After his high class studies at the Neuilly lycee Pasteur - though asserted here and there, he never learnt at Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris he started his acting career with the comedic theater troupe Splendid and participated in a number of burlesque films, which had hits with films like Les Bronzes font du ski and Le Pere Noel est une ordure.
His most notable success without the Splendid group, and by far his biggest hit to date, was in the 1993 film les Visiteurs, where he played a character known as Jacquouille la fripouille; the character's cry of "Okkkkkkkayyyyyyy!!!" became a popular exclamation after the movie's success.
After les Visiteurs he was a certified star, participating in big-budget films like Asterix et Obelix contre Cesar, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatre, and the sequel and remake of Visiteurs. He also played several dramatic roles on television, including M. Thenardier in Les Miserables and Napoleon in a biographical television film.
Clavier has played in notable duos with:
- Jean Reno in The Visitors, The Corsica investigation.
- Gerard Depardieu in Asterix and Obelix.
He also runs a production company, Ouille Production.