Biography
Andy Gillet (born 8 July 1981) is a French fashion model and actor, best known for his roles in European auteur cinema, including Éric Rohmer's Romance of Astree and Celadon (2007) and Andrzej Żuławski's Cosmos (2015). As a model, Gillet has represented numerous brands in advertising campaigns such as Hermès, Valentino, and Burberry; the latter two campaigns were photographed by Mario Testino. He was also the face of the fragrance 'Kenzo Power' by Kenzo Takada.
Raised in Sallanches, Haute Savoie, Gillet is the son of a policeman and a secretary and has a younger brother. After finishing his studies at Nancy Business School, he relocated to Paris.
Before establishing himself as an actor, Gillet worked as a theater usher but lacked the funds to enroll at the Eva-Saint-Paul Drama School. Due to his androgynous appearance, an agency sent him to Japan for four months to secure modeling contracts. However, once in Tokyo, he struggled to find work or connect with others, feeling lost in translation. Reflecting on this difficult period, Gillet said, "This period of hardship I went through there forced me to reflect and made me mature. I returned to France with the 'niaque': no more dilemmas, I want to play. I changed my life."
Gillet's stage debut was in the title role of Caligula in a renowned production directed by Charles Berling. His television debut came in 2005, portraying Hugh Despenser the Younger in the miniseries Les Rois maudits, adapted from Maurice Druon's French novel series. He also appeared in television series such as Éternelle and Un village français. His cinematic debut occurred in 2006 with Nouvelle chance by Anne Fontaine and L'homme de sa vie by Zabou Breitman. In 2007, he featured in Eric Rohmer's final film, Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon.
Gillet openly shares on social media that his partner is Brice Michelini, a musician, singer, and actor from Cannes who appeared in Rebecca Zlotowski's Planétarium (2016). When asked about writing the song "Andy, I Love You" (French: Andy, Je T'aime) and casting Gillet in the music video, Michelini explained: "Because I love Andy. Andy, he's the man I love. This name came to me before I even made music. Andy is a muse: not just mine, a lot of people's muse. For me it was a waste to live with a muse and not do anything with it.
