As the youngest male member of the
Comédie-Française aged 21, he gained his first experiences in the theatre he was nominated for the same award for
Comme des frères the following year. In 2014, Niney starred as fashion designer
Yves Saint Laurent in the
biopic of the same name directed by
Jalil Lespert, for which he won a
César Award for Best Actor. Niney commented that he faced three challenges: that he had "to play a manic depressive", that he aged in the film "from around 18 to 46 years old" and lastly "not to lose the link between all the faces of the character. He is changing so much from the little boy at the beginning of the movie, then the hippies in the 70s with the long beard and the long hair and then older again". This role marked his first portrayal of an openly gay character and earned him widespread critical acclaim. He was also nominated for best actor as Frantz (2016), as Mathieu Vasseur in
Boîte noire (2022) and in the title role of
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (2025). In preparation for films, for
Frantz he learnt German and playing the violin, and for
Sauver ou périr undertook daily training for fire-fighters for four months, gaining nine kilos in muscles for his leading role as Franck, a fireman. In 2024, Niney portrayed
Edmond Dantès in the film
The Count of Monte Cristo, a major hit at the box-office The
Sight and Sound reviewer commented that in "the casting of Pierre Niney ...as its vengeful, oft-disguised hero Edmond Dantès", Niney, "Not an actor previously inclined toward macho derring-do, [] has a haunted, slightly fey chill that works rather well for a character whose elaborate project of retribution ...can tip over into perversely obsessive territory. As played by Niney, ...this Dantès is sympathetic but never fully readable". He also starred in
Fiasco, a 7-episode comedy miniseries that he co-created and co-wrote with Igor Gotesman for
Netflix. Late that year it was announced that Niney will be collaborating with the team from
The Count of Monte Cristo for an ambitious new adaptation of ''
Maurice Druon's
The Accursed Kings'' novels. The series takes place during the 14th century succession crisis among the
Capetian dynasty but Niney's role was not disclosed upon announcement. ==Personal life==