fine films and was poised for international stardom, thanks in part to landing the pivotal role of Etienne in Danny Boyle's film adaptation of Alex Garland's novel "The Beach" (1999).

The son of a horse breeder, Canet trained from childhood as a show rider but an injury at age 18 left him to contemplate other options. He embarked on a career as an actor and within two years had landed his first roles on television (in "La Colline aux milles enfants") and on stage ("La ville dont le prince est un enfant"). He has continued to deliver strong performances in all media but it is for his film work that Canet began to garner the most attention. After playing bit roles, he was cast as a comic book artist who falls prey to his unhinged neighbor (Jean Rochefort) in "Barracuda". Canet solidified his status as a rising star in his native land with a strong supporting performance as the tough bartender willing to do anything for his girlfriend (Virginie Ledoyen)--including commit perjury--in "En plain coeur/In All Innocence" (1998). The portrayal brought him a Cesar nomination for most promising male newcomer and a host of offers. The actor turned in another sharp performance as a would-be chef who tracks down the father who abandoned him--a con man--in the comedy "Je regle pas sur le pas de mon pere/I Follow in My Father's Footsteps" (1999), But it was his English-language debut in the triangular romance "The Beach" (2000), in which he vied with Leonardo DiCaprio for the affections of Virginie Ledoyen that promised to introduce the actor to legions of new fans. Whether or not that feature would propel him to full-fledged international stardom remained to be seen. In any event, Canet had already begun laying the ground work for a secondary career as a filmmaker, having helmed several shorts, including "Sans regret" (1995) and "Je t'aim" (1999). It would only be a matter of time before he stepped behind the cameras to direct his first feature.