[6][1] He was brought up initially on the island of Jersey,[7] then in London from 1935, and later, during the Second World War, in Casablanca, Morocco.

[8] He returned to Paris to study painting in 1947, but was drawn into the world of acting instead, first appearing on stage at the age of 24.

He appeared in a starring role with Roger Moore in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker.

In February 2011, he won a César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Of Gods and Men.

In his 2016 memoir Le Dictionnaire de Ma Vie, Lonsdale revealed he had fallen for Delphine Seyrig, having met her as a student in Tania Balachova's acting classes at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in 1947.