# Amidou

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{{short description|Moroccan actor}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Amidou
| image        =  Amidou.jpg
| image_size   =
| caption      =  
| birth_name   =  Hamidou Benmessaoud
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1935|8|2|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [Rabat](/source/Rabat), [French Morocco](/source/French_Morocco)
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|2013|9|19|1935|8|2|df=y}}
| death_place  = [Paris](/source/Paris), [France](/source/France)
| occupation   = Actor 
| years_active = 1935–2013
| awards = [Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro_International_Film_Festival), [Cairo Film Festival](/source/Cairo_Film_Festival)
| spouse       =   
}}'''Hamidou Benmessaoud''' ({{langx|ar|حميدو بنمسعود}}; 2 August 1935 – 19 September 2013), best known as '''Amidou''', was a Moroccan-French film, television, and stage actor.

==Biography==
Born in [Rabat](/source/Rabat), at 17, Amidou moved to [Paris](/source/Paris) to attend the [CNSAD](/source/CNSAD). In 1968 he made his debut on stage, in [Jean Genet](/source/Jean_Genet)'s ''[Les paravents](/source/The_Screens)''.<ref name=Aufait>{{cite news|title=Décès de Hamidou Benmassoud :Amidou, premier acteur marocain à s'être fait un nom à l'international |url=http://www.aufaitmaroc.com/actualites/culture/2013/9/20/amidou-premier-acteur-marocain-a-setre-fait-un-nom-a-linternational_215370.html#.Uj783H-OHdI |accessdate=22 September 2013 |newspaper=Aufait Moroc |language=French |date=20 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927081056/http://www.aufaitmaroc.com/actualites/culture/2013/9/20/amidou-premier-acteur-marocain-a-setre-fait-un-nom-a-linternational_215370.html |archivedate=27 September 2013 }}</ref> 

Amidou was best known for his association with director [Claude Lelouch](/source/Claude_Lelouch), with whom he shot eleven films, including Lelouch's film debut ''[Le propre de l'homme](/source/Le_propre_de_l'homme)'' (1960).<ref name=Figaro>{{cite news|title=Amidou, comédien fétiche de Lelouch, est décédé|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/cinema/2013/09/20/03002-20130920ARTFIG00429-amidou-comedien-fetiche-de-lelouch-est-decede.php|accessdate=22 September 2013|newspaper=[Le Figaro](/source/Le_Figaro)|language=French|date=20 September 2013}}</ref> He made his debut in a Moroccan film in 1969, starring in  ''Soleil de printemps'' directed by [Latif Lahlou](/source/Latif_Lahlou).<ref name=Aufait/> His career included roles in Spaghetti Westerns like ''[Buddy Goes West](/source/Buddy_Goes_West)'' and several American productions, including [William Friedkin](/source/William_Friedkin)'s [''Sorcerer''](/source/Sorcerer_(film)), [John Frankenheimer](/source/John_Frankenheimer)'s [''Ronin''](/source/Ronin_(film)) and  [John Huston](/source/John_Huston)'s ''[Escape to Victory](/source/Escape_to_Victory)''.<ref name=Figaro/>

In 1969, Amidou was awarded best actor at the [Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro_International_Film_Festival) for his role in ''[Life Love Death](/source/Life_Love_Death)'' by Claude Lelouch,<ref name=Chaouch>{{cite news|last=Rebecca Chaouch|title=Décès de l'acteur marocain Hamidou Benmessaoud|url=http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/2013/09/21/amidou-deces-acteur-maroc_n_3966581.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130922224316/http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/2013/09/21/amidou-deces-acteur-maroc_n_3966581.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 22, 2013|accessdate=22 September 2013|newspaper=[Huffington Post](/source/Huffington_Post)|language=French|date=21 September 2013}}</ref> and later won best actor awards at the [Cairo Film Festival](/source/Cairo_Film_Festival) (for ''Pursuit'' by Leila Triquie) and at the Tangier Film Festival (for Rachid Boutounes's ''Here and There'').<ref name=Figaro/> In 2005 he received, from the hands of [Martin Scorsese](/source/Martin_Scorsese), a Lifetime Career Award at the [International Film Festival of Marrakech](/source/International_Film_Festival_of_Marrakech).<ref name=Chaouch/> He was also the first Moroccan actor to have won an acting award at the [National Conservatory of Dramatic Art](/source/National_Conservatory_of_Dramatic_Arts_of_Paris).<ref name=Figaro/>

Amidou died on 19 September 2013 in [Paris](/source/Paris), France, from an undisclosed illness.<ref name=Figaro/>

==Filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''[Le propre de l'homme](/source/Le_propre_de_l'homme)'' (1961)
*''[Une fille et des fusils](/source/Une_fille_et_des_fusils)'' (1965) – Amidou
*''[The Grand Moments](/source/The_Grand_Moments)'' (1966) – Roger Amy
*''[Brigade antigangs](/source/Brigade_antigangs)'' (1966) – Broken Nose
*''[Live for Life](/source/Live_for_Life)'' (1967) – Photographer
*''Fleur d'oseille'' (1967) – Francis
*''La Fille d'en face'' (1968) – The seducer
*''[La Chamade](/source/La_Chamade_(film))'' (1968) – Etienne
*''[Life Love Death](/source/Life_Love_Death)'' (1969) – François Toledo
*''Soleil de printemps'' (1969)
*''[Le Voyou](/source/Le_Voyou)'' (1970) – Bill
*''Comptes à rebours'' (1971) – Macyas
*''[Smic Smac Smoc](/source/Smic_Smac_Smoc)'' (1971) – Smoc
*''La Poudre d'escampette'' (1971) – Ali
*''[Trois milliards sans ascenseur](/source/Trois_milliards_sans_ascenseur)'' (1972) – José
*''What a Flash!'' (1972)
*''La Punition'' (1973) – Raymond
*''La Valise'' (1973) – Lieutenant Abdul Fouad
*''[Rosebud](/source/Rosebud_(1975_film))'' (1975) – Kirkbane
*''[Sorcerer](/source/Sorcerer_(film))'' (1977) – Kassem / Martinez
*''[Buddy Goes West](/source/Buddy_Goes_West)'' (1981) – Girolamo / Eagle Eye
*''[Escape to Victory](/source/Escape_to_Victory)'' (1981) – André
*''Les P'tites Têtes'' (1982) – Prince Douzami
*''Afghanistan pourquoi ?'' (1983)
*''[La Nuit porte-jarretelles](/source/La_Nuit_porte-jarretelles)'' (1985)
*''[Adieu Blaireau](/source/Adieu_Blaireau)'' (1985) – Poupée
*''[Catherine](/source/Catherine_(1986_TV_series))'' (1986) – Abou-al-Khayr (TV Series)
*''Champagne amer'' (1989) – Slim
*''L'union sacrée'' (1989) – Le Kabyle
*''[There Were Days... and Moons](/source/There_Were_Days..._and_Moons)'' (1990) – The incredulous policeman
*''[La Belle Histoire](/source/La_Belle_Histoire)'' (1992) – The shepherd
*''[Day of Atonement](/source/Day_of_Atonement_(film))'' (1992) – Si Ali
*''Unveiled'' (1994) – Det. Brahms
*''Lalla Hobby'' (1996) – Haj Moussa
*''Soleil'' (1997) – Mokzar
*''[Ronin](/source/Ronin_(film))'' (1998) – Man at Exchange
*''[Hideous Kinky](/source/Hideous_Kinky_(film))'' (1998) – Sufi Sheikh
*''[Rules of Engagement](/source/Rules_of_Engagement_(film))'' (2000) – Dr. Ahmar
*''[Spy Game](/source/Spy_Game)'' (2001) – Dr. Ahmed
*''[And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen...](/source/And_Now..._Ladies_and_Gentlemen...)'' (2002) – Police Inspector
*''Heaven's Doors'' (2006) – Mansour
*''Moussem lamchaoucha'' (2009) – Haj Lamfadel
*''Comme les cinq doigts de la main'' (2010) – Lakdar
{{div col end}}

==Theater==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Author
! Director
|-
| 1961
| ''[Ross](/source/Ross_(play))''
| [Terence Rattigan](/source/Terence_Rattigan)
| [Michel Vitold](/source/Michel_Vitold)
|-
| 1965
| ''[The Siege of Numantia](/source/The_Siege_of_Numantia)''
| [Miguel de Cervantes](/source/Miguel_de_Cervantes)
| [Jean-Louis Barrault](/source/Jean-Louis_Barrault)
|-
| rowspan=2| 1966
| ''[Henry VI](/source/Henry_VI_(play))''
| [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare)
| [Jean-Louis Barrault](/source/Jean-Louis_Barrault)
|-
| ''[The Screens](/source/The_Screens)''
| [Jean Genet](/source/Jean_Genet)
| [Roger Blin](/source/Roger_Blin)
|-
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0024849}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amidou}}
Category:1935 births
Category:Moroccan male film actors
Category:Actors from Rabat
Category:2013 deaths
Category:Moroccan emigrants to France
Category:Moroccan male stage actors
Category:Moroccan male television actors
Category:French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
Category:20th-century Moroccan male actors
Category:21st-century Moroccan male actors

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Amidou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amidou) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amidou?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.