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Golden Globes: Jean Dujardin wins best actor in a comedy or musical

Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman
By Amy Kaufman
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‘The Artist’ star Jean Dujardin danced away with the Golden Globe award for lead actor in a comedy or musical motion picture Sunday for his turn as George Valentin, a silent movie star whose career falters at the dawn of the talkies. In the film, Valentin’s relationship with the aptly named upstart Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) changes his life in unexpected ways.

A household name in his native France, Dujardin never aspired to stardom: After high school, he worked for his parents’ construction company, and it was only while serving his mandatory military service a few years later that he began to contemplate an acting career. Inspired by the diversity of characters he encountered in the barracks, he wrote a one-man show and began performing it in the basements of Parisian bars and cabarets. He got his first big break on ‘Un Gars, Une Fille,’ a popular television sitcom.

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Last year, Dujardin told The Times he’s not setting out to become a major Hollywood player. ‘In France, I have a lot of offers. I’m a lucky man.’

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-- Amy Kaufman

24 Frames
Amy Kaufman

Amy Kaufman is a columnist at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes a monthly A-1 column, “For Real With Amy Kaufman.” The series examines the lives of icons, underdogs and rising stars to find out who the people are shaping our culture — for real. Since joining The Times in 2009, she has profiled hundreds of influential figures, including Stevie Nicks, Kevin Hart, Joan Rivers, Michael B. Jordan and Lady Gaga. She also works on investigations and was part of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist team that covered the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. Her work often shines a light on the darker side of the entertainment business, and she has uncovered misconduct allegations against Randall Emmett, Russell Simmons and Chris D’Elia. In 2018, her book “Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure” became a New York Times bestseller.

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