Olivier Marie Emmanuel de Benoist de Gentissart

Olivier de Benoist, full name Olivier Marie Emmanuel de Benoist de Gentissart, is a French stand-up comedian and one-man-show writer born on June 14, 1974, in Reims. He comes from the Benoist de Gentissart family, one of the contemporary families of Belgian nobility recognised as noble in France, and he has consciously turned this aristocratic background into a comic persona on stage. He originally trained as a lawyer before turning to comedy, and made his stage debut at the Pygmalion studio in Paris in a show created by Benoit Poelvoorde, which encouraged him to write his first plays 'Ne sous X' (2003) and 'Loft Sorry' (2004).

From 2005 onward, Olivier de Benoist focused on writing one-man-shows and toured 'Haut debit', 'Tres haut debit' and 'Tres tres haut debit', mixing sketches with magic tricks. He became widely known to the French public as a recurring juror on the France 2 daily comedy show 'On n'demande qu'a en rire', hosted by Laurent Ruquier, where he sat alongside other comedians evaluating young stand-ups. His breakthrough touring shows centred on misogyny and marriage humour with 'Fournisseur d'Acces a Madame' and 'Tres tres haut debit', followed by '0/40 ans', co-written with Pierre-Marie Debrie, which played five months at the Cafe de la Gare, moved to the Folies Bergere and was performed 235 times for around 100,000 spectators through 2018. Subsequent shows include 'Le grand Mechant' (about fatherhood) and 'Le Droit au Bonheur', performed from October to December 2024 at L'Europeen in Paris and on a multi-year French tour through 2027. His onstage character is built around an exaggerated upper-class persona who complains about marriage, fatherhood and modern life from a self-deprecating, ironic position.

Olivier de Benoist tours France extensively with his latest show 'Le Droit au Bonheur', with confirmed dates across 2025-2027 in mid-sized theatres, Parisian venues and city halls. His official website lists the full agenda. Several of his one-man-shows including '0/40 ans' are available on DVD, French streaming platforms and his YouTube channel.