Luc Besson is a film director who born in Paris, France, on March 18, 1959, and spent most of his youth following his parents on the club Med circuit between Greece and Yugoslavia.

He worked his way up in film, television, and promotional video before making his first feature film, Le Dernier combat (1983), filmed in monochrome, and virtually dispensing with dialogue. He followed this with Subway (1985), starring Isabelle Adjani and Christophe Lambert, a thriller set largely in the labyrinthine tunnels of the Paris Métro.

Besson's biggest hit came in 1990 with Nikita (or La Femme Nikita, as it was known in the U.S.), the lightning-paced tale of a troubled young woman who is turned into a sophisticated and deadly government assassin.

His next feature film, the 1994 Lion (or The Professional) boasted a strong performance by Besson regular Jean Reno as the title character, and a star-making turn by Natalie Portman.

In 1997, Besson returned to the sci-fi genre with the flamboyant The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich.

Also he directed another movies such as Le Grand Bleu (1988), panned by critics and loved by adolescents, became a cult film of the 1980s, Atlantis (1991) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).

Director

• Arthur et la guerre des deux mondes (2010)
• Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard (2009)
• Arthur and the Invisibles: The Making of the Year's Greatest Adventure (2007) (TV)
• Arthur et les Minimoys (2006)
• Angel-A (2005)
• The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
• The Fifth Element (1997)
• Léon (1994)
• De Serge Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre de 1958 - 1991 (1994)
• Atlantis (1991)
• Nikita (1990)
• Grand bleu, Le (1988)
• Subway (1985)
• Dernier combat, Le (1983)
• Avant dernier, L' (1981)