Farid Chopel
Actor · Died April 20, 2008, aged 55 · Paris, France
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 didn't 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 Friend's 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 mid-1980s, 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 well-received one-man 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 Ghorbal's moving film, "Un Si Beau Voyage," his last film. Farid Chopel is buried in the Bezons cemetery, Anémones section, division A3.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- December 4, 1952
- April 20, 2008 (aged 55)
- Paris, France
- Actor
- 8 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
What are Farid Chopel's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 7
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3
Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 2
A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3
Roles they play
- Threshold guardianas Anatoli in It's Gradiva Who Is Calling You (2006)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Farid Chopel's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Farid Chopel's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
20 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Un si beau voyage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
A City Is Beautiful at Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Water War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Run for Your Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
A Vampire in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The Flesh(1991)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
La Goutte d'or (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Le banquet(1989)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Jane B. for Agnes V.(1988)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all filmsIrena and the Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Hallucinogenic Toreador (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Follow My Gaze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
All Mixed Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Les fauves(1984)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
L'Addition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The Princes(1983)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
My Best Friend's Girl(1983)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Merci Bernard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Career shape
Star power in the 82nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 20 titles from 1982 to 2009; peak year 1984.
Biggest box office
Jane B. for Agnes V. (1988)
Highest rated
Jane B. for Agnes V. (1988)
Most popular right now
The Flesh (1991)
Film career
Peak 1984 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1983Screen debut· My Best Friend's Girl
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Farid Chopel's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 8 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Farid Chopel work with?
People who share at least 2 of Farid Chopel's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Philippe Léotard shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Marco FerreriShared titles: The Flesh (1991), Le banquet (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Marco Ferreri
Actors
- Philippe LéotardShared titles: The Flesh (1991), Le banquet (1989), Jane B. for Agnes V. (1988), Les fauves (1984)See all 4 shared titles with Philippe Léotard
- Philippe KhorsandShared titles: Le banquet (1989), La vengeance du serpent à plumes (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Philippe Khorsand
- ColucheShared titles: La vengeance du serpent à plumes (1984), My Best Friend's Girl (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Coluche
Producers
- Pierre GrunsteinShared titles: La vengeance du serpent à plumes (1984), My Best Friend's Girl (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Pierre Grunstein
