Patrick Bruel
French singer-songwriter, actor, and poker player (born 1959)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patrick Benguigui (French: [patʁik bɛnɡiɡi]; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (French: [patʁik bʁyɛl]), is a French singer-songwriter, actor, and professional poker player.
14 May 1959
Patrick Bruel | |
|---|---|
 Bruel in 2012 | |
| Born | Patrick Benguigui 14 May 1959 Tlemcen, Algeria |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet | 1 |
| Money finishes | 10 |
| Highest WSOP Main Event finish | 428th, 2009 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title | None |
| Final table | 1 |
| Money finishes | 4 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title | None |
| Final table | 1 |
| Money finish | 1 |
| Website | www |
In mid-2026, multiple women came forward to accuse him of sexual assault and rape, including on underage girls.[1] In June 2026, he was taken into custody following an investigation by prosecutors.[2]
Early life
Patrick Benguigui was born on 14 May 1959 in Tlemcen, Algeria,[3][4] into a family of Algerian Sephardic Jewish origin.[citation needed] His parents separated in 1960, and he was raised by his mother. Together, the two emigrated to France in June 1962 just before Algerian independence. He lived in the staff accommodation of the girls' school in Argenteuil where his mother was a teacher.[5]
In his youth, Bruel aspired to be a football player, but decided instead to pursue singing after seeing Michel Sardou in 1975.[6]
Career
Acting and music careers
His first success came as an actor, in 1979's Le Coup de sirocco. He continued acting in films, on television, and in the theatre while pursuing his singing career. His first single, "Vide" ("Empty"), released in 1982, was not a success, but the follow-up, "Marre de cette nana-là" ("Fed up with that chick"), was a hit.[citation needed]
In 2002, Bruel released Entre Deux, a double CD of classic chanson that features duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Souchon, and Renaud, among others. It sold two million copies and made Bruel France's best paid singer of the year.[7] At the beginning of 2005, in response to the South Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004, Bruel wrote the song "Et puis la terre" with Marie-Florence Gros, with whom he had begun a long-term collaboration in 1998, to benefit the Red Cross.[citation needed] His album "Des souvenirs devant", was his fourth chart-topper in France.[citation needed]
Poker
Bruel is a world-class professional poker player. He won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1998 for the $5,000 Limit Hold'em event. As of 2009, he had earned more than $900,000 in tournament play,[8] of which his ten cash winnings at the WSOP accounted for $411,659.[9]
He also comments[when?] on the World Poker Tour in France.[citation needed]
World Series of Poker bracelet
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | $5,000 Limit Hold'em | $224,000 |
Personal life
In 2003, just before his partner, the writer and playwright Amanda Sthers, gave birth to his first child, he changed his name to Bruel-Benguigui, combining his stage name with his birth name.[10] On 21 September 2004, he wed Sthers. They had another child 2005, but separated in 2007.[11][12]
In the 2010s, Bruel bought a house in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. In January 2025, the house was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.[13]
In March 2026, he was accused of rape and sexual assault by around thirty women in France and in Belgium.[14][15][16] The following month, prosecutors began reviewing approximately 10 formal complaints, which include charges of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault.[17] As a result, Bruel cancelled most of his public performances.[18][19] On 8 June 2026, Bruel was taken into custody following allegations of attempted sexual assault and rape against 13 women dating to 1997.[2]
