Frederic Bourdin
Encyclopedia
Frédéric Bourdin is a French
serial impostor
the press has nicknamed "The Chameleon
".
According to himself, his lawyer and the press reports, Bourdin was raised by his grandparents in Paris and was later put into a children's home
. He says that he never knew his father, that his mother intended to have an abortion
and eventually abandoned him and that he was sexually abused. In an interview with the New Yorker
, his mother said that Bourdin's father was an Algeria
n immigrant named Kaci. He began his impostures as soon as he left the children's home and had assumed at least 39 false identities, three of which have been actual teenage missing person
s.
In 1997 Bourdin took the identity of Nicholas Barclay, a lost son of a family in San Antonio, Texas
. He invited his would-be-parents to the US embassy in Spain to meet him. Even though Bourdin had brown eyes and a French accent, he convinced the family that he was their blue-eyed son who had disappeared three years previously. He said that he had escaped from a child prostitution ring.
Bourdin lived with the family for three months before a local private investigator exposed him and his real identity was confirmed by a DNA test. He was imprisoned for 6 years.
When Bourdin returned from the USA in 2003, he moved to Grenoble
, assumed the name Leo Balley and claimed that he was a teenager who had been missing since 1996. DNA test proved otherwise.
In August 2004 he was in Spain, claiming to be adolescent Ruben Sanchez Espinoza and said that his mother had been killed in the Madrid bomb attacks
. When the police found out the truth, they deported him to France.
In June 2005 Bourdin passed himself off as Francisco Hernandes-Fernandez, a 15-year-old Spanish orphan
and spent a month in the College Jean Monnet in Pau, France. He claimed that his parents had been killed in a car accident
. He dressed as a teenager, adopted a proper walking style, covered his receding hairline with a baseball cap and used depilatory face creams. On June 12 a teacher unmasked him after he saw a TV program about his exploits. On September 16 he was sentenced to four months in prison for possessing and using the previous false identity of Leo Balley.
According to his 2005 interviews, Bourdin has been looking for "love and affection" and attention he never received as a child. He has pretended to be an orphan several times. He has also appeared in French and American TV shows but has continued his impostures.
In 2007, Bourdin married a French woman named Isabelle after a yearlong courtship. They are now the parents of 3 children.
Bourdin was interviewed in 2008 by David Grann
, a columnist for The New Yorker. After Isabelle gave birth to their first child, Bourdin contacted Grann and told him it was a girl. Grann then asked if Bourdin had become a new person now that he was a father and a husband, to which Bourdin replied, "No, this is who I am."
In 2010 a fictionalized account of the "Nicholas Barclay case" was brought to theaters under the title The Chameleon
by French director and screenwriter Jean-Paul Salomé
. Bourdin (renamed Fortin in the film) served as a consultant on the film and was portrayed by Canadian actor Marc-André Grondin
. Other cast members include Ellen Barkin
, Emilie de Ravin
and Nick Stahl
as Barclay's mother, sister and brother, and Famke Janssen
as an FBI agent intent on unmasking Fortin. The film premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
serial impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
the press has nicknamed "The Chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
".
According to himself, his lawyer and the press reports, Bourdin was raised by his grandparents in Paris and was later put into a children's home
Children's Home
Children's Home is a historic building at 427 Robeson Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.The Home was built in 1894 and added to the National Historic Register in 1983....
. He says that he never knew his father, that his mother intended to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and eventually abandoned him and that he was sexually abused. In an interview with the New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, his mother said that Bourdin's father was an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n immigrant named Kaci. He began his impostures as soon as he left the children's home and had assumed at least 39 false identities, three of which have been actual teenage missing person
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
s.
In 1997 Bourdin took the identity of Nicholas Barclay, a lost son of a family in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. He invited his would-be-parents to the US embassy in Spain to meet him. Even though Bourdin had brown eyes and a French accent, he convinced the family that he was their blue-eyed son who had disappeared three years previously. He said that he had escaped from a child prostitution ring.
Bourdin lived with the family for three months before a local private investigator exposed him and his real identity was confirmed by a DNA test. He was imprisoned for 6 years.
When Bourdin returned from the USA in 2003, he moved to Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, assumed the name Leo Balley and claimed that he was a teenager who had been missing since 1996. DNA test proved otherwise.
In August 2004 he was in Spain, claiming to be adolescent Ruben Sanchez Espinoza and said that his mother had been killed in the Madrid bomb attacks
11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings
The Madrid train bombings consisted of a series of coordinated bombings against the Cercanías system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004 , killing 191 people and wounding 1,800...
. When the police found out the truth, they deported him to France.
In June 2005 Bourdin passed himself off as Francisco Hernandes-Fernandez, a 15-year-old Spanish orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
and spent a month in the College Jean Monnet in Pau, France. He claimed that his parents had been killed in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
. He dressed as a teenager, adopted a proper walking style, covered his receding hairline with a baseball cap and used depilatory face creams. On June 12 a teacher unmasked him after he saw a TV program about his exploits. On September 16 he was sentenced to four months in prison for possessing and using the previous false identity of Leo Balley.
According to his 2005 interviews, Bourdin has been looking for "love and affection" and attention he never received as a child. He has pretended to be an orphan several times. He has also appeared in French and American TV shows but has continued his impostures.
In 2007, Bourdin married a French woman named Isabelle after a yearlong courtship. They are now the parents of 3 children.
Bourdin was interviewed in 2008 by David Grann
David Grann
David Grann is an American literary journalist and best-selling author. He has written about a range of subjects, from New York City's antiquated water supply system to the hunt for giant squid to the U.S...
, a columnist for The New Yorker. After Isabelle gave birth to their first child, Bourdin contacted Grann and told him it was a girl. Grann then asked if Bourdin had become a new person now that he was a father and a husband, to which Bourdin replied, "No, this is who I am."
In 2010 a fictionalized account of the "Nicholas Barclay case" was brought to theaters under the title The Chameleon
The Chameleon (film)
The Chameleon is a 2010 film directed by Jean-Paul Salomé. The screenplay by Natalie Carter is based upon the true story of Frédéric Bourdin who impersonated a missing child named Nicholas Barclay in San Antonio, Texas in the 1990s...
by French director and screenwriter Jean-Paul Salomé
Jean-Paul Salomé
Jean-Paul Salomé is a French director.- Selected filmography :*1994 Les Braqueuses with Clémentine Célarié, Catherine Jacob and Annie Girardot...
. Bourdin (renamed Fortin in the film) served as a consultant on the film and was portrayed by Canadian actor Marc-André Grondin
Marc-André Grondin
Marc-André Grondin is a Canadian actor, most noted for his performance as Zachary Beaulieu in Jean-Marc Vallée's film C.R.A.Z.Y. , for which he won a Jutra award.-Movie career:...
. Other cast members include Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
, Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
and Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
as Barclay's mother, sister and brother, and Famke Janssen
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series .- Early life and education :...
as an FBI agent intent on unmasking Fortin. The film premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.
External links/References
- BBC - France Holds Chameleon impostor
- Telegraph - "Chameleon" Caught pretending to be a boy
- Hindu - After brilliant success, impostor finally unmasked
- The Chameleon: The many lives of Frédéric Bourdin, The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, August 11 & 18, 2008. Pages