Age: 61
male
Benoît Poelvoorde is a Belgian actor, comedian, and filmmaker, born on September 22, 1964, in Namur, Belgium. He first gained recognition with the cult film C'est arrivé près de chez vous (1992), a darkly comedic mockumentary where he played a serial killer with unsettling charm. This film launched his career and established his unique blend of humor and intensity. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, Poelvoorde became a staple of Franco-Belgian cinema, starring in comedies like Les Randonneurs (1997), Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert (2001), and Podium (2004), where he portrayed an obsessive Claude François impersonator—a role that earned him a César nomination. His versatility allowed him to transition into more dramatic roles, such as Entre ses mains (2005) and Coco avant Chanel (2009), where he starred alongside Audrey Tautou. In recent years, Poelvoorde has continued to balance absurdist comedy (Au poste !, Fumer fait tousser) with auteur-driven projects (Le Tout Nouveau Testament, Saint-Amour). His ability to oscillate between slapstick humor and introspective performances makes him one of the most distinctive actors in European cinema
Benoît Poelvoorde
Hercule Poirot
for Hercule Poirot in The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Suggested by jakubduda
On the morning of 18 July, the household at Styles Court wakes to the discovery that Emily Inglethorp, the elderly owner, has died. She had been poisoned with strychnine. Arthur Hastings, a soldier from the Western Front staying at this country manor as a guest on his sick leave, ventures out to the nearby village of Styles St Mary to enlist help from his friend Hercule Poirot. Emily was a wealthy woman. Her household includes her husband, Alfred Inglethorp, a younger man she recently married; her stepsons (from her first husband's previous marriage) John and Lawrence Cavendish; John's wife Mary Cavendish; Cynthia Murdoch, the daughter of a deceased friend of the family; and Evelyn Howard, Emily's companion. Poirot learns that, on Emily's death, John is to inherit the manor property, in accordance with his father's will. However, her money will be distributed according to her own will, which she changes at least once a year; her most recent will favours Alfred, who will now inherit her fortune. On the day of the murder, Emily had been arguing with someone, suspected to be either Alfred or John. She had been quite distressed after this and apparently made a new will. No one can find any evidence of this new will. Alfred left the manor early that evening and stayed overnight in the village. When her body was found, the case had been forced open. Nobody can explain how or when the poison was administered to her, just Poirot can.
