Luc Besson spent the first years of his life following his parents, scuba diving instructors, around the world. His early life was entirely aquatic. He already showed amazing creativity as a youth, writing early drafts of The Big Blue (1988) and The Fifth Element (1997), as an adolescent bored in school. He planned on becoming a marine biologist specializing in dolphins until a diving accident at age 17 which rendered him unable to dive any longer. He moved back to Paris, where he was born, and only at age 18 did he first have an urban life or television. He realized that film was a medium which he could combine all his interests in various arts together, so he began taking odd jobs on various films. He moved to America for three years, then returned to France and formed Les Films de Loups - his own production company, which later changed its name to Les Films de Dauphins. He is now able to dive again.

Virginie Besson-Silla (28 August 2004 - present) ( 3 children)

Trivia

Dated Maïwenn. She gave birth to their daughter, Shanna Besson, in 1993.
Has a daughter with ex-wife Anne Parillaud, Juliette Besson (born 1987).
Placed under investigation on a charge of involuntary manslaughter 4 June 2002 by Paris prosecutor during inquiry into death of a cameraman hit by a car during 1999 filming of chase scene in Taxi 2 (2000), which Besson produced.
Father, with Virginie Besson-Silla, of two daughters, Talia Besson (b. 1 August 2001), Satine Besson (b. May 2003) and one son, Mao Besson (b. 16 September 2005].
Often casts Gary Oldman (Leon, The Fifth Element (1997)) and they are very close friends. He produced Gary's movie Nil by Mouth (1997).
Has his look-alike puppet in the French show Les Guignols de l'info (1988) (but it is rarely used).
Refuses to do interviews or audio commentaries for DVD releases. This is because he believes that they ruin the impact of the film.
President of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 53rd Cannes International Film Festival in 2000.
Wanted to become a marine biologist as a child, but an accident at the age of 17 prevented him from being in water.
Has five children with three different women.
Grew up in Greece, Bulgaria, and former Yugoslavia, where his parents were diving instructors for Club Med.
Has written four 'Arthur' children's books, including "Arthur and the Minimoys". The series has sold more than 1 million copies in more than 30 countries. Besson later adapted the book series into films.
He always said, that he will retire as a director after he made 10 movies. This would make Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) his last one.
Lived in Bulgaria, at the Black Sea coast resort, where he spent 5 months with his parents who used to work in a sport center there, diving and exploring coastal caves. He was 9 years old then. Now as an adult he is afraid to visit that coast again not ruin his beautiful childhood memories.

Personal Quotes 

Cinema never saved anyone's life, it is not a medicine that will save anyone's life. It is only an aspirin.
What's so special about all those amazing British children's writers, those who gave us Alice in Wonderland and Robinson Crusoe and Pooh Bear and Peter Pan and Peter Rabbit and the rest, was that they didn't set out to seduce. The great children's writers were authentic, they copied no one, they didn't set out to make money or to preach ideas. They just transcribed their dreams.
I do think that kids today miss out on a lot of those guidelines. Parents are always at work; school doesn't necessarily give the framework; politicians are all corruption and scandal; even sporting heroes are tainted with drugs and what have you. Rules are important for kids.
People often say I'm a child at heart. In fact, I think I just have access to [my childhood], I have a very clear memory of it. We were all children once. We just need to show a bit of respect for it.
Why did I make Subway (1985)? Why did I do all that crazy undersea stuff in The Big Blue (1988)? Why did I go all black and nasty with La Femme Nikita (1990)?. I don't know. Because I did. I do what I do because I want to do it, because I want to explore, go looking for things.
I was never polluted by the world of cinema. I didn't even have a TV until I was 16. My expression is a reflection of the world I have seen, and in that world everyone was barefoot in bathing suits, following the order of the sea, the natural order of sunrise and sunset. I never went to the cinémathèque. I didn't know much about the masters of world cinema.
[on his threat to retire after directing 10 films] I said if I made 10 films in my life, I would be very lucky. That's how I meant it. My fear after my first one was whether they would let me make another one, so I had this goal in my head. After six, seven films, I started to get a little tired. Shooting takes a lot out of you. You finish a film and most of the time you're half-dead. I was happy to finish after 10.
In France we have this problem: we cannot admit that movies are also an industry, that a movie is also fun. I think we have the wrong notion of commercial and intellectual or artistic film. Because all films are commercial. When you go to see a film by Jean-Luc Godard, you pay the same price. And believe me, he makes much more money with his little film that cost $1m than lots of people. Two people in a kitchen for two hours in black and white where you say, "Oh, it's so arty." It's a very commercial film because it cost nothing.