Between Nice, the snowy sets of "Alex Hugo," and the couch of "20h30 le dimanche," Samuel Le Bihan shares his story on January 11, 2026, like rarely before. The popular actor mixes New York memories with Robert De Niro, a tribute to Émilie Dequenne, his fight for his autistic daughter, and doubts about success, painting the intimate portrait of a man in transition.
A Notable Appearance on the France 2 Set
On Sunday, January 11, 2026, Samuel Le Bihan arrives in a simple shirt on the set of 20h30 le dimanche, the Sunday magazine of France 2 presented by Laurent Delahousse. The segment lasts about thirty minutes. It takes the form of an interview, resembling less a promotion than a pivotal moment. The actor discusses his success. Additionally, he shares his doubts. Then, he talks about his commitments. Finally, he addresses his losses.
Facing the journalist, the hero of Alex Hugo immediately embraces his status as a popular figure. He recalls having long navigated between art-house cinema, mainstream comedies, and popular films. Then, the crime series shot in the mountains establishes itself as one of the major successes of France Télévisions. Success, he confides, is "a gift," but also a burden: it sometimes closes doors, particularly those of certain art-house films that are no longer offered to him.
On the France 2 couch, the conversation quickly moves away from a simple career review. In a few responses, Samuel Le Bihan sketches the portrait of a 60-year-old man, both grateful and clear-eyed. He speaks of accumulated fatigue and a profession that has become heavier to bear. Indeed, responsibilities have increased. However, he also mentions a form of serenity gained over time.
From New York to Robert De Niro, the Formative Years
Throughout the interview, Laurent Delahousse uncovers a little-known episode of the actor’s life: his time as a young man at the Actors Studio in New York. At the time, the future star of Capitaine Conan and Le Pacte des loups was just an apprentice. Indeed, he came to engage with the American myth. To finance his stay, he took on odd jobs, eventually becoming a courier.
This is where Robert De Niro comes in. One day, Samuel Le Bihan delivers a letter to the great actor, without imagining he would meet him again. Years later, they find themselves face to face on the set of the film The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004), an international production directed by Mary McGuckian. The anecdote, told on France 2, amuses the audience as much as it impresses the presenter: the anonymous courier has become a co-star.
In Samuel Le Bihan’s account, this New York episode is not just a nice story. It marks a formative period where anything is possible: the young Norman, born in Avranches and having passed through the Comédie-Française, hones his craft with great texts, then dares to cross the Atlantic. From the street, where he performed commedia dell’arte and fire-spitting, to sets shared with De Niro, there is a patient journey, made of persistence and curiosity.
"Alex Hugo," a Success That Shakes Up a Career
Since 2014, the general public mainly associates Samuel Le Bihan with one face: that of Alex Hugo, the leading actor of the series about a former Marseille cop who takes refuge in the mountains. The series was first broadcast on France 2 and then on France 3. It has become one of the biggest successes of French fiction. Indeed, the episodes are regularly watched by several million viewers.
On the set of 20h30 le dimanche, the actor acknowledges that this character has shaped his recent trajectory. Alex Hugo has brought him immense popularity, but also a constrained schedule. Moreover, he has had to face demanding shoots at high altitudes. The episodes, filmed in the Hautes-Alpes, confront the teams with sometimes extreme weather conditions, between snowstorms and violent thunderstorms.
Since season 11, with new episodes set to air in 2026, Samuel Le Bihan has taken on an expanded role: not only does he play the hero, but he has also directed an episode. He recounts a physically and mentally challenging shoot, where he had to direct a team of about fifty people. Additionally, he had to remain in front of the camera at all times. An experience that reinforced his desire to explore directing, without giving up acting.
This long-term success has a downside: the rarity of other offers. By agreeing to become the face of a popular series, Samuel Le Bihan knows he is giving up part of the art-house cinema that revealed him. But the perspective he has today on this choice is peaceful. Alex Hugo has offered him professional security and a lasting relationship with the audience. Moreover, he enjoys a work environment in the heart of nature, which he does not find displeasing.
"Alex Hugo," a Territorial Crime Drama at the Heart of French Fiction
Beyond the actor’s portrait, "Alex Hugo" has become, over eleven seasons, a pillar of French crime fiction. Moreover, it has captivated the audience with its plot and characters. Created by Nicolas Tackian and Franck Thilliez for France Télévisions, the series freely adapts the novel Death and the Good Life by American writer Richard Hugo and now includes 32 episodes of 90 minutes, first broadcast on France 2, then on France 3. Each installment functions as a standalone TV movie, allowing for a mix of investigation, social chronicle, and contemplative breathing.
