Loan Chabanol
Loan Chabanol is a French-American actress, visual artist, and model. She is best known for her role in John Turturro's comedy Fading Gigolo, the romantic drama Third Person, the action thriller The Transporter Refueled and the horror drama anthology TV series Tales of the Walking Dead. She is also the founder of Mika Girl Studio, a creative space that unites her multidisciplinary work in painting, book, animation, handcraft art, and produced shows.
Loan Chabanol | |
|---|---|
 Loan Chabanol at her NAMSIS Exhibition, Los Angeles | |
| Born | 30 December 1982 Paris, France |
| Occupations | Actress, artist, model |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Fading Gigolo The Transporter Refueled Tales of the Walking Dead |
Loan Chabanol is a French-American actress, visual artist, and model.[1] She is best known for her role in John Turturro's comedy Fading Gigolo, the romantic drama Third Person, the action thriller The Transporter Refueled and the horror drama anthology TV series Tales of the Walking Dead. She is also the founder of Mika Girl Studio,[2] a creative space that unites her multidisciplinary work in painting, book, animation, handcraft art, and produced shows.[3]
Life and career
[edit]Loan Chabanol was born in Paris, France[4] on 30 December 1982.[5][4] She is of Vietnamese, German, and Italian descent.[6] Her early years were spent in art classes with artist Bernard Bistes.[7] Discovered at the age of 16 by Elite Model Management, she has been on the covers of magazines such as Elle , Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan.[8] and was the face of Guerlain and Olay.
In 2010, she moved to New York to study acting at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute,[8] leading to her film roles in Fading Gigolo (2013), Third Person (2014), and The Transporter Refueled (2015), as well as television appearances including Tales of the Walking Dead (2022). Throughout her career, Chabanol has moved fluidly between performance and the visual arts, deliberately taking breaks from screen work to focus on painting, immersive exhibition, and storytelling. This interplay between disciplines has defined her artistic vision, culminating in the creation of Mika Girl Studio, a platform where she unites her multidisciplinary practice and invites audiences into a space of imagination and wonder.
Acting
[edit]Chabanol got her first feature film role in John Turturro's comedy Fading Gigolo. In 2014, she was cast as Sam in Third Person playing a significant compassionate character along with Mila Kunis.[9] In 2015, she was cast as a lead "femme fatale" in The Transporter Refueled.[10] In 2022, Chabanol entered The Walking Dead universe playing a lead in the first installment of the anthology series, Tales of the Walking Dead, the latest incarnation of the successful AMC series.[11]
Visual Arts
[edit]Chabanol has created solo exhibitions spanning painting, immersive art, and animation. Key milestones include: • 2013 — Met with curator Monica Watkins and debuted in a group exhibition, "Art Meets Fashion", in Brooklyn, New York, showcasing 50 artists.[12] • 2015 — Presented her inaugural solo exhibition, "Born in Blue", at The Lightbox in New York City, featuring a short animated film depicting the emergence of a Phoenix from the ocean. [13] • 2018 — Exhibited her series "Namsis" and "Black Namsis" at Show Gallery in Los Angeles and participated in the group show "WeRise" alongside Shepard Fairey and Glenn Kaino. [14][15][16] • 2019 — Released her first children's book, "Blueboo", about a blue monster living in the Brown Woods who encounters the last caterpillar in the forest.[17][18] • 2025 — Showcased "Reminiscence" at Tamsen Gallery in Santa Barbara, a retrospective exploring her relationship with horses following her father's death.[19]
Personal life
[edit]In February 2020, Chabanol became an American citizen.[20] She currently lives in Los Angeles with her partner Wally Pfister.
Filmography
[edit]Feature films
[edit]- Fading Gigolo (2013)
- Third Person (2014)
- The Transporter Refueled (2015)
TV series
[edit]- Tales of the Walking Dead (2022)
Short films
[edit]- Psycho Nacirema (2013), Buster Keaton
References
[edit]- ^ "Bio". Loan Chabanol. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Loan Chabanol – Mika Girl Studio". Mika Girl Studio. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Loan Chabanol — MikaGirl (About)". MikaGirl. MikaGirl Studio. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ a b Verdot-Belaval, Anthony (9 April 2014). "Loan Chabanol, un conte de fées moderne". Paris Match (in French). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ Chabanol, Loan (30 December 2014). "It's my Birthday". Twitter. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ Fernandez, Chantal (23 August 2014). "Our Favorite New French It Girl Talks Working With James Franco And Why Chanel Is Like 'A Second Skin'". Lucky Shops. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ Vidal, Vincent (9 April 2014). "Albi. La mannequin Loan Chabanol a tourné avec Woody Allen". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ a b Rachel, T. Cole (27 May 2014). "Loan Chabanol". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ Khan, Abbey (20 June 2014). "Loan Chabanol is the model girlfriend in Third Person". Fushion Magazine. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ Han, Angie (19 March 2015). "'The Transporter Refueled' Trailer: Ed Skrein Is the New Jason Statham". /Film. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ Petski, Denise (18 February 2022). "'Tales Of The Walking Dead': Olivia Munn, Danny Ramirez Among Six Cast In 'TWD' Spinoff Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Art meets fashion 2013 – Industry city Brooklyn/New York". International Arts Coalition blog. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Photos: Loan Chabanol's Blue Period". W Magazine. September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "In Conversation with Artist Loan Chabanol". KAAREM. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Loan Chabanol's NAMSIS | a Chat with the Artist About Her New Los Angeles Exhibit". Flaunt Magazine. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Loan Chabanol | We Rise 2018". Werise.la. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Mental Health Awareness Month – Featuring Artists Loan Chabanol". Beauty For Freedom. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "BlueBoo by Loan Chabanol | Book Soup". Booksoup.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ KEYT News Team (15 April 2025). "French-American artist shares powerful story behind her new exhibit 'Reminiscence' on display at the Tamsen Gallery". KEYT. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "IT'S OFFICIAL!! I am a US Citizen". Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Loan Chabanol at IMDb
- Loan Chabanol at AlloCiné (in French)
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