Patrick Bruel - WikiHQ

Patrick Benguigui (; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (), is a French singer-songwriter, actor, and professional poker player.

Early life

Patrick Benguigui was born on 14 May 1959 in Tlemcen, Algeria, into a family of Algerian Sephardic Jewish origin. His parents separated in 1960, and he was raised by his mother. Together, the two emigrated to France in June 1962 just before Algerian independence. He lived in the staff accommodation of the girls' school in Argenteuil where his mother was a teacher.

In his youth, Bruel aspired to be a football player, but decided instead to pursue singing after seeing Michel Sardou in 1975.

Career

Acting and music careers

His first success came as an actor, in 1979's Le Coup de sirocco. He continued acting in films, on television, and in the theatre while pursuing his singing career. His first single, "Vide" ("Empty"), released in 1982, was not a success, but the follow-up, "Marre de cette nana-là" ("Fed up with that chick"), was a hit.

In 2002, Bruel released Entre Deux, a double CD of classic chanson that features duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Souchon, and Renaud, among others. It sold two million copies and made Bruel France's best paid singer of the year. At the beginning of 2005, in response to the South Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004, Bruel wrote the song "Et puis la terre" with Marie-Florence Gros, with whom he had begun a long-term collaboration in 1998, to benefit the Red Cross. His album "Des souvenirs devant", was his fourth chart-topper in France.

Poker

Bruel is a world-class professional poker player. He won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1998 for the $5,000 Limit Hold'em event. As of 2009, he had earned more than $900,000 in tournament play, of which his ten cash winnings at the WSOP accounted for $411,659.

He also comments on the World Poker Tour in France.

World Series of Poker bracelet

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Tournament

!Prize (US$)

|1998

|$5,000 Limit Hold'em

|$224,000

Personal life

In 2003, just before his partner, the writer and playwright Amanda Sthers, gave birth to his first child, he changed his name to Bruel-Benguigui, combining his stage name with his birth name. On 21 September 2004, he wed Sthers. They had another child 2005, but separated in 2007.

In the 2010s, Bruel bought a house in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. In January 2025, the house was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

In 2026, he was accused of rape and sexual assault by eight women in France and in Belgium.

Philanthropy

Bruel has been a member of the Les Enfoirés charity ensemble since 1993.

Selected filmography

Le coup de sirocco (1979) – Paulo Narboni
Un pas dans la forêt (1980, TV Movie) – Pierre
La mort en sautoir (1980, TV Movie) – Un 'loubard'
Le Rembrandt de Verrières (1981, TV Movie)
Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1981, TV Series) – Louis
Ma femme s'appelle reviens (1982) – François
Paris-Saint-Lazare (1982, TV Mini-Series) – Un lycéen
Les diplômés du dernier rang (1982) – Philippe
Le bâtard (1983) – Dan
Le grand carnaval (1983) – Pierre–Marie Labrouche
Les malheurs de Malou (1984, TV Movie) – José
Marche à l'ombre (1984) – Le guitariste du métro (uncredited)
La tête dans le sac (1984) – Dany
Les amours des années 50 (1985, TV Series)
Le mariage blues (1985, TV Movie) – Michel
Profs (1985) – Frédéric Game
Suivez mon regard (1986) – Le musicien
Attention bandits! (1986) – Mozart
La maison assassinée (1988) – Séraphin Monge
Champagne amer (1989) – Wanis
'(1989) – Simon Atlan – un inspecteur de police juif impulsif et violent
Force majeure (1989) – Philippe
Il y a des jours... et des lunes (1990) – The musician who missed his plane
Toutes peines confondues (1992) – Christophe / detective
Profil bas (1993) – Inspector Julien Segal
A Hundred and One Nights (1995) – Le premier orateur
Sabrina (1995) – Louis
Le Jaguar (1996) – François Perrin
K (1997) – L'inspecteur de police Sam Bellamy
Paparazzi (1998) – Patrick Bruel
The Misadventures of Margaret (1998) – Martin
Hors jeu (1998) – Patrick Bruel
Lost & Found (1999) – Rene
Le marquis (2000, Short) – Le marquis
Pretty Things (2001) – Jacques
The Milk of Human Kindness (2001) – Laurent
Une vie à t'attendre (2004) – Alex
The Wolf (2004) – Nelson
Comedy of Power (2006) – Jacques Sibaud
O Jerusalem (2006) – David Levin
A Secret (2007) – Maxime Nathan Grinberg / Grimbert
Change of Plans (2009) – Le docteur Alain Carcassonne
Desperate Parents (2009)
Comme les cinq doigts de la main (2010) – Dan Hayoun
The Writer (2011)
Paris Manhattan (2012) – Victor
What's in a Name? (2012) – Vincent
Les gamins (2013) – Le sosie de Patrick Bruel
Les Yeux jaunes des crocodiles (2014) – Philippe Dupin
The Missionaries (2014) – Lambert Levallois
Love at First Child (2015) – Ange
Un sac de billes (2017) – Roman Joffo
Holy Lands (2017) – Michel
A Family (2017) – Vincenzo / Husband
The Best Is Yet to Come (2019) – César
Villa Caprice (2020) – Gilles Fontaine
State of Alert (2025) - Zeev Abadi

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"

!align="center" rowspan="2"|Year

!align="center" rowspan="2"|Album

!align="center" colspan="5"|Chart

!width="40"|FR

!width="40"|BEL (Wa)

!width="40"|SWI

!width="40"|NL

|align="center"|1982

|Vide

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1984

|De face

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1989

|Alors, regarde

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|35

|align="center"|1994

|Bruel

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|47

|align="center"|1995

|Plaza de los héroes

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1999

|Juste avant

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|43

|align="center"|2002

|Entre deux

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|49

|align="center"|2006

|Des souvenirs devant

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|69

|align="center"|2012

|Lequel de nous

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|58

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2015

|Très souvent, je pense à vous...

