Vincent Cassel, born in Paris in 1966, is one of the leading talents of European cinema, often known for playing short-tempered or mentally unbalanced gangsters. His breakthrough came with 'La Haine' (1995), in which he played a troubled youngster from Paris' deprived outskirts. Cassel is also renowned for playing the infamous bank-robber Jacques Mesrine, and for his roles in English-language films, including 'Oceans Twelve' (2004).