Luc Besson Net Worth

Luc Besson's Quotes

• Cinema never saved anyone's life, it is not a medicine that will save anyone's life. It is only an aspirin.
• What's so special about all those amazing British children's writers, those who gave us Alice in Wonderland and Robinson Crusoe and Pooh Bear and Peter Pan and Peter Rabbit and the rest, was that they didn't set out to seduce. The great children's writers were authentic, they copied no one, they didn't set out to make money or to preach ideas. They just transcribed their dreams.
• I do think that kids today miss out on a lot of those guidelines. Parents are always at work; school doesn't necessarily give the framework; politicians are all corruption and scandal; even sporting heroes are tainted with drugs and what have you. Rules are important for kids.
• People often say I'm a child at heart. In fact, I think I just have access to [my childhood], I have a very clear memory of it. We were all children once. We just need to show a bit of respect for it.
• Why did I make Subway (1985)? Why did I do all that crazy undersea stuff in Le grand bleu (1988)? Why did I go all black and nasty with Nikita (1990)?. I don't know. Because I did. I do what I do because I want to do it, because I want to explore, go looking for things.

Interesting Facts about Luc Besson

1. Dated Maïwenn. She gave birth to their daughter, Shanna Besson, in 1993.
2. Has a daughter with ex-wife Anne Parillaud, Juliette Besson (born 1987).
3. Placed under investigation on a charge of involuntary manslaughter 4 June 2002 by Paris prosecutor during inquiry into death of a cameraman hit by a car during 1999 filming of chase scene in Taxi 2 (2000), which Besson produced.
4. Father, with Virginie Besson-Silla, of two daughters, Talia Besson (b. 1 August 2001), Satine Besson (b. May 2003) and one son, Mao Besson (b. 16 September 2005].
5. Often casts Gary Oldman (Leon, The Fifth Element (1997)) and they are very close friends. He produced Gary's movie Nil by Mouth (1997).
6. Has his look-alike puppet in the French show Les Guignols de l'info (1988) (but it is rarely used).
7. Refuses to do interviews or audio commentaries for DVD releases. This is because he believes that they ruin the impact of the film.
8. President of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 53rd Cannes International Film Festival in 2000.
9. Wanted to become a marine biologist as a child, but an accident at the age of 17 prevented him from being in water.
10. Has five children with three different women.
11. Grew up in Greece, Bulgaria, and former Yugoslavia, where his parents were diving instructors for Club Med.
12. Has written four 'Arthur' children's books, including "Arthur and the Minimoys". The series has sold more than 1 million copies in more than 30 countries. Besson later adapted the book series into films.
13. He always said, that he will retire as a director after he made 10 movies. This would make Arthur en de Minimoys (2006) his last one.
14. Lived in Bulgaria, at the Black Sea coast resort, where he spent 5 months with his parents who used to work in a sport center there, diving and exploring coastal caves. He was 9 years old then. Now as an adult he is afraid to visit that coast again not ruin his beautiful childhood memories.
15. Jean-Pierre Melville had a heavy influence on him. He made Léon (1994) after seeing Melville's masterpiece Le samouraï (1967).
16. President of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 32nd Moscow International Film Festival in 2010.
17. Two of his films have opened the Cannes International Film Festival: Le grand bleu (1988) and The Fifth Element (1997).
18. In 1977, Luc Besson was rejected by La Fémis, the national film school of France. Besson later told in interviews, that he was 18 years old, when he applied, and in a preliminary interview an administrator asked him which directors he most admired. Besson named Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Milos Forman, before the interviewer cut him off, saying: "That's enough. I don't think you belong here".
19. Is being declared the John Hughes of action movies due to him writing and producing films more than directing.