Hichem Yacoubi

EARLY LIFE

Hichem Yacoubi was born in Tunis, Tunisia. He spent his childhood and adolescence in Chavanoz, in the Isère department of France. At 18 he moved to Paris and enrolled in law studies at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, but abandoned them after only a few months to pursue dance and the performing arts. He trained in jazz and contemporary dance, performing in productions such as the opera-ballet Orfeo (Laura Vega), Ni Ange ni bête at the Casino de Paris, and the musical Mille et un soleils at MC93 Bobigny. He also studied theatre intensively, including Actors Studio methods.

CAREER

Yacoubi began appearing in short films and television in the 1980s–1990s (an early street casting led to the short Barberousse in 1984), but cinema became a more consistent focus in the 2000s. Early notable credits include a small role as an Arab guard in Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005) and voice work in Michel Ocelot’s animated feature Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest (2006). In 2007 he co-directed and co-wrote the short film Bon Anniversaire (Happy Birthday) with Daniel Kupferstein. His breakthrough came with the role of Reyeb, a Muslim prisoner whose murder haunts the protagonist, in Jacques Audiard’s critically acclaimed A Prophet (Un prophète, 2009). The performance brought him wider recognition. He later appeared as a jihadist in Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu (2014), which received major awards including multiple Césars and an Academy Award nomination. Other film credits include The Nile Hilton Incident (Le Caire confidentiel, 2017), Arab Blues (Un divan à Tunis, 2019, as Raouf), Speak No Evil (2022, as Muhajid), Io Capitano (Moi capitaine, 2023), and more recent works such as La Gardav (2024). He has also worked steadily in French television series (including Engrenages / Spiral) and short films.

Hichem Yacoubi is known for intense, often understated supporting roles that frequently explore themes of identity, incarceration, migration, and cultural tension. His background in dance and rigorous theatre training informs a physical and precise screen presence. He continues to work across French and international cinema while occasionally directing and writing short-form projects.