Chico Bouchikhi
Biography
Jalloul "Chico" Bouchikhi (born 13 October 1954) is a French musician and a co-founder of the Gipsy Kings. After leaving the band in 1991, he formed his own group, Chico & the Gypsies. Bouchikhi was born in Arles, France, to a Moroccan father from Oujda and an Algerian mother from Tlemcen. He was married to Marthe Reyes, daughter of José Reyes, the father of the Reyes sons, members of the group Gipsy Kings. In 1979, upon the death of their father, José, the five Reyes brothers from Arles (Nicolas, Canut, André, Patchaï, and Pablo), who had up to that point been performing as a family band named José et Los Reyes, were joined by their cousins Diego, Paco, and Tonino Baliardo (nephews of Manitas de Plata) from Montpellier, and together with Bouchikhi, who was then married to Marthe Reyes, José's daughter, formed the group Gipsy Kings. They traveled around France and played at weddings, festivals, and in the streets, with Nicolas as lead vocalist and Tonino on lead guitar. The group eventually became world-famous with such songs as "Djobi Djoba", "Bamboléo", and "Un Amor". In 1991, Bouchikhi left Gipsy Kings due to financial disagreements with their then-manager, Claude Martinez, and went on to start his own group, Chico & the Gypsies. The band has released numerous albums since 1992. Bouchikhi's brother, Ahmed, was assassinated by Mossad agents in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer in July 1973, in what came to be known as the Lillehammer affair. Ahmed, a waiter, had been mistaken for Ali Hassan Salameh. Bouchikhi is a UNESCO special envoy for peace. In 1994, he was invited to play before Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat during the Oslo Accords peace negotiations. In 2001, he unsuccessfully ran in the municipal elections of Arles. In 2014, Bouchikhi visited Israel. When asked in an interview with The Independent about his decision to refuse to participate in a boycott of the country, he insisted that reconciliation was more important than holding grudges. Bouchikhi lives in Arles, where he owns a restaurant and music venue called Patio de Camargue. Source: Article "Chico Bouchikhi" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For & Full Filmography27 Titles
Drama Series - 1998, 16 episodes • as Self
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1987, 16 episodes • as Self - Gipsy Kings
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1987, 16 episodes • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes • as Self - Gipsy Kings
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1993, 16 episodes • as Self
Live performances, more live performances. Every episode features a lineup of French and international artists, cult classics, unexpected duets, and original covers... A truly prestigious music stage, graced by both the biggest names and those on their way to stardom.
Drama Series - 1987, 16 episodes • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 2009, 16 episodes • as Self - Guest
Every day live on FRANCE 5, Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine and her team receive those who make the news. In the second part, the program welcomes, around a meal prepared by a qualified chef, artists in promotion.
Drama Series - 1972, 16 episodes • as Self
Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.
Drama Series - 2013, 16 episodes • as Self - Guest
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 2001, 16 episodes • as Self
Star Academy is a French reality television show produced by the Dutch company Endemol. It consists of a contest of young singers. It spawned an equally successful show in Quebec called Star Académie. It is broadcast on TF1. At the end of each season, selected contestants would go on tour around France, Morocco, Switzerland, Belgium, Tunisia, and other French-speaking countries.
Drama Series - 1984, 16 episodes • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1990, 16 episodes • as Self - Musical Guest
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 2012, 16 episodes • as Self
In each episode, 3 celebrities who have never met go on a 24-hour break in the countryside. A moment out of time to meet and talk about love, friendship, life with its obstacles and surprises.
Drama Series - 2022, 16 episodes • as Self
In each episode, 3 celebrities who have never met go on a 24-hour break in the countryside. A moment out of time to meet and talk about love, friendship, life with its obstacles and surprises.
Drama Series - 2021, 16 episodes • Main Cast Role
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 2004, 16 episodes • as Self
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 2018, 16 episodes • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Drama Series - 1987, 16 episodes • as Self - Guest - Gypsy Kings
"Bains de minuit" (Midnight Baths) was a late-night talk show hosted by Thierry Ardisson on La Cinq in the late 1980s, filmed in the famous Parisian nightclub Les Bains Douches. Ardisson interviewed personalities from the worlds of music, film, fashion, literature, sports, and politics, seated among the audience in the club's authentic atmosphere. The concept was to immerse these personalities in the world of nightlife and festivities, far removed from traditional television studios. The interviews were often irreverent and direct, with a provocative tone that would become Ardisson's trademark. He considers this show one of his freest and most audacious creations. It helped solidify his image as a cosmopolitan, transgressive, and highly scripted late-night talk show host.
Movie - 2024, 2h 15m • as Self : & les Gipsy
Under the musical direction of Nach (Anna Chedid) , more than twenty artists gathered to celebrate Balavoine for a day in magnificent locations in Biarritz, the city where he grew up and to which he maintained lifelong ties. They all shared one thing in common: without Daniel Balavoine, they would not have become the artists they are today.
Movie - 2025, 2h 15m • as Self : Guest & the Gypsies
A magical evening in the heart of Paris, presented by Stéphane Bern with the help of Louise Ekland and Laury Thilleman. France Télévisions has teamed up with the City of Paris to celebrate December 31 and offer viewers a magical evening event in the heart of Paris to bring 2025 to a spectacular close.
Movie - 2017, 2h 15m • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 2025, 2h 15m • as Self
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 2025, 2h 15m • as Self - with The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 2022, 2h 15m • as Self - Chico & The Gypsies
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 2016, 2h 15m • as Self
"Sylvia: Tracing Blood" plots the clandestine and violent path of international spy Sylvia Raphael, a South African woman who infiltrated Israel's enemies, emerging as a top female Mossad agent.
Movie - 2026, 2h 15m • as Self : Guest
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.