AIRVAULT, FRANCE (THECOUNT) — Nicolas Altmayer, the influential French film producer behind dozens of acclaimed and commercially successful movies including Chocolat, OSS 117 and Brice de Nice, was killed Monday in a two-vehicle crash in western France. He was 61.
Altmayer was traveling with his longtime partner, Mathilde Favier, a senior public relations executive for Christian Dior Couture, when their vehicle collided with a heavy truck in Airvault, in France’s Deux-Sèvres region, according to authorities.
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French authorities said the vehicle was involved in an attempt to overtake another vehicle when it collided with the truck traveling in the opposite direction. Both Altmayer and Favier died in the crash. An investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter has been opened, according to reports citing the Niort prosecutor’s office.
For Altmayer, the sudden death marked the loss of one of the most prolific figures in modern French film production.
Born January 26, 1965, Altmayer built his career largely alongside his brother, Éric Altmayer. The brothers co-founded Mandarin Production, now known as Mandarin & Compagnie, in 1996 and went on to produce a remarkable body of French cinema.
The company became known for working across a wide range of filmmaking, from major commercial comedies and action pictures to acclaimed auteur-driven dramas. Together, the brothers produced more than 70 feature films during their careers.
Among Altmayer’s best-known credits was the OSS 117 franchise, the hugely popular French spy-comedy series starring Jean Dujardin. He was also a producer of the 2005 comedy Brice de Nice and later worked on films including Saint Laurent, Young & Beautiful, By the Grace of God and Chocolat.
His credits extended into more recent French cinema. Altmayer was among the producers of Monsieur Aznavour, the 2024 biographical drama about legendary singer Charles Aznavour.
Altmayer also worked with some of France’s most prominent directors, including François Ozon, Bertrand Bonello and Julia Ducournau. His career reflected a willingness to move between commercial productions and critically acclaimed films.
His contributions to French cinema were formally recognized in 2017, when Altmayer and his brother received the Daniel Toscan du Plantier Award from France’s Académie des César, an honor recognizing outstanding film production.
The breadth of Altmayer’s career was perhaps his most distinctive legacy. Rather than concentrating on one particular genre, he moved between mainstream entertainment and ambitious dramatic filmmaking, helping establish Mandarin & Compagnie as a significant French production house.
Altmayer’s death also comes as the company continues its work in French film production, adding another chapter to a career that helped shape the country’s contemporary cinema landscape.
Favier, 57, was widely known in the international fashion world through her longtime position as Dior’s director of public relations. Her death alongside Altmayer has prompted tributes from both the French film and fashion industries.
But for French cinema, the loss is particularly significant for the body of work Altmayer leaves behind — a decades-long production career that helped bring some of the country’s most recognizable films and filmmakers to audiences.
The crash investigation remains ongoing. Authorities are examining the circumstances surrounding the attempted overtaking maneuver and the subsequent collision.
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