He has reportedly married and had children in France, and in some accounts describes himself as having changed — as having found through family life the stability and identity that he spent decades seeking through impersonation.

Whether this narrative of redemption is more reliable than his previous narratives is a question that a career of systematic deception makes genuinely difficult to answer.

His story has been the subject of a critically acclaimed 2012 documentary, The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton.

The documentary is notable for its unusual structure: it includes dramatized reconstructions of key scenes while also featuring Bourdin himself, speaking directly to camera about what he did and why.

Watching Bourdin explain his own deception — watching the charm and the calculation operate in real time — is one of the more unsettling documentary experiences available.