Laurent was born and raised in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and was the son of a nursery nurse (his mother) and an agricultural engineer.
He learned to play the piano at an early age but decided in his adolescence to pursue comedic acting.
Laurent debuted in the 1976 film À nous les petites Anglaises.
He is particularly remembered in his role in the film La Cage aux Folles as Laurent, the son of Renato Baldi (Ugo Tognazzi).
He was romantically involved with actress Anne Caudry [fr], who died of AIDS in 1991,[1] then married Emöke Masznyik, a young Hungarian dancer and mime.