Guillaume Canet was born in 1973. He trained as a jockey and wanted to pursue a career in show jumping until a major accident forced him to abandon the sport. Canet then decided to study acting in Paris and appeared in many French feature films. He gained international recognition for his role in 'The Beach' (2000) opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. His directorial debut was in 2002, with 'Mon Idole', starring his then wife, Diane Kruger.