Born to a French (Pied-Noir) father, actor Jean Lespert, and an Algerian mother, he studied law before turning to acting, to please his mother, who is a jurist.
Married former Miss France Sonia Rolland, with whom he has one child named Kahina, in addition to two others, Jena and Aliosha, from a previous relationship.

Lespert made his film debut in 1995, in Laurent Cantet's film Jeux de plage, opposite his father.
His first major role came in 1999, in Jacques Maillot's film Nos vies heureuses.
The following year, he appeared in another Laurent Cantet film Ressources humaines, which earned him a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2001.

His career took off and he appeared in several films, playing a wide range of characters, such as a sensual gardener in Sade, a body builder addict in Vivre me tue, a boxer in Virgil, an avant-garde artist in Alain Resnais's Pas sur la bouche, a journalist in Robert Guédiguian's Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars, etc.

He is currently appearing in a series on French television called Pigalle, la nuit.

He directed his first film in 2007, 24 mesures, featuring Benoît Magimel and Sami Bouajila.
His second feature as director, Des vents contraires, also featuring Magimel alongside Audrey Tautou and Isabelle Carré, came out in 2011.
Born to a French (Pied-Noir) father, actor Jean Lespert, and an Algerian mother, he studied law before turning to acting, to please his mother, who is a jurist. Married former Miss France Sonia Rolland, with whom he has one child named Kahina, in addition to two others, Jena and Aliosha, from a previous relationship.
Lespert made his film debut in 1995, in Laurent Cantet's film Jeux de plage, opposite his father. His first major role came in 1999, in Jacques Maillot's film Nos vies heureuses. The following year, he appeared in another Laurent Cantet film Ressources humaines, which earned him a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2001.
His career took off and he appeared in several films, playing a wide range of characters, such as a sensual gardener in Sade, a body builder addict in Vivre me tue, a boxer in Virgil, an avant-garde artist in Alain Resnais's Pas sur la bouche, a journalist in Robert Guédiguian's Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars, etc.
He is currently appearing in a series on French television called Pigalle, la nuit.
He directed his first film in 2007, 24 mesures, featuring Benoît Magimel and Sami Bouajila. His second feature as director, Des vents contraires, also featuring Magimel alongside Audrey Tautou and Isabelle Carré, came out in 2011.
Jalil Lespert