[3] Donnadieu's earliest notable film roles came in 1976 with The Tenant by Roman Polanski, and Second Chance (French: Si c'était à refaire, lit.
The film which earned him wider recognition was Georges Lautner's 1981 action thriller, The Professional in which he had a major role, appearing with Jean-Paul Belmondo.
[4] He was nominated for a best supporting actor César Award for his 1984 role as the dangerous criminal gang leader in Rue Barbare ('Barbarian Street').
[3] While his appearance and physique seemed to influence directors to cast him as malevolent characters, he also had more sympathetic roles, such as the lead in the drama Faut pas rire du bonheur, in which his character has a romantic involvement with a woman, played by Laura Morante.
[1][5] His work dubbing French dialogue has included voicing characters portrayed by actors such as Kurt Russell, Dennis Hopper and Ron Perlman.