He won two consecutive César Awards for Best Actor for starring as an acting teacher diagnosed with late-stage cancer in Peaceful (2021)[4][5] and the High Commissioner of French Polynesia De Roller in Pacifiction (2022).

[11][12] In 1988, he landed his first film role in Étienne Chatiliez's comedy Life Is a Long Quiet River, in which he played Maurice "Momo" Groseille.

[10][11] For his second film, the Christine Lipinska-directed comedy Papa est parti, maman aussi (1989), his name appeared at the top of the bill alongside Sophie Aubry and Jérôme Kircher.

[13][14] He spent the decade accumulating roles, on television and in cinema, growing up in front of the camera, often under the direction of respected filmmakers.

In 1995, Magimel appeared as boyfriend Rémi in Benoît Jacquot's New Wave-style drama A Single Girl, which stars Virginie Ledoyen as a hotel waitress who discovers she is pregnant.

[15] That same year, Magimel made a brief appearance in Mathieu Kassovitz's black-and-white banlieue drama La Haine, which went on to become a cult film.

[16][17] In 1996, Magimel took on a supporting role in André Téchiné's psychodrama Thieves, starring Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil and Laurence Côte.

[20] He also starred in the mining drama Une minute de silence, directed by Florent-Emilio Siri,[21][22] who would become one of Magimel's most frequent collaborators.

[24] Magimel surprised audiences with his performance as Louis XIV in the costume drama The King Is Dancing, directed by Gérard Corbiau.

[32] He continued this momentum in 2004 with Olivier Dahan's police thriller Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse, in which he appeared opposite Jean Reno.

[37][38] Around the same time, Magimel was also approached by Barbet Schroeder to portray French criminal Jacques Mesrine after Vincent Cassel withdrew from the role.

In January, he led the Parisian organized crime thriller Paris Lockdown, directed by Frédéric Schoendoerffer;[44] in August, he co-starred with Ludivine Sagnier for A Girl Cut in Two, by Claude Chabrol;[45] in October, he reunited with Florent-Emilio Siri for the Algerian War drama Intimate Enemies;[46] and in December, he plays in the multi-narrative drama 24 Mesures, by Jalil Lespert.

[48] Magimel also traveled to Japan to star in Barbet Schroeder's mystery thriller Inju: The Beast in the Shadow, based on the novel by Edogawa Ranpo.

[53] The same year, he provided the voice for the Ken doll in the French dub of the Pixar animation film Toy Story 3.

[77] In 2022, he starred as the enigmatic High Commissioner of French Polynesia De Roller in Pacifiction, directed by Catalan auteur filmmaker Albert Serra.

[78] Set in Tahiti, the film explores De Roller's work and social engagements amid the surrounding political and colonial tensions of the island territory.

[79][80] With a nearly three-hour runtime,[81] Pacifiction is a thriller that juxtaposes its "aesthetic sublime" with a "sense of paranoia and dread as its narrative is consistently thwarted in favour of modulated moods and atmospheres".

[91] In June 2024, Apple TV+ announced the six-part thriller series À l'ombre des forêts starring Magimel and Mélanie Laurent, created and directed by Cédric Anger.

[93] In 2004,[94] Magimel began a relationship with actress Nikita Lespinasse, who he had met during the filming of Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse.