De Bankolé was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to ethnic Yoruba parents from Benin.

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.

[7] De Bankolé has appeared in over fifty films, including Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee and Cigarettes and The Limits of Control.

[5] He appeared in the movie Machetero, in the role of journalist interviewing an imprisoned Puerto Rican revolutionary, along with the members of the New York City-based punk band Ricanstruction.

[10] De Bankolé is fluent in Yoruba, Bambara, English, French, German, and speaks some Italian.