He was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France, and he starred in Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991), and the 1999 film Beau Travail, directed by Claire Denis.
Lavant is famous for starring in the music video for UNKLE's "Rabbit In Your Headlights,". He plays an apparently mentally challenged man who is struck by cars as he walks down the middle of the street mumbling incoherencies. Ultimately he ends up unscathed by the automobiles, and in one of the most dramatic music video endings ever, he stretches out his arms as the final car approaches. On impact, rather than yet another tumble to the pavement for his character, the car is destroyed.