Son of a Belgian army officer, Pierre Vaneck spent his youth in Antwerp, Belgium, until the age of 17, when he started medical studies in Paris, France.
Before long, he branched into studying acting, first at the Rene Simon school, and then at the Theatre Academy, under Henri Rollan.
He earned his living meanwhile by working for a saddle-maker by day, and in the evenings, he recited François Villon's poems in cabarets.
The general public knew him particularly for his television role as the father of the main character in Fabien Cosma, as well as in many other serials (Spring Tides, The Garonne...).
His grandchildren, Aurélie and Thibaud Vaneck, are both actors, and feature in the television series Plus Belle la Vie which is broadcast on France 3 channel.