Biography
Handsome French actor Olivier Martinez was as known for his romantic affairs off the screen as his roles on screen. After studying his craft at France's National Drama Academy, the young actor quickly made a name for himself in such French productions as "Un, deux, tres, soleil" (1993), which earned him a Cesar Award. Martinez reached new heights of fame with his appearance in "Hussard sur le toit, Le" (1995) opposite Julian Binoche, with whom he began a highly publicized three-year romantic affair. It would be only the first of many high-profile relationships with beautiful actresses for the young actor. In America, Martinez won considerable praise for his role in Julian Schnabel's biographical drama "Before Night Falls" (2000) and steamed up the screen with Diane Lane in the erotic suspense tale "Unfaithful" (2002), with the latter film making him a star stateside. Following a failed romance with singer Kylie Minogue, he appeared in further mainstream efforts like "S.W.A.T." (2003) and "Taking Lives" (2004), however, failed to elevate the actor's box office cache. After a period of relative inactivity, Martinez returned to theaters with "Dark Tide" (2012), although it was his romance with co-star Halle Berry that garnered the lion's share of attention from the press - particularly his part in a nasty custody battle between Berry and ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry. Although a respected actor in his home country and a proven commodity in Hollywood, Martinez's personal life continually threatened to eclipse the drama he created on film.
