Biography
Xavier Gallais was born on December 25, 1979. He is a French actor renowned for his work in theatre and as a stage director. A graduate of CNSAD (Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique) under Daniel Mesguich, Gallais has been a drama professor at the school since 2013. In 2004, he won the French Molière Award for Male Revelation for his performance in Bernard-Marie Koltès' "Roberto Zucco." Critics praised his acting, comparing him to Patrick Dewaere. Discovered early by Jacques Weber, Gallais appeared in "Cyrano de Bergerac" alongside Marina Hands in 2001 and in "Ondine" with Laetitia Casta in 2004. Weber also directed him in the 2002 television adaptation of "Ruy Blas," where he acted alongside Gérard Depardieu and Carole Bouquet. In 2009, he portrayed Vaccaro in Tennessee Williams' "Baby Doll" with Mélanie Thierry, a role that earned him significant acclaim and marked a turning point in his career. In opera, he performed as Brother Dominique with Marion Cotillard in "Jeanne au bûcher," directed by Marc Soustrot at the Auditori of Barcelona. In 2014, he opened the 68th Festival d'Avignon in the title role of "The Prince of Homburg," 60 years after Gérard Philipe, one of the festival's founders, under the direction of Giorgio Barberio Corsetti.
In theatre, Gallais has collaborated with Olivier Py ("Prométhée"), Michel Fau ("Nono" by Sacha Guitry), Benoît Lavigne ("Adultères" by Woody Allen and "Baby Doll" by Tennessee Williams), Jacques Weber ("Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand, "Ondine" by Jean Giraudoux, and "Ruy Blas" by Victor Hugo), Philippe Calvario ("Roberto Zucco" by B.-M. Koltès), Gilbert Désveaux ("The Greeks" by J.-M. Besset, "La Maison et le Zoo" by Edward Albee), and Claude Baqué ("White September" by Neil LaBute). Directed by Arthur Nauzyciel, he performed in "Ordet" by Kaj Munk at the Avignon Festival in 2008, "Hunger" by Knut Hamsun in 2011, and as Tréplev in Anton Chekhov’s "The Seagull" at the Court of Honor of the Popes' Palace during the Avignon Festival in 2012. From 2015 to 2016, he performed in English in Jean Genet's "Splendid's," directed by Arthur Nauzyciel, on international tours (New York, Seoul, Madrid, and Paris) alongside American actors and featuring the English voice of Jeanne Moreau.
In film, Gallais appeared in "2 Days to Kill" by Jean Becker, "Welcome Among Us," "Requiem for a Murderess" with Mélanie Laurent, "Pitchipoï" by Charles Najman, and "L'Amour Propre" (Self-Esteem) by Nicolas Silhol.
