Farid Chopel

Farid Chopel whose real name was Farid Amar Rabia was born on December 4 1952 in Paris and died on April 20 2008 in the same city He was a French actor and singer The only child of Algerian immigrant parents Farid Chopel was born in Paris and had a relatively happy childhood despite the absence of his father and the arrest of his stepfather who was a leader in the FLN National Liberation Front Raised by his mother and grandmother he initially aspired to become a doctor until he discovered theater in high school Blessed with an unusual physique and boundless energy the young Chopel made his debut in experimental physical theater with the troupe Laïla and events quickly unfolded from there In the late 1970s he became the writer and performer of several famous shows which he would perform throughout his career and all over the world including Chopélia Les Aviateurs and Le cri de la girafe An icon of the 80s Farid Chopel is first and foremost a stage performer This didnt stop him from answering the call of cinema Tony Gatlif offered him his first film role in Les Princes alongside Gérard Darmon and the director himself Several memorable supporting roles followed under the direction of prestigious filmmakers such as Bertrand Blier My Best Friends Girl 1983 Denis Amar The Bill 1984 Gérard Oury The Revenge of the Feathered Serpent 1984 Josiane Balasko Bag of Knots 1984 and Agnès Varda Jane B by Agnès V 1987 In the mid1980s his stage and film career was at its peak Constantly involved in the nightlife scene and accumulating shows and other advertising and film appearances at a frenetic pace Farid Chopel began a long downward spiral at the dawn of the 1990s The reason his severe addiction to drugs and alcohol His addiction became so severe that he was no longer able to work He underwent several stints in rehab He managed to escape this hell in the early 2000s thanks in particular to the support of his partner Brigitte Morel He even returned to the stage with a wellreceived oneman show Le Pont du milieu and published his autobiography Farid Chopel Et Je Danse Encore But the consequences of all those years of excess quickly caught up with him the actor died on April 20 2008 four weeks after his diagnosis during his hospitalization at Cochin Hospital shortly after the release of Khaled Ghorbals moving film Un Si Beau Voyage his last film Farid Chopel is buried in the Bezons cemetery Anémones section division A3