Left home at age 16 to pursue acting career

Earliest feature film appearances included a role in "Gardien de la nuit/Night Guardian"

First leading role in a feature, "La maison de jade/House of Jade", opposite Jacqueline Bisset

First film to get a major art-house release in the USA, "Cyrano de Bergerac", starring Gerard Depardieu in the title role

First international co-production, "The Voyage of Captain Fracassa", a French-Italian co-production, in which he played the title role

Directed a short film, "L'Echange"

Had featured role in Patrice Chereau's "La reine Margot/Queen Margot"

First American film, "The Crow: City of Angels" (shot in 1995)

Reteamed with Chereau to portray a transsexual in "Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train"

US TV acting debut, the HBO movie "Shot Through the Heart"

Made second short "Rein dire", written by Karine Sylla

Co-starred in "Time Regained", Raul Ruiz's adaptation of Proust's "A la recherche du temps perdu"

Portrayed French philosopher Diederot in "Le Libertin"

Starred opposite Kim Basinger in "I Dreamed of Africa"

Portrayed noted painter Oskar Kokoschka in the biopic of Alma Mahler, "Bride of the Wind"

Cast as the centuries old vampire Marius in "Queen of the Damned"

Feature directorial debut, "Peau d'ange"; also co-wrote screenplay with wife Karine Sylla and Jerome Tonnere

Will make his English-language directorial debut with the supernatural drama "The Secret," based on the 1999 Japanese film "Himitsu" (lensed 2005)