In this universe, Alex Hugo is a former great Marseille cop nicknamed "La Tendresse." He embodies a hero in retreat rather than a triumphant vigilante. The narrative relies less on escalating violence. It emphasizes attention to victims and rural communities. Moreover, it focuses on psychological vulnerabilities. The mountain acts as a moral revealer: the plots remain dark, but the pace is slower, more introspective, far from the standards of the so-called "procedural" crime series.
For France Télévisions, the series is part of a broader strategy of territorial crime dramas that also gave birth to Capitaine Marleau or the Meurtres à… collection. These regionalized fictions are strong brands of the public service: they combine the promise of escape, a crime plot, and the showcasing of heritage. The director of national fiction, Anne Holmes, summarizes the project in these terms. She explains that it is about "taking viewers to visit regions of France." These visits include their customs and local legends. It’s a way to anchor the stories in identifiable landscapes.
The uniqueness of Alex Hugo is having pushed this logic very far. The episodes are mainly filmed in the Hautes-Alpes valley of the Clarée, Briançonnais, Cervières, where the mountain is filmed as a character in its own right. Press articles and tourist offices remind us that the teams have invested, since 2014, in sometimes little-known places: villages of Névache and Val-des-Prés, the high valley of Cervières, the former Rhône-Azur sanatorium reinvented as the "rural police" station. The line between fictional setting and lived territory becomes porous.
This landscape writing has a logistical cost. The shoots often span several weeks at high altitudes, with a high proportion of stunts and outdoor scenes. A regional report mentions two months dedicated to episodes 33 and 34. These episodes take place between glaciers, rivers, and a reconstituted courthouse in Gap. However, the yield is barely a few edited minutes per day. The commune of Cervières highlights that "in total, about fifty people (teams, actors, participants…) descend on Briançonnais for many weeks a year," giving a sense of the local impact of a recurring shoot.
The economic and symbolic footprint of the series goes beyond the mere passage of a team. In the Hautes-Alpes, several tourist initiatives now offer guided tours following in the footsteps of ‘Alex Hugo’. These tours combine the discovery of natural heritage and the spotting of sets. Residents testify to increased attendance at certain sites, like the lake of Orceyrette, since the episodes aired. For local authorities and tourist offices, the series becomes a tool for territorial communication. However, it also raises the question of sustainable visitor flow management.
On a national scale, "Alex Hugo" illustrates the central place of fiction in the audiovisual landscape. In its recent study on the audiovisual fiction market, the CNC notes an important fact. Indeed, crime series are among the driving genres. Moreover, "light crime" is also a driver, with rising hourly costs. Furthermore, these genres show a strong export capacity. The Center reminds us that French fiction captures 100% of the best annual audiences in 2024. Additionally, historical broadcasters remain the primary funders of these programs. This is at the heart of their public service mission.
The audience figures confirm the status of "Alex Hugo" as a safe bet. According to Médiamétrie data relayed by the specialized press, the new episodes regularly exceed 5 million viewers in prime time, with market shares above 20%. Some reruns still gather between 3 and 4.5 million people and place France 3 at the top of the evening. In 2022, the series nearly reached 7 million viewers including replay. It is one of the best scores for a recent French fiction.
This performance is also explained by the demographics of its audience: a core family and older target. This audience is loyal to the public service and finds in "Alex Hugo" a mix of accessible crime drama. Additionally, there are spectacular landscapes and social themes. In return, the success of the series reinforces France Télévisions in the choice to invest in territorial fictions. These fictions are shot in regions and carried by identified actors. It is in this ecosystem made of landscapes, public funding, and regular appointments with the audience that Samuel Le Bihan’s trajectory unfolds today.
Nice, a Peaceful Anchor Between Sea and Work
The other setting of his life, far from the snowy sets, is now in Nice. The actor settled there a few years ago, in a villa facing the sea. He lives there with his children and recharges between shoots. This move, he regularly explains, responds to a simple need: to offer a gentler environment to his family, between Mediterranean light and a less hurried pace than in Paris.
From the Côte d’Azur, Samuel Le Bihan radiates to the various filming locations that mark his recent career. The series "Alex Hugo" continues to be shot mainly in the Alps, while Carpe Diem, a crime fiction broadcast on TF1, has chosen the Nice region as its setting. The actor appears as a professional seeking to balance family life, work, and attachment to certain territories.
Nice is also for him a symbolic space: a city sometimes reduced to a postcard of retirees. However, he defends it as a vibrant place, frequented by students, artists, and transient workers. In interviews, he insists on this more nuanced image, true to his way of looking at society.
