French Actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz in poor health after motorbike accident

French actor Mathieu Kassovitz is in a «worrying» state of health after a motorbike accident at the Linas-Monthléry autodrome (Essonne) on Sunday 3 September, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has learned from the Essonne prefecture. He was taken to hospital in Kremlin-Bicêtre (Val-de-Marne), the same source added, confirming a report by BFM-TV.

According to his entourage, contacted by Le Monde, he was seriously injured, but his life is not in danger. He has «serious injuries to an ankle and pelvis», according to BFMTV

An investigation was opened by the Evry public prosecutor’s office and entrusted to the urban security brigade of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois (Essonne) to look into the cause of the injuries. According to initial information, the 56-year-old actor, who had come to take advanced driving lessons on a motorbike, was the only person involved and did not collide with another vehicle, the public prosecutor’s office said.

The film-maker was ejected from the two-wheeler he was riding alone and fell violently to the ground. Witnesses to the accident, including the actor’s driving instructor, are currently being interviewed, the public prosecutor’s office said.

Director of «La Haine»

Known to the general public for his role as Malotru, the secret agent in the hit series Le bureau des legends or BDL Mathieu Kassovitz has led an eclectic career as an actor, director and producer since the 1990s.

He directed La Haine, a black-and-white film about police violence released in 1995, which made a name for actor Vincent Cassel. This eventful film won him an award at Cannes. Mathieu Kassovitz has also acted in dozens of films, including Jacques Audiard’s Un héros très discret, Costa-Gavras’s Amen and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie Poulain. He is currently starring in Visions, a thriller by Yann Gozlan with Diane Kruger, which opens in cinemas on Wednesday.

Tabitha