Patrick Bruel

Patrick Bruel (born Patrick Benguigui, on May 14, 1959 in Tlemcen, Algeria) is a French singer, actor, and professional poker player.

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Although Bruel aspired to be a football star as a youth, he decided to pursue singing after seeing Michel Sardou in 1975. His first success came as an actor, however, in 1979's Le Coup de sirocco. He continued acting in films, on television and in the theater while pursuing his singing career. His first single, "Vide" ("Empty"), released in 1982, was not a success, but the followup, "Marre de cette nana-l?" ("Fed up with that chick"), was a hit.

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As of 2004 Bruel had acted in than 40 different television and film productions and made five studio albums and several live albums. His last album to date is Entre Deux (2002), a double CD of classic chanson that features duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Souchon and Renaud, among others. It sold two million copies and made Bruel France's best paid singer for the year. At the beginning of 2005, in response to the South Asian tsunami of December 26 2004, Bruel wrote the song "Et puis la terre" to benefit the Red Cross.

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In addition to acting and singing, Bruel is a world class professional poker player. He won the World Series of Poker in 1998, and has earned more than $650,000 playing the game.

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In 2003, he had his last name officially changed to Bruel, his stage name, before his partner Amanda Maruani gave birth to his first child, Oscar, on August 19. On September 21, 2004, he wed the 24-year-old Maruani; it is his first marriage.

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May 14: May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). There are 231 days remaining....

1959: 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It is also a song by The Sisters of Mercy on the album Floodland....

Tlemcen: Tlemcen (Arabic: تلمسان), sometimes spelled Tlemsen, is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the seat of government for the wilaya of the same name. Its population is an estimated 130,000. The name comes from the Berber word "tilmisane," for springs....

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