Philanthropy
Bruel had been a member of the Les Enfoirés charity ensemble since 1993[20] until his departure in 2026 due to the numerous allegations of sexual assault and rape against him.[21]
Selected filmography
- Le coup de sirocco (1979) – Paulo Narboni
- Un pas dans la forêt (1980, TV Movie) – Pierre
- La mort en sautoir (1980, TV Movie) – Un 'loubard'
- Le Rembrandt de Verrières (1981, TV Movie)
- Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1981, TV Series) – Louis
- Ma femme s'appelle reviens (1982) – François
- Paris-Saint-Lazare (1982, TV Mini-Series) – Un lycéen
- Les diplômés du dernier rang (1982) – Philippe
- Le bâtard (1983) – Dan
- Le grand carnaval (1983) – Pierre–Marie Labrouche
- Les malheurs de Malou (1984, TV Movie) – José
- Marche à l'ombre (1984) – Le guitariste du métro (uncredited)
- La tête dans le sac (1984) – Dany
- Les amours des années 50 (1985, TV Series)
- Le mariage blues (1985, TV Movie) – Michel
- Profs (1985) – Frédéric Game
- Suivez mon regard (1986) – Le musicien
- Attention bandits! (1986) – Mozart
- La maison assassinée (1988) – Séraphin Monge
- Champagne amer (1989) – Wanis
- L'union sacrée(1989) – Simon Atlan – un inspecteur de police juif impulsif et violent
- Force majeure (1989) – Philippe
- Il y a des jours... et des lunes (1990) – The musician who missed his plane
- Toutes peines confondues (1992) – Christophe / detective
- Profil bas (1993) – Inspector Julien Segal
- A Hundred and One Nights (1995) – Le premier orateur
- Sabrina (1995) – Louis
- Le Jaguar (1996) – François Perrin
- K (1997) – L'inspecteur de police Sam Bellamy
- Paparazzi (1998) – Patrick Bruel
- The Misadventures of Margaret (1998) – Martin
- Hors jeu (1998) – Patrick Bruel
- Lost & Found (1999) – Rene
- Le marquis (2000, Short) – Le marquis
- Pretty Things (2001) – Jacques
- The Milk of Human Kindness (2001) – Laurent
- Une vie à t'attendre (2004) – Alex
- The Wolf (2004) – Nelson
- Comedy of Power (2006) – Jacques Sibaud
- O Jerusalem (2006) – David Levin
- A Secret (2007) – Maxime Nathan Grinberg / Grimbert
- Change of Plans (2009) – Le docteur Alain Carcassonne
- Desperate Parents (2009)
- Comme les cinq doigts de la main (2010) – Dan Hayoun
- The Writer (2011)
- Paris Manhattan (2012) – Victor
- What's in a Name? (2012) – Vincent
- Les gamins (2013) – Le sosie de Patrick Bruel
- Les Yeux jaunes des crocodiles (2014) – Philippe Dupin
- The Missionaries (2014) – Lambert Levallois
- Love at First Child (2015) – Ange
- Un sac de billes (2017) – Roman Joffo
- Holy Lands (2017) – Michel
- A Family (2017) – Vincenzo / Husband
- The Best Is Yet to Come (2019) – César
- Villa Caprice (2020) – Gilles Fontaine
- State of Alert (2025) - Zeev Abadi[22][23]
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL (Wa) [24] |
BEL (Fl) [25] |
SWI [26] |
NL | ||
| 1982 | Vide | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1984 | De face | 32 | — | — | — | — |
| 1989 | Alors, regarde | 1 | 5 | — | — | 35 |
| 1994 | Bruel | 2 | — | — | — | 47 |
| 1995 | Plaza de los héroes | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999 | Juste avant | 1 | 1 | — | 32 | 43 |
| 2002 | Entre deux | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 49 |
| 2006 | Des souvenirs devant | 1 | 1 | — | 6 | 69 |
| 2012 | Lequel de nous | 1 | 1 | 58 | 7 | — |
| 2015 | Très souvent, je pense à vous... | 5[27] | 4 | 119 | 6 | — |
| 2018 | Ce soir on sort...[28] | — | 2 | 49 | 2 | — |
| 2022 | Encore une fois | 2 | 1 | 70 | 3 | — |
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL (Wa) [24] |
