35 Badass ‘Léon: The Professional’ Tattoos

In 1994, “Léon: The Professional” premiered in theaters, introducing the world to an actor who’d become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars: Natalie Portman. That’s right, Portman who’d go on to appear in “Star Wars,” “V for Vendetta,” and “Black Swan” got her start at just 12-years-old in this action-thriller from director Luc Besson. Besson would go on to make a tremendous impact on the science fiction genre, directing 1997’s “The Fifth Element,” 2014’s “Lucy” and 2017’s “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”

The film also stars Jean Reno, as Léon, a professional hitman who takes in Portman’s character Mathilda after her entire family is murdered by a corrupt DEA agent named Norman Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman). Along the way, Mathilda becomes his protégée and learns to become a hitman (hitwoman?) herself. Upon it’s release in both France and the United States, “Léon: The Professional” was a critical success and received seven nominations at the 20th César Awards. The film has since become a cult classic and has been appreciated by tattoo collectors worldwide.

Take a peek at 35 of our favorite tattoos that pay homage to to this iconic film in the gallery below, then let us know your favorite scene from this movie in the comments section on social media.