Patrick Bruel (né Benguigui), born May 14, 1959 in Tlemcen, Algeria, is a French actor, singer, and human rights activist. He grew up in France, where his family settled when Algeria became independent, and after his parents divorced was greatly influenced by the secular and leftist leanings of his mother’s male relatives. Bruel actively supported the anti-racist organization SOS Racisme from its inception in 1984 and was an outspoken opponent of the extreme right-wing Front National. In his autobiography…