Vincent Cassel

Vincent Cassel (born November 23, 1966, in Paris, France) is a French screen artist celebrated for intense, unpredictable performances across auteur cinema and global blockbusters. Also credited early on as Vincent Crochon, he emerged from the Paris scene with a raw energy that quickly set him apart.

Cassel’s breakthrough came with Mathieu Kassovitz’s landmark drama La Haine (1995), where his portrayal of Vinz helped define a generation of French filmmaking and earned major awards attention. He followed with daring, boundary-pushing work, including Irréversible as Marcus, and later embodied the notorious outlaw Jacques Mesrine in the two-part epic Mesrine (2008), a career-defining transformation.

International audiences widely recognize Cassel as master thief François Toulour in Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, and for his chilling turn as Kirill in Eastern Promises. His English-language credits also include Birthday Girl, voice work in Shrek, and genre-spanning roles such as Renegade. On television, he expanded his reach with a high-profile role in HBO’s Westworld.