David Belle
Encyclopedia
David Belle is well known as the founder of Parkour
. Belle founded Parkour based on his training and the teachings from his father Raymond Belle
. The discipline has since spread around the world and now has adherents in virtually every country. Belle is also an actor and choreographer, and he is well known for his work incorporating Parkour into films such as in District B13
, Babylon A.D., and Prince of Persia
.
, France. He descends from a modest family in the suburbs of Paris. His grandfather Gilbert Kitten, father Raymond Belle
, and brother Jeff Belle have been highly skilled rescuers in the French military fire service.
In 1984, at the age of 11 Belle moved to Lisses
, France. He made close friends with a group of teenagers with a similar physical passions who began training with him. Some of the friends that trained with David would later become known as the Yamakasi
. Later in life David spent time in the military and fire brigade with aspirations of following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. He left soon after for personal reasons in order to dedicate himself to Parkour.
He later joined the Troupes de marine
in Vannes
, where he received a promotion, a gymnastic agility certificate of honour, and champion records for Regimental rope-climbing (which his father had once held) and the Essonne obstacle course. He has however said that his taste and love for adventure and freedom did not go well with the regimented life of the military.
Upon completing his national service, he worked in various professions including a warehouse worker, security guard and furniture salesman. He also spent 3 months in India studying Kung Fu. After his return he continued his training in Parkour and filmed footage of his capabilities which he later turned into the famous Speed Air Man video. In 1997 the Stage 2 team (Francis Marroto, Pierre Sled and Pierre Salviac, Georges Kanellitsas) were shown a video of Belle and decided to film a news feature about Parkour.
In filming this news feature the term Yamakasi
was used for the first time in connection with the team. David did not completely approve of the name and felt like it did not give credit to his father, so he split from the group after the feature. Later David would go on to train other students who gave themselves the name 'Tracer.' The spelling was later adapted to 'Traceur', and his since been used to define a practitioner of Parkour.
Belle was first introduced to his acting career in a meeting with Hubert Koundé (La Haine), in order to discuss the success of Parkour on the big screen. He then began developing his acting ability with the play Pygmalion
, and has since been successful in obtaining a number of roles mostly in French films and promotions. Belle has been featured in promotional videos for Tina Turner, and Iam. He has starred in "Les gens du voyages" and "Un monde meilleur", followed by "L'Engrenages" and "Femme Fatale", as well as "Les rivières pourpres 2", starring Jean Reno
. After filming several more advertisements and promotions for the BBC, Nissan, Canon, and Nike, Belle was contacted by Luc Besson
(director of Nikita, and The Fifth Element
) regarding co-starring as lead actor with Cyril Raffaelli
in the action movie District 13, followed by the sequel District 13: Ultimatum.
Femme Fatale
as French cop (2002)
Divine Intervention
(Also known as Yadon ilaheyya) as Marksman1 (2002)
District 13 (French: Banlieue 13) as Leïto (2004)
Un monde meilleur as main soldier (2006)
Babylon A.D. as the kid with tattoos (2008)
District B-13: Ultimatum (French: Banlieue 13 Ultimatum) as Leïto (2009)
Brick Mansions as Lino
Stunts:
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...
. Belle founded Parkour based on his training and the teachings from his father Raymond Belle
Raymond Belle
Raymond Belle was a French soldier and firefighter.-History:Raymond Belle was born in Vietnam but his father died during the First Indochina War and Raymond was separated from his mother during the division of Vietnam in 1954...
. The discipline has since spread around the world and now has adherents in virtually every country. Belle is also an actor and choreographer, and he is well known for his work incorporating Parkour into films such as in District B13
District B13
District 13 is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. It has also been released as District B13 and Barrio 13 It has also been known as B13 on French posters used to advertise the film.The film is notable for its depiction of parkour in a number...
, Babylon A.D., and Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 sword-and-sorcery action film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures...
.
Life
David Belle was born and raised in FécampFécamp
Fécamp is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Albaster Coast...
, France. He descends from a modest family in the suburbs of Paris. His grandfather Gilbert Kitten, father Raymond Belle
Raymond Belle
Raymond Belle was a French soldier and firefighter.-History:Raymond Belle was born in Vietnam but his father died during the First Indochina War and Raymond was separated from his mother during the division of Vietnam in 1954...
, and brother Jeff Belle have been highly skilled rescuers in the French military fire service.
In 1984, at the age of 11 Belle moved to Lisses
Lisses
Lisses is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.One of the main landmarks of the town is the Dame du Lac, a man-made architectural climbing structure in the Parc du Lac , which is commonly used to practice parkour on, but is currently closed to the public, due to...
