is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his starring role in The Dreamers, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. He has regularly appeared in films by French director Christophe Honoré, including Ma Mère, Dans Paris, Love Songs, The Beautiful Person and Making Plans for Lena. He has also been in films directed by his father, Philippe Garrel, including Regular Lovers, Frontier of the Dawn, A Burning Hot Summer, and Jealousy.
Garrel has also performed in several feature films that were written and directed by him, including: Les Deux Amis, starring Golshifteh Farahani and Vincent Macaigne; and A Faithful Man, starring Laetitia Casta and Lily-Rose Depp.
He usually plays similar characters such as men in the middle of love triangles or important historical figures such as Jacques de Bascher in Saint Laurent, Jean-Luc Godard in Le Redoutable, and Alfred Dreyfus in An Officer and a Spy. His performances have received many nominations at the César Awards.
He is also known for working with different female directors such as Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Brigitte Sy, Maïwenn, and Nicole Garcia.