Manu Payet

Manu Payet, professionally known as Manu Payet, is a French comedian, actor, filmmaker, and radio host. Born Emmanuel Xavier Payet on December 22, 1975, in Saint-Denis de La Réunion, he is also known by his birth name, Emmanuel Payet, and his pronunciation is [emanɥɛl many pajɛt]. He began his career as an antenna manager for NRJ Réunion in 2000.

Payet's early work involved radio hosting roles for NRJ. From 2000 to 2008, he worked as an animator for NRJ Paris and hosted various time slots, including midday to 4 PM (2000-2001) and the evening show 'My NRJ' (2001). He also co-hosted 'Le Match NRJ' in 2002 and was part of the humor team for 'Le 6/9,' releasing albums 'RN 6-9' (2002) and 'C'est commerçant' (2004) with that team. His television appearances included parody shows for Comédie! channel in 2003, and he hosted 'Le Soiring' on TPS Star in 2005. He collaborated with M6 to present 'Manu et Bruno sont dans la télé' in 2006.

Payet’s career expanded into film voice acting, notably voicing Lone Gunslinger Vulture in Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) and Po in the French versions of the Kung Fu Panda franchise beginning in 2008. He has appeared in numerous films including Hello Goodbye (2008), Kaamelott (2009), Coco (2009) with Gad Elmaleh, RTT (2009), and Tout Ce Qui Brille (2010). He co-directed and starred in the romantic comedy Situation amoureuse : C'est compliqué in 2014. He has performed his one-man shows, beginning with 'Manu Payet' at the Splendid theater in 2007, which toured France for three years and played at the Bataclan (April 2008) and Olympia (December 2008). He then presented 'Emmanuel' in 2017. He is returning to the stage with a new show, incorporating stories from his life, including his childhood on La Réunion, and discussing passions like radio, prehistory, music, and Nutella.