, France. He made close friends with a group of teenagers with a similar physical passions who began training with him. Some of the friends that trained with David would later become known as the Yamakasi
Yamakasi
Yamakasi are a French group of practitioners of parkour and other types of acrobatics. But, the term 'yamakasi' is also used to call a particular form of a performance in order to distinguish it from other similar activities mentioned above.-Overview:...
. Later in life David spent time in the military and fire brigade with aspirations of following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. He left soon after for personal reasons in order to dedicate himself to Parkour.
He later joined the Troupes de marine
Troupes de marine
The or Infanterie de marine, formerly Troupes coloniales, are an arm of the French Army with a colonial heritage. The Troupes de marine have a dedicated overseas service role. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958...
in Vannes
Vannes
Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
, where he received a promotion, a gymnastic agility certificate of honour, and champion records for Regimental rope-climbing (which his father had once held) and the Essonne obstacle course. He has however said that his taste and love for adventure and freedom did not go well with the regimented life of the military.
Upon completing his national service, he worked in various professions including a warehouse worker, security guard and furniture salesman. He also spent 3 months in India studying Kung Fu. After his return he continued his training in Parkour and filmed footage of his capabilities which he later turned into the famous Speed Air Man video. In 1997 the Stage 2 team (Francis Marroto, Pierre Sled and Pierre Salviac, Georges Kanellitsas) were shown a video of Belle and decided to film a news feature about Parkour.
In filming this news feature the term Yamakasi
Yamakasi
Yamakasi are a French group of practitioners of parkour and other types of acrobatics. But, the term 'yamakasi' is also used to call a particular form of a performance in order to distinguish it from other similar activities mentioned above.-Overview:...
was used for the first time in connection with the team. David did not completely approve of the name and felt like it did not give credit to his father, so he split from the group after the feature. Later David would go on to train other students who gave themselves the name 'Tracer.' The spelling was later adapted to 'Traceur', and his since been used to define a practitioner of Parkour.
Belle was first introduced to his acting career in a meeting with Hubert Koundé (La Haine), in order to discuss the success of Parkour on the big screen. He then began developing his acting ability with the play Pygmalion
Pygmalion (play)
Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...
, and has since been successful in obtaining a number of roles mostly in French films and promotions. Belle has been featured in promotional videos for Tina Turner, and Iam. He has starred in "Les gens du voyages" and "Un monde meilleur", followed by "L'Engrenages" and "Femme Fatale", as well as "Les rivières pourpres 2", starring Jean Reno
Jean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
. After filming several more advertisements and promotions for the BBC, Nissan, Canon, and Nike, Belle was contacted by Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
(director of Nikita, and The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
) regarding co-starring as lead actor with Cyril Raffaelli
Cyril Raffaelli
Cyril Raffaelli is a French traceur, martial artist and stuntman.-Biography:Utilizing shotokan karate and wushu, Raffaelli has been a regular in films with Luc Besson and David Belle, the latter being a friend of his.-Filmography:...
in the action movie District 13, followed by the sequel District 13: Ultimatum.
Filmography
Acting:Femme Fatale (2002 film)
Femme Fatale is a 2002 French mystery film directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Rebecca Romijn as the femme fatale and Antonio Banderas...
as French cop (2002)
Divine Intervention (film)
Elia Suleiman has used entirely non-original music of various genres and artists in the film. These include artists such as the Belgian singer Natacha Atlas, Indian composer A.R...
(Also known as Yadon ilaheyya) as Marksman1 (2002)
Stunts:
- BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's advertising campaign (2002) - Canon commercial
- NikeNike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
commercial - NissanNissan Motors, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
commercial - Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse (2003)
- Transporter 2Transporter 2Transporter 2 is a 2005 action film directed by Louis Leterrier and produced by Luc Besson. It is the sequel to The Transporter . It is itself followed by Transporter 3 ....
(2005) - Prince of Persia
- The Sands of TimePrince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 sword-and-sorcery action film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures...
(2010)- Covert AffairsCovert AffairsCovert Affairs is a USA Network television series starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on...
(2011) - ColombianaColombiana (film)Colombiana is a 2011 French-American action film co-written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton. The film stars Zoë Saldana in the lead role...
(2011)
- Covert Affairs
David Belle's groups
- YamakasiYamakasiYamakasi are a French group of practitioners of parkour and other types of acrobatics. But, the term 'yamakasi' is also used to call a particular form of a performance in order to distinguish it from other similar activities mentioned above.-Overview:...
(former member)- A practitioner of this modality calls himself a traceur, or herself a traceuse. Many Parkour groups exist to promote the discipline, some choosing to do so commercially, others sticking to the more purist form.
- PAWA (former member)
- David helped form the Parkour World Association, but he stopped the group for lack of cohesion.