Pierre Niney

Making waves on both sides of the Atlantic, French actor Pierre Niney grabbed the attention of international audiences when he played the title role of legendary fashion designer "Yves Saint Laurent" (2014) in the biopic directed by Jalil Lespert. Born in Paris in 1989, the son of a professor of documentary film, Niney was appearing in small-scale theatrical productions by age 11.

He attended the Claude Monet School in Paris, followed by two years spent at Cours Florent. Niney topped off his education with a course of study at Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique before launching into his professional career.

Niney made appearances in the films "School's Out" (2007) and "LOL" (2008), before becoming the youngest member of Comédie-Française in 2010 at age 21. He also became a member of the Pandora theater troupe, while continuing to pursue his screen career.

Niney earned major accolades for his performance in the drama "18 Years Old and Rising" (2011), but even greater praise came from critics and audiences alike for his portrayal of Yves Saint Laurent in Lespert's biopic. Niney spent five months preparing for the role, speaking to close friends and confidants of the legendary figure, and even learned to sketch so that he could convincingly draw while on screen.