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|4

|align="center"|119

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2018

|Ce soir on sort...

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|49

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2022

|Encore une fois

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|70

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|—

Live albums

{| class="wikitable"

! align="center" rowspan="2"| Year

! align="center" rowspan="2"| Album

! align="center" colspan="5"| Chart

! width="40"| FR

! width="40"| BEL (Wa)

| align="center"| 28

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 2020

| Ce Soir Ensemble: Tour 2019-2020

| align="center"| 15

| align="center"| 3

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 30

| align="center"| —

Compilations

{| class="wikitable"

!align="center" rowspan="2"|Year

!align="center" rowspan="2"|Album

!align="center" colspan="3"|Chart

!width="40"|FR

!width="40"|BEL (Wa)

!width="40"|SWI

!width="40"|NL

|align="center"|1984

|"Marre de cette nana-là !"

|align="center"|—

|align="center" rowspan="5"|De face

|align="center"|1985

|"Comment ça va pour vous ?"

|align="center"|27

|align="center"|—

|align="center" rowspan="2"|1986

|"Non, j'veux pas"

|align="center"|—

|"J'roule vers toi"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1987

|"Tout l'monde peut s'tromper"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1989

|"Casser la voix"

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|77

|align="center" rowspan="5"|Alors regarde

|align="center" rowspan="2"|1990

|"J'te l'dis quand même"

|align="center"|12

|align="center"|—

|"Alors regarde"

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|—

|align="center" rowspan="3"|1991

|"Place des grands hommes"

|align="center"|4

|align="center"|—

|"Décalé"

|align="center"|15

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|66

|"Qui a le droit..." (Live)

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|—

|align="center" rowspan="4"|Si ce soir...

|align="center" rowspan="4"|1992

|"Casser la voix" (Live)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|8

|"J'te l'dis quand même" (Live)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|45

|"Décalé" (Live) (Patrick Bruel with Mariza Corréa)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|70

|"Elle m'regardait comme ça"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|82

|align="center"|Alors regarde / Si ce soir...

|align="center" rowspan="3"|1994

|"Bouge!"

|align="center"|22

|align="center"|—

|align="center" rowspan="4"|Bruel

|"Combien de murs..."

|align="center"|8

|align="center"|—

|"Pars pas..."

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1995

|"J'suis quand même là"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|1996

|"Pour exister" (Live)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|18

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|On s'était dit...

|align="center"|1999

|"J'te mentirais..."

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|81

|align="center" rowspan="4"|Juste avant

|align="center" rowspan="3"|2000

|"Pour la vie"

|align="center"|13

|align="center"|22

|align="center"|90

|align="center"|92

|"Au Café des délices"

|align="center"|13

|align="center"|20

|align="center"|—

|"Tout s'efface"

|align="center"|36

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|95

|align="center" rowspan="3"|2002

|"Mon Amant de Saint Jean"

|align="center"|14

|align="center"|33

|align="center"|—

|align="center" rowspan="3"|Entre deux

|"La Complainte de la butte" (Patrick Bruel & Francis Cabrel)

|align="center"|48

|align="center"|—

|"Ménilmontant" (Patrick Bruel & Charles Aznavour)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2006

|"J'm'attendais pas à toi"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|39

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|Des Souvenirs devant

|align="center"|2008

|"Raconte-moi"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|68

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|Des Souvenirs... ensemble

|align="center"|2009

|"Combien de murs..." (Live)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|Seul... ou presque

|align="center"|2012

|"Lequel de nous"

|align="center"|35

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

|align="center" rowspan="2"|2015

|"Pourquoi ne pas y croire..." (Patrick Bruel, Youness El Guezouli & Idan Raichel)

|align="center"|168

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

|"Corsica" (Patrick Fiori & Patrick Bruel)

|align="center"|31

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

|align="center"|2018

|"Tout recommencer"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|45

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

|align="center"|2019

|"Pas eu le temps"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|39

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

|align="center"|2023

|"Origami"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|42

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

|align="center"|2025

|"Démodé"

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

Featured in and collective collaborations

{| class="wikitable"

!align="center" rowspan="2" width="10"|Year

!align="center" rowspan="2" width="240"|Single

!align="center" colspan="4"|Chart

!align="center" rowspan="2" width="180"|Album

!width="40"|FR

!width="40"|BEL (Wa)

!width="40"|SWI

!width="40"|NL

|align="center"|2006

|"Dit is mijn stem (Casser la voix)" (Xander de Buisonjé feat. Patrick Bruel)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|64

|align="center"|Succes (Xander de Buisonjé album)

|align="center"|2009

|"Je n'attendais que vous" (Christophe Maé, Catherine Lara, Maurane, Patrick Bruel)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|38

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2009: Les Enfoirés font leur cinéma

|align="center"|2010

|"Parce que c'est toi" (Grégoire, Zazie, Patrick Bruel, Natasha St-Pier)

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|30

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|2010: Les Enfoirés... la crise de nerfs!

|align="center"|2013

|"Un arc en ciel" (Téléthon 2013) (Bénabar, Bruel, Cali & Marina )

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|—

|align="center"|

Early life

Career

Acting and music careers

Poker

World Series of Poker bracelet

Personal life

Philanthropy

Selected filmography

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

References