French-born actor and music composer Stephen Manas is best known for his role as ’Richard Montlaur’ in the sports comedy “Ted Lasso” (season 2 returns Friday, July 23rd on Apple TV+), starring opposite “Saturday Night Live” alum Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence (“Scrubs” Creator).

The show got off to a strong start, ranking as the top program on Apple TV+ in countries including the U.S., UK, Australia, Germany, Mexico, France and Canada. Manas co-stars as one of the team’s soccer players, a French footballer who struggles to understand the thick American accent of his new coach.

While living in France and pursuing his dreams of being an actor, he booked the lead role in the award-winning short film OUT OF FRAME/ HORS CHAMP, for which he also won numerous acting awards including “Best Performance of Fest” at the Actors Awards Los Angeles, “Best Actor” at the Alternative Film Festival, and “Best Actor” at the Top Shorts Film Festival. He was also cast in the film LA BONHEUR DES UNS (A FRIENDLY TALE) opposite well-renowned actor Vincent Cassel (“Westworld,” BLACK SWAN), and Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG Award-nominated actress Bérénice Bejo (THE ARTIST). The film follows a group of lifelong friends whose loyalties to each other are unexpectedly tested.

Manas grew up in Megève is a ski resort village in the Alps of southeastern France. With a ski teacher mother, he found a love for skiing and outdoor sports at a young age. Music also heavily influenced his life and he developed a skill for playing numerous instruments including the clarinet, piano, and saxophone. It wasn’t until the first Harry Potter film came out that he fell in love with cinema, watching it over and over again.

At the age of 17 he moved to Lyon, France for marketing and business school. Shortly after the move he was discovered on the street for acting and got his first taste of the entertainment world when he was cast for a small part in an independent film – falling in love but not quite yet knowing how to break into the industry.

After school he took a corporate job in marketing that he hated and when a talent agency based in India cold called him, he jumped at the chance to work in film again. He made the move to India where he immersed himself in the Bollywood industry, building his acting resume. After two years living and working in India, he returned to France in 2018 to tap back into French cinema.

When Manas is not working in front of the camera as an actor, he is composing music behind the scenes. With an outside-the-box almost Hans Zimmer-like approach to music composition, his work has garnered him some impressive projects including FAST & FURIOUS 8. Manas currently lives in France where he practices a spiritual life of meditation and gratitude.