Isaach or Isaac de Bankolé (born 12 August 1957; Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) is an Ivorian actor. De Bankolé was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to Yoruba parents from Benin. His grandparents are from Nigeria.[6] He moved to Paris in 1975 for his last year of lycée and pursued a master's degree in physics and mathematics. He then attended an aviation school and earned a private pilot licence, before a chance encounter with French director Gérard Vergez led him to enroll in the Cours Simon, a Parisian drama school.