A Committed Father, Facing His Daughter’s Autism
Behind the popular actor also emerges the figure of a very involved father. Samuel Le Bihan has three children, including Angia, born in 2011, diagnosed with autism at a very young age. For a long time, he has accepted to use his notoriety to raise awareness about autism. He shared the difficulties of diagnosis and the struggle to find suitable structures. Moreover, he shared his daughter’s daily progress.
In 2018, he co-founded with Florent Chapel the platform Autisme Info Service, a listening and guidance system for families and individuals affected by autism spectrum disorders. He serves as vice-president and spokesperson, advocating a pragmatic approach: better information, breaking the isolation of parents, and facilitating access to competent professionals.
Over time, however, Samuel Le Bihan has chosen to speak less about his daughter in the media. He reminds that Angia is now a teenager, with her own privacy, her right to lead a normal life away from the spotlight. His rare public confidences focus on a simple idea: the importance of building, despite difficulties, the happiest possible daily life, made of small victories and autonomy.
For the reader, this voluntary withdrawal also reveals his conception of fame. He uses visibility when it can be useful for a cause. However, he knows how to remain silent when the line with private life becomes too thin.
Émilie Dequenne, an absence that accompanies the present
During the interview on France 2, another face emerges in the conversation: that of Émilie Dequenne, a Belgian actress who passed away in March 2025 at the age of 43. Samuel Le Bihan worked with her several times, notably in Le Pacte des loups, La Fille du RER, and Le Pont du roi Saint-Louis. On set, he speaks of her with restrained emotion.
He had already shared, a few months earlier on the show "C à vous," that her death remains an injustice to him. Indeed, it is difficult to accept. He describes an actress with a rare "inner strength," capable of combining determination and gentleness. An actress who, according to him, embodied a form of authenticity that has become precious in the film industry.
When Laurent Delahousse asks him how he is coping with this grief, Samuel Le Bihan reminds us that sorrow is often silent. Grief, he explains, is experienced in solitude, away from the noise of social media. He says he often thinks of his late partner and the fragility of existence. He reflects on the idea that a career, no matter how brilliant, sometimes depends on a few health or fate-related chances.
This television moment, without pathos, extends the tribute he has paid to her several times over the past year. It is part of a broader movement: that of an actor who now embraces showing his emotions. Moreover, he talks about his anger and fears as much as his successes.
A citizen artist between ecology and social commitment
The portrait sketched by 20h30 le dimanche would not be complete without a detour through Samuel Le Bihan’s commitments. For about ten years, the actor has been involved on several fronts. In 2014, he participated in the creation of the Earthwake association, born from the desire to fight plastic pollution by developing waste recovery solutions. He notably spoke at the COP 21 in Paris to advocate for technologies capable of transforming certain plastics into fuel.
In the social field, his work around autism has led him to become a regular interlocutor with public authorities. Furthermore, he has also become a regular interlocutor with associations. Among Samuel Le Bihan’s books, Un bonheur que je ne souhaite à personne (2018) tells, in a fictionalized form, the relationship of a father with his autistic daughter. It’s a way to reach a wide audience without delivering a raw testimony. Moreover, it allows for the use of fiction to preserve intimacies.
In 2019, his commitment was recognized with several distinctions, including a citizen artist award. Later, he received a decoration in the order of the Légion d’honneur a few years later. He himself insists that these honors only make sense if they serve as a lever. Indeed, they must allow for continued discussion of inclusion, disability, and everyday ecology.
Where to see Samuel Le Bihan today: films and TV series?
For viewers discovering or rediscovering the actor thanks to his appearance with Laurent Delahousse, Samuel Le Bihan’s current projects span multiple screens. The series Alex Hugo continues its eleventh season, with new episodes announced on France 3 in 2026. Additionally, one of the episodes will be directed by the actor himself. Previous installments remain accessible on replay on France Télévisions platforms.
In parallel, Samuel Le Bihan is pursuing other fiction projects, such as the series Carpe Diem filmed on the Côte d’Azur, or TV movies inspired by social issues, often related to disability or inclusion. His appearance on 20h30 le dimanche acts as a point of convergence: it connects the committed man, the discreet father, the popular actor, and the emerging director.
Beyond the anecdote with Robert De Niro or the emotion stirred by the mention of Émilie Dequenne, this television moment mainly reminds us that a career is never a homogeneous block. Samuel Le Bihan’s career is drawn at the intersection of several lines: the love of acting, loyalty to an audience, attention to the most vulnerable, and an assumed ecological sensitivity. All these threads, when combined, compose the portrait of a French actor who is durably established in the cultural landscape. However, this actor is still in motion.