Simon Abkarian was born Simone Abkarian on March 5, 1962, in Gonesse, a northeastern suburb of Paris, France, to a French-Armenian family.
He grew up in a trilingual environment, learning French at school, his native Armenian, and English by watching American films since he was a kid.
Simon Abkarian spent most of his childhood in France until the age of nine, then moved to Beirut, Lebanon with his parents.
He lived in Lebanon from 1971 to 1977, where he studied dancing with the Lori Dance Ensemble and attended Armenian school, also studying French and English.
In 1977, his father went to war in Lebanon, and 15-year-old Abkarian moved back to Paris with his mother.
A few years later, he moved to New York and continued his studies of dancing and acting at the Antranik company.
Simon Abkarian studied acting and joined the Armenian Theatre Company Artavadzt of the AGBU under the leadership of director Gerald Papazian.
In 1984, he joined the workshop at Theatre du Soleil on tour in Los Angeles during the Olympics Art Festival.
Abkarian took a month-long acting workshop from Mnouchkine's mask-maker, Georges Bigot, and was auditioned by Ariane Mnouchkine, who invited him to join the company.
In 1985, Abkarian returned to Paris, where he resumed a successful stage acting career, collaborating with Ariane Mnouchkine for eight years, playing leading roles in Greek tragedies.
Simon Abkarian won the Prix Molière, the highest award in French theatre, for his performance in 'Une Bête Sur La Lune' in 2001.
Since 1993, he and his wife, Catherine Schaub-Abkarian, have run their own theatre, T.E.R.A. (Theatre Espace Recherche Acteur),in Paris, where he has played and directed classical and contemporary plays.
Simon Abkarian made his film debut in 1989 in a short film by director Cédric Klapisch and has since appeared in six French films, earning critical acclaim for his performances.
He won awards for his performances in Atom Egoyan's Ararat and Ronit Elkabetz's Ve'Lakhta Lehe Isha, and gave a stellar performance in his first leading role in English in Sally Potter's Yes.
Simon Abkarian has been involved in numerous charitable events and ceremonies related to the Armenian causes, and was a member of French President Jacques Chirac's delegation to Armenia in October 2006.