BEL (Fl) [25] |
SWI | NL | ||
| 1987 | À tout à l'heure | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991 | Si ce soir... | 1 | — | — | — | 51 |
| 1995 | On s'était dit... | 25 | 9 | — | — | — |
| 2001 | Rien ne s'efface... | 2 | 1 | — | 12 | — |
| 2003 | Entre deux à l'Olympia | 21 | 16 | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Des Souvenirs... ensemble | 12 | 8 | — | 45 | — |
| 2009 | Seul... ou presque | 9 | 3 | — | 41 | — |
| 2014 | Live 2014 | 6 | 4 | 119 | 25 | — |
| 2016 | Bruel Barbara – Le Châtelet | 56 [29] |
28 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | Ce Soir Ensemble: Tour 2019-2020 | 15 | 3 | — | 30 | — |
Compilations
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL (Wa) [24] |
SWI | NL | |||
| 1984 | "Marre de cette nana-là !" | — | — | — | — | De face |
| 1985 | "Comment ça va pour vous ?" | 27 | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | "Non, j'veux pas" | — | — | — | — | |
| "J'roule vers toi" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Tout l'monde peut s'tromper" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1989 | "Casser la voix" | 3 | — | — | 77 | Alors regarde |
| 1990 | "J'te l'dis quand même" | 12 | — | — | — | |
| "Alors regarde" | 3 | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "Place des grands hommes" | 4 | — | — | — | |
| "Décalé" | 15 | — | — | 66 | ||
| "Qui a le droit..." (Live) | 1 | — | — | — | Si ce soir... | |
| 1992 | "Casser la voix" (Live) | — | — | — | 8 | |
| "J'te l'dis quand même" (Live) | — | — | — | 45 | ||
| "Décalé" (Live) (Patrick Bruel with Mariza Corréa) |
— | — | — | 70 | ||
| "Elle m'regardait comme ça" | — | — | — | 82 | Alors regarde / Si ce soir... | |
| 1994 | "Bouge!" | 22 | — | — | — | Bruel |
| "Combien de murs..." | 8 | — | — | — | ||
| "Pars pas..." | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "J'suis quand même là" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | "Pour exister" (Live) | — | 18 | — | — | On s'était dit... |
| 1999 | "J'te mentirais..." | — | — | — | 81 | Juste avant |
| 2000 | "Pour la vie" | 13 | 22 | 90 | 92 | |
| "Au Café des délices" | 13 | 20 | — | — | ||
| "Tout s'efface" | 36 | 32 | — | 95 | ||
| 2002 | "Mon Amant de Saint Jean" | 14 | 33 | — | — | Entre deux |
| "La Complainte de la butte" (Patrick Bruel & Francis Cabrel) |
48 | — | — | — | ||
| "Ménilmontant" (Patrick Bruel & Charles Aznavour) |
— | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "J'm'attendais pas à toi" | — | 39 | — | — | Des Souvenirs devant |
| 2008 | "Raconte-moi" | — | 68 | — | — | Des Souvenirs... ensemble |
| 2009 | "Combien de murs..." (Live) | — | — | — | — | Seul... ou presque |
| 2012 | "Lequel de nous" | 35 | 32 | — | — | |
| 2015 | "Pourquoi ne pas y croire..." (Patrick Bruel, Youness El Guezouli & Idan Raichel) |
168 | — | — | — | |
| "Corsica" (Patrick Fiori & Patrick Bruel) |
31 | — | — | — | ||
| 2018 | "Tout recommencer" | — | 45 | — | — | |
| 2019 | "Pas eu le temps" | — | 39 | — | — | |
| 2023 | "Origami" (with Ycare) |
— | 42 | — | — | |
| 2025 | "Démodé" (with Jean-Luc Fonck) |
— | 3 | — | — | |
Featured in and collective collaborations
| Year | Single | Chart | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL (Wa) |
SWI | NL | |||
| 2006 | "Dit is mijn stem (Casser la voix)" (Xander de Buisonjé feat. Patrick Bruel) |
— | — | — | 64 | Succes (Xander de Buisonjé album) |
| 2009 | "Je n'attendais que vous" (Christophe Maé, Catherine Lara, Maurane, Patrick Bruel) |
— | 38 | — | — | 2009: Les Enfoirés font leur cinéma |
| 2010 | "Parce que c'est toi" (Grégoire, Zazie, Patrick Bruel, Natasha St-Pier) |
— | 30 | — | — | 2010: Les Enfoirés... la crise de nerfs! |
| 2013 | "Un arc en ciel" (Téléthon 2013) (Bénabar, Bruel, Cali & Marina ) |
1 | — | — | — | |
