Antoine de Caunes (born 1 December 1953) is a French television presenter, comedian, actor, journalist, writer and film director. He is the son of two prominent French personalities, television journalist-reporter Georges de Caunes and television announcer Jacqueline Joubert. He is the father of the actress Emma de Caunes.
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Career
He began his career writing theme songs for cartoons for Antenne 2 under the pseudonym of Paul Persavon, including Cobra and Space Sheriff Gavan (known in France as X-Or).
His early TV appearances included Chorus (1975), the series Les Enfants du rock, again for A2, and then his breakthrough with Nulle part ailleurs for Canal+.
In 1988, De Caunes started making an English-language version of his French music programme Rapido, for Janet Street-Porter's youth and entertainment programming strand DEF II, with new episodes of Rapido usually being broadcast as part of DEF II's Wednesday night schedule on BBC2. He then went on to create the long-running magazine programme Eurotrash for Channel 4, a humorous post-pub entertainment show which he co-presented with Jean Paul Gaultier from 1993 to 1996. It featured regular spots for European stars like Lolo Ferrari. He also presented a short-lived chat show on Channel 4 called Le Show. In addition, he appeared in an advertising campaign for Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles ice lollies.
From 2013 until 2015, he hosted the daily evening show Le Grand Journal on Canal+.
He provided voices in the Aardman Animation TV show Rex the Runt.
De Caunes launched a new magazine Vieux, about issues faced by the elderly, in May 2024.
He is a long-time AIDS awareness campaigner, fronting the organisation Solidarité sida (AIDS Solidarity).
Filmography
Film acting
1989: Pentimento – Charles
1996: Les Deux papas et la Maman – Jérôme
1997: C'est pour la bonne cause – Antoine
1997: La Divine Poursuite – Alex
1998: L'homme est une femme comme les autres – Simon Eskenazy
1999: Au cœur du mensonge – Germain-Roland Desmot
1999: Chili con carne – Claude
2000: Là-bas... mon pays – Pierre Nivel
2001: Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert – The narrator
2002: Blanche – The captain of the KKK
2002: Les Clefs de bagnole – an actor refusing to play in a Baffie film
2006: Un ami parfait – Julien Rossi
2007: Mr. Bean's Holiday – Television presenter
2008: Tu peux garder un secret? – Julien
2008: 48 heures par jour – Bruno
2009: La Folle histoire d'amour de Simon Eskenazy – Simon Eskenazy
2010: Mumu – The Colonel
2021: Kaamelott: The First Chapter – Dagonet
Television acting
1987: Objectif: Nul – Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff
1988-1992: Rapido – series presenter
1993–2007: Eurotrash – series presenter
1998: Bob le magnifique (made-for-television movie) by Marc Angelo – François Morin / Bob Saint Clar
2002: Les Amants du bagne (made-for-television movie) by Thierry Binisti – Albert Londres
2006-2008: Kaamelott (television series) – Dagonet
2007: Off Prime (television series, season 1, episode 2) – as himself
2010: Du hard ou du cochon! (television series, episode 3) – Fluck
2012: Bref (television series, episode 53) by Kyan Khojandi et Bruno Muschio – as himself
2013: L'homme à la tête de kraft (short film) by Thierry Dupety and Sandra Joubeaud
2013: Dangereuses retrouvailles (made-for-television movie) by Jérôme Debusschère – Paul Aubras
2013: Hitchcock by Mocky, episode: "Le don d'Iris"
Directing
1997: T'en as ?
2001: Les Morsures de l'aube aka Love Bites
2002: Monsieur N.
2006: Désaccord parfait
2008: Coluche, l'histoire d'un mec
2011: Yann Piat, chronique d'un assassinat (made-for-television movie)
Voice work
1999: Stuart Little by Rob Minkoff – Stuart Little (French language version)
2001: La Route d'Eldorado by Don Paul and Eric Bergeron – Miguel
2001: Le Vélo De Ghislain Lambert by Philippe Harel – The Narrator
2001-2002: The New Adventures of Lucky Luke (series) – Lucky Luke
2002: Stuart Little 2 by Rob Minkoff – Stuart Little
2004: Voyage autour du soleil (made-for-television movie), docu-fiction on the space conquest
2007: La France made in USA (made-for-television movie) – The Narrator
2011: Illegal Love by Julie Gali, documentaire – Mark Leno
2012: Cendrillon au Far West by Pascal Hérold – The Prince
Discography
Two CD titles, Il a pas peur de personne, Film Music by BO from the animated show Lucky Luke televised on France 3 and sold in 2001 by Sony Music.
Songwriter
1983: Tchaou et Grodo
1984: Au pays des quat'z'amis
1984: Y'en a qui (Marie Dauphin)
1984: X-Or
1985: Clémentine
1985: Cobra
1985: L'Empire des Cinq
1986: Lady Oscar
1986: L'Île au trésor
Participation
2009 - On n'est pas là pour se faire engueuler !, album in homage to Boris Vian. Cantate des boîtes