What Is Gad Elmaleh's Net Worth?
Gad Elmaleh is a Moroccan-French-Canadain stand-up comedian and actor who has a net worth of $20 million. Gad Elmaleh is very well known to French and Canadian comedy fans. He has starred in several films including "XXL," "Man Is a Woman," "Train of Life," "The Valet," "Priceless," "Coco," "The Round Up," "Midnight in Paris," "A Monster in Paris," "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," "Jack & Jill," "Happiness Never Comes Alone," "Le Capital," "The Dictator," "Mood Indigo," and "Pattaya." He has also provided voices for the French versions of the movies "Doctor Dolittle 2," "Despicable Me," and "Despicable Me 2." Elmaleh wrote and directed the film "Coco" and produced, wrote, and directed the TV movie documentary "10 Minutes in America." He was nominated for a Cesar Award for Best Actor in 2004 for "Chouchou."
Early Life
Gad Elmaleh was born on April 19, 1971, in Casablanca, Morocco. He was raised in a Moroccan Berber Jewish family and grew up speaking Arabic and French. He studied at Ecole Maïmonide and Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca. His family emigrated from Morocco to Canada when he was 17 years old. Gad later studied political science at a university in Montreal, but he did not graduate. In 1992, Elmaleh moved to Paris to study drama at Cours Florent under the tutelage of Isabelle Nanty.
Comedy Career
Elmaleh began his career in comedy. His first one-man show, "Décalages," was autobiographical, and he performed it at the Palais des Glaces in 1997. In the show, he discusses leaving Morocco after high school and then continuing his studies in Montreal and finishing in France. His second one-man show, "La Vie Normale," was even more popular and marked the first time that he performed at the Olympia. It was released on DVD in January 2001.
In 2005, Gad performed his third one-man show, "L'autre c'est moi." It contained more improvisation and interaction with the public. He has been credited with bringing the American stand-up style to France and incorporating it into his one-man shows. He also took the show to Canada and the United States and to Morocco. In January 2007, he was voted the funniest man of the year by TF1 viewers, who selected him from a choice of 50 comedians,
In July 2007, Elmaleh premiered his fifth one-man show, "Papa est en haut," in Montreal as part of the Just for Laughs festival. The same year, he sold out seven consecutive weeks at the iconic Olympia theatre in Paris, a new record. He then performed another seven sold-out weeks at Le Palais des Sports. When Gad performs, he does so in a mix of French and Arabic in Morocco. He has also included some Hebrew in shows he has performed in Israel.
In 2015, Elmaleh began an American tour titled "Oh My Gad" and then moved to New York City. Though he speaks English fluently, he worked with an English teacher to make sure all his jokes properly translated into English. He was featured on an episode of "This American Life" in 2016 in which he spoke about transitioning to American comedy. The same year, he also performed stand-up on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." His first French stand-up special, "Gad Gone Wild," was filmed in Montreal, Canada, and released on Netflix in January 2017. An English language special was released in March 2018.
Clemens Bilan/Getty Images
Film Career
In addition to comedy, Elmaleh has had a career in acting. His first contact with film was the full-length movie "Salut cousin!," and he later appeared in "L'homme est une femme comme les autres" and "Train de Vie." In 2002, he appeared in "Chouchou." In 2004, he starred in the film "Olé!" with Gerard Depardieu. In 2005, he appeared in "La Doublure" and then co-starred with Audrey Tautou in "Priceless" in 2006. In 2007, Gad provided the voice of Barry B. Benson in the French version of the film "Bee Movie." In 2009, he released the film "Coco," which he directed, wrote, and starred in. It opened at #1 in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. In 2010, he appeared in a dramatic role in Roselyne Bosch's "The Round Up." The following year, in 2011, Elmaleh had a small role in Woody Allen's film "Midnight in Paris." He also appeared in the motion capture film "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn." The film, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson, was released in late 2011. Gad also starred in "Jack & Jill" the same year. In 2012, he had a small role in "The Dictator."
Awards and Honors
Over the course of his career, Elmaleh has received some awards and accolades. In 2004, he received an award for the best one-man show from SACEM in France. In 2006, he received a Crystal Globes Award from the French Press Association for his one-man show "La Vie Normale." The same year, he was also awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture. In 2017, Gad was made a Member of the National Order of Quebec by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
Personal Life
Elmaleh lived with French actress Anne Brochet from 1998 to 2002. They have one son, Noé, together. Brochet published a book, "Trajet d'une amoureuse éconduite," that detailed the story of their relationship. From 2009 to 2010, Gad was in a relationship with French journalist Marie Drucker. From December 2011 until June 2015, he was in a relationship with Charlotte Casiraghi. They had a son, Raphael, together in December 2013. In 2022, Elmaleh reportedly converted to Catholicism, though he later disputed that he had actually converted.
