Smaïn
Known for Acting · 64 credits
- Born
- 1958-01-03 (age 68)
- Place of birth
- Constantine, France [now Algeria]
- Also known as
- Smaïn Fairouze
Biography
Smaïn (born Smaïn Fairouze, on January 3, 1958 in Constantine, Algeria) is a French comedian, humorist, writer, actor and director of Algerian descent.
Born in 1958 in Constantine, Algeria, to an unknown father and mother, Smaïn Fairouze was taken in by the children's ward of the civil hospital. In 1960, brought back to France by an administrative assistant, he joined his foster family. His adoptive father, a street sweeper at the Régie immobilière de la ville de Paris, was Algerian and his adoptive mother, a cleaning lady, was Moroccan. He attended the Notre-Dame school in Saint-Mandé and then the Saint-Michel high school in St Mandé. During his childhood, he practiced choral singing for many years.
Smaïn, to break into the world of show business, counted on the limitless support of his adoptive parents: «Of modest origins, they looked with suspicion at the world of artists. They constantly told me that there are many called and few chosen... But my desire quickly got the better of their advice! Unfortunately, they died too early to be able to benefit from my success. But I hope they would have been proud of it!».
Smaïn began with a long career in café-théâtre in the 1980s, performing in small Parisian cabarets. Later, he met Philippe Bouvard who offered him a place in his Théâtre de Bouvard. It was there that he expanded his circle of friends by meeting Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus and Seymour Brussel. With these four companions, he formed a small comedy group, Les Cinq, which toured for a few years.
Smaïn ended up choosing the solo show. Little by little, with the help of his pianist Alain Bernard, he found success and performed in shows over the years: English beur in 1986 broadcast on 18 August (version filmed at the International Festival of Actors' Performance of June 1987) on La Cinq, T'en veux? in 1989, and Comme ça se prononce in 1996, a show for which he won the Molière for best Indonesian, a Victoire de la musique as well as a Grand Prix Sacem. At the same time, Smaïn was offered more and more roles in the cinema, notably in L'Œil au beur(re) noir, a film which received the César for best first film in 1988.
Known For
TV Shows (15)
Vivement dimanche
1998
as Self
Champs-Elysées
1982
as Self
Sacrée soirée
1987
as Self
Camping Paradis
2006
as Christian Dissaut
Salut les Terriens !
2006
as Self - Guest
Victoires de la musique
1985
as Self
Mask Singer
2019
as Self
On n'est pas couché
2006
as Self - Guest
The Unexpected Getaway
2012
as Self
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
2022
as Self
À votre service
2015
as L'huissier
La France a un incroyable talent
2006
as Self - Judge
Le Théâtre de Bouvard
1982
as Various characters
Commissariat Bastille
2001
as Capitaine Mo Loumani
Le Grand Tralala
1999
as Self
Movies (49)
Old School
2000
as M. Fonblard
Poor Richard!
2013
as Farid
The Telephone Always Rings Twice
1985
as Momo
Harkis
2008
as Saïd
One Can Always Dream
1991
as Rachid Merzahoui
Three Lives and Only One Death
1996
as Luca
Wacko
1994
as Jimmy
Two Dads and One Mom
1996
as Salim
Recto/Verso
1999
as Fred
Tomboy
2008
as Amrani
The Bag of Flour
2012
as Sarah's Father
Les Enfoirés, 15 ans d'Enfoirés
2005
The Big Brother
1982
as Abdel
Le Carnaval des animaux
2010
as Le père
Smaïn: Rebelote
2005
as Self
The Car Keys
2003
as Actor who refuses to film with Laurent
Certifiée Halal
2015
as Aziz Boukamache
Te marre pas... c'est pour rire !
1982
Smaïn - Comme ça se prononce
1996
as Self
Charité biz'ness
1998
as Sam
La Smala
1984
as Le jeune maghrébin de la bagarre
The Joint Brothers
1986
as Le jeune homme du train
Smaïn - Mon dernier avant le prochain
2007
as Self
Dorothée : Le Show
1983
Gates of the Sun
2015
as Slimane
Fernandel, l'homme au sourire
2023
as Self
Le Schpountz
1999
as Irénée
L'Œil au beur(re) noir
1987
as Rachid
Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014
Don't Worry, Be Happy
2003
as Self
Les 60 ans du one-man-show
2020
as Self (archive footage)
The Blond Boy from the Casbah
2023
as Doctor Farès
For the Love of God
2006
as Kevin's Father
Un p’tit gars de Ménilmontant
2013
as Maklouf
J'aurais jamais dû croiser son regard...
1989
as Bambi
Mosaïque
1976
as Self
Les Enfoirés 1995 - Les Enfoirés à l'Opéra-Comique
1995
Bingo !
1998
as Vincent
Placés
2022
as Père d'Elias
La Nuit du rire II à l'Olympia
2004
as Self
Les Enfoirés 1998 - Enfoirés en cœur
1998
The Imaginary Doctor
2022
as Inspecteur Bachir
Les Enfoirés 1993 - Les Enfoirés chantent Starmania
1993
Tom est tout seul
1995
as Street musician
Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés
1997
Le Passager du Tassili
1987
as Fefer
Les Chômeurs en folie
1982
Les Enfoirés 1992 - La Soirée des Enfoirés à l'Opéra
1992
Ceritfiée Halal de Mahmoud Zemmouri
About Smaïn
Smaïn (born Smaïn Fairouze, on January 3, 1958 in Constantine, Algeria) is a French comedian, humorist, writer, actor and director of Algerian descent. Born in 1958 in Constantine, Algeria, to an unknown father and mother, Smaïn Fairouze was taken in by the children's ward of the civil hospital. In 1960, brought back to France by an administrative assistant, he joined his foster family. His adoptive father, a street sweeper at the Régie immobilière de la ville de Paris, was Algerian and his adoptive mother, a cleaning lady, was Moroccan. He at… With 64 credits spanning from 1976 to 2023, Smaïn has appeared in 49 films and 15 TV shows.
Fans searching for Smaïn movies, Smaïn filmography, or the latest projects starring Smaïn can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Smaïn Movies
- Old School (2000) — as M. Fonblard
- Poor Richard! (2013) — as Farid
- The Telephone Always Rings Twice (1985) — as Momo
- Harkis (2008) — as Saïd
- One Can Always Dream (1991) — as Rachid Merzahoui
Where to Watch Smaïn Films
Most Smaïn movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Smaïn, check our movies catalogue and browse page.