What the Actors of “Taxi” Look Like and Do Now, 25 Years After the Movie Premiered

Luc Besson had the idea for the film, Taxi, in 1996. But he was too busy working on The Fifth Element, so he shared the idea with director Gérard Pirès, and Besson himself became a producer. At that time, Pirès had been shooting commercials for 15 years, so they did a film with little-known actors in Marseille, and didn’t expect much from it. But it became one of the most successful French movies in 1998 and an incredible box-office hit. The creators ended up shooting 4 sequels.

In 2023, the first movie is turning 25 years old, so we decided to show how the actors’ lives have changed over the years.

Samy Naceri — Daniel Morales

The actor was in Taxi and its 3 sequels, became famous worldwide, and even got an award for Best Actor at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. But money and fame didn’t make him happy. Due to his scandalous nature, he often had problems with the law.

But he still continues to appear in movies, like in 2021 when he was in Redemption Day. And his private life has been even more successful — since 2005, he’s been married to actress Marie Guillard who had small parts in The Fifth Element and The Visitors II.

Marion Cotillard — Lilly Bertineau

Marion Cotillard’s acting career started in the theater and with small parts in TV shows. And Taxi was a great breakthrough for her, making her famous in the blink of an eye. After that, she moved to Hollywood and started appearing in English-speaking movies, which made her even more popular. For the role of Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, she got a César award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. Cotillard doesn’t only star in movies, but she also does voiceovers for animated projects and has released several songs and soundtracks.

It’s hard to believe, but the woman whose beautiful face has been on more than 300 magazines all over the world, has never been married. However, she’s dating actor and director Guillaume Canet, and they have 2 children.

Emma Wiklund — Petra

Wiklund with her mom

In Taxi, Émilien looks at the beautiful Petra from the bottom up, but, in fact, Emma Wiklund is only 2 inches taller than Frédéric Diefenthal.

This blue-eyed blonde woman is from Sweden, and before her appearance in Taxi, she had a great career as a model and appeared on several Elle magazine covers. At the moment, she’s married to a Swedish journalist, and they have 2 children.

Bernard Farcy — Commissioner Gibert

In 2006, Bernard Farcy got an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in Le Grand Charles. The actor has been in many movies, as well as the fifth Taxi film, released in 2018. But his most famous character is Commissioner Gibert.

Philippe du Janerand — passenger

Aside from the first Taxi film, where Philippe du Janerand’s character really needed to get to the airport within 25 minutes, the actor appeared in 2 other famous movies by Luc Besson — Nikita (1990) and Jeanne d’Arc (1999). At the moment, he is 63 years old, and he continues to appear in movies.

Michel Muller — the husband of the woman in labor

Michel Muller had a small part in Taxi 2 — he played the husband of the woman in labor that needed to get to the hospital. This actor is well-known for the film, Wasabi (2001), and the TV series, The Borgias (2011-2013), in which he played King Charles VIII.

In 2007, he got a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for his role in The Little Book of Revenge.

Frédéric Diefenthal — Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec

Before becoming the actor who played the rookie policeman, Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec, he tried working in different areas, including the hotel industry, hairdressing, and as an apprentice pastry chef. He appeared in 4 Taxi movies, and his most recent role was in the 2022 series, Neige.

The actor was married and has 3 children. As a loving father, he spends a lot of time with them, and he’s not afraid of looking funny.

Édouard Montoute — inspector Alain

The actor appeared in all 5 Taxi movies and became well-known thanks to his role as the policeman, Alain. He also appeared in Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, and the comedy-drama, Little White Lies, with Marion Cotillard in the lead role. Today, he continues to appear in movies.

The actor is currently married and has a son.

Richard Sammel — gangster leader

After doing the first installment of Taxi in 1998, Richard Sammel appeared in a lot of very successful movies in different languages, including Casino Royale and Inglourious Basterds. The actor can fluently speak German, French, Spanish, Italian, and English.

Jean-Christophe Bouvet — Edmond Bertineau

Jean-Christophe Bouvet wanted to become an actor for one reason: his mother, Paulette Bouvet, was a famous actress. He was in the second, third, and fourth Taxi movies, and also played Duc de Choiseul in the 2006 film, Marie Antoinette. He was a member of the jury at the 20th Belfort International Film Festival, and in 2020, he appeared in Emily in Paris.

Which movie of the Taxi franchise did you like the most and why?