Vincent Lindon
A French everyman turned Cannes laureate, whose weathered face and raw authenticity became the definitive portrait of modern struggle and dignity.
Born 1959 (age 67)·French actor and filmmaker·Birthday: July 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
For years, Vincent Lindon was the quintessential French character actor, the handsome, grounded presence in countless films, often playing husbands or cops with a relatable weariness. Then, in his fifties, he underwent a radical artistic stripping down. Collaborating with directors like Bruno Dumont and Stéphane Brizé, he shed any movie-star vanity, presenting a gaunt, exhausted physique that mirrored France's social fractures. His Cannes-winning performance in 'The Measure of a Man' as an unemployed father fighting to keep his dignity was a masterpiece of minimalist realism, all in the slope of his shoulders and the quiet fury in his eyes. Lindon reinvented himself as the nation's moral conscience, an actor whose very body tells stories of economic pressure and resilient humanity.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Vincent was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Vincent Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Vincent's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in 'The Measure of a Man' (2015).
- Received the César Award for Best Actor for the same performance in 2016.
- Served as President of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
- Starred in the 2021 Palme d'Or winning film 'Titane,' directed by Julia Ducournau.
Did You Know?
Before acting, he worked as a model for fashion brands like Yves Saint Laurent.
He is a licensed pilot and owns a share in a small aircraft.
He turned down the role of the villain in the James Bond film 'Spectre' (2015).
He was in a long-term relationship with actress Sandrine Kiberlain, with whom he has a daughter.
“I am interested in characters who are a bit lost, who are looking for themselves, who are fighting.”
