French Academy Awards winners and nominees
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- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Isabelle Yasmine Adjani was born in Gennevilliers, Hauts-de-Seine, a suburb of Paris, to Emma Augusta "Gusti" (Schweinberger) and Mohammed Adjani. Her father was a Kabyle Algerian, from Iferhounène, and her mother was a Bavarian German. She grew up speaking German fluently. After winning a school recitation contest, she began acting in amateur theater by the age of twelve. At the age of 14, she starred in her first motion picture, Le Petit Bougnat (1970). Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most César Award for Best Actress (5), which she won for Possession (1981), One Deadly Summer (1983) (aka "One Deadly Summer"), Camille Claudel (1988), Queen Margot (1994) (aka "Queen Margot") and Skirt Day (2008) (aka "Skirt Day"). She was also given a double Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1981. She also received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She performs in French, English, Italian and German. Adjani was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 2010.Nominated for Best Actress - The Story of Adele H. (1975)
Nominated for Best Actress - Camille Claudel (1988)- Actress
The daughter of actress Geneviève Sorya, in 1948 she played the part of Juliette in The Lovers of Verona (1949). During the 1950s and 1960s she made various films, including Montparnasse 19 (1958) and La Dolce Vita (1960), but only Lola (1961) , Jacques Demy, and A Man and a Woman (1966) Claude Lelouch saw major success. With the latter she had, but did not use, the chance to establish herself in America. Therefore she was only participating in second-row productions in Europe and America.Nominated for Best Actress - A Man and a Woman (1966)- Visual Effects
Nicolas Aithadi was born on 23 April 1972 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He is known for Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).Nominated for Best Visual Effects - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Henri Alekan was born on 10 February 1909 in Paris, France. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Wings of Desire (1987), Roman Holiday (1953) and Beauty and the Beast (1946). He was married to Nadia Starcevic. He died on 15 June 2001 in Auxerre, Yonne, France.Nominated for Best Cinematography - Roman Holiday (1953)- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for directing Quest for Fire (1981), The Name of the Rose (1986), The Lover (1992), Seven Years in Tibet (1997) and Wolf Totem (2015). Annaud has received numerous awards for his work, including four César Awards, one David di Donatello Award, and one National Academy of Cinema Award. Annaud's first film, Black and White in Color (1976), received an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Black and White in Color (1976)- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Vincent Arnardi was born on 10 July 1957 in Hyères, Var, France. He is known for Amélie (2001), The City of Lost Children (1995) and Micmacs (2009).Nominated for Best Sound Mixing - Amélie (2001)- Music Department
- Composer
- Additional Crew
Leo Arnaud was born on 24 July 1904 in Lyon, France. He was a composer, known for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Balls of Fury (2007) and Miracle (2004). He was married to Faye Brooks. He died on 26 April 1991 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Nominated for Best Adaptation or Treatment Score - The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Born in Paris, France, in 1952. Jacques Audiard's family has always been involved in movie business. His father, Michel, was a popular screenwriter and director and his uncle a producer. But in his teens he refused that world and wanted to be a teacher. He studied literature and philosophy at the Sorbonne but didn't finish his degree. By that time, his then girlfriend suggested he work as a trainee editor during his university holidays. He worked as an assistant editor on several movies like "Le locataire" (1976) directed by Roman Polanski.
He also joined a theater where he did all kinds of work. He specially enjoyed adapting works for stage. In the eighties he wrote the screenplays of some successful movies like "Mortelle Randonnee" (1983), "Reveillon Chez Bob" (1984), "Saxo" (1987), "Frequence meurtre" (1988) and "Grosse fatigue" (1994). Most of those films were thrillers directed by prestigious filmmakers like Claude Miller and Michel Blanc. He also directed some well received short movies.
Thanks to the success of those movies he was able, in 1994, to raise up the money to make his first movie "Regarde les hommes tomber" a somber road movie starred by two of the most important French actors: Mathieu Kassovitz and Jean Louis Trintignant. That movie won 3 Cesars of the French academy for best editing, best new director (Jacques Audiard) and best new actor (for Kassovitz).
Kassovitz also became the star of his second movie "Un heros tres discret" released in the Festival de Cannes in 1996 where it won the award for best screenplay. "Un heros tres discret" undermined the myth of the French resistance to the Nazis by telling the story of a young impostor who rises high in French society after World war by concocting a past for himself as a hero. It also won awards in the festivals of Stockholm and Valladolid and made his name internationally.
In 2001 he made his third movie "Sur mes levres". The love story between two outsiders (a deaf office worker and a hoodlum) who decide to con a group of gangsters also became a success. It also won three Cesars (best actress, sound and screenplay).
His last movie, "De battre mon Coeur sest arrête" (a remake of "Fingers" a James Toback's movie) was released in the Berlin festival of 2005.
With those movies, Audiard has become the new master of the "polar" (French thriller) and inheritor of others great French directors like Jean-Pierre Melville (1917-1973) and Henri Georges-Clouzot (1907-1977).Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - A Prophet (2009)- Sound Department
- Producer
- Actor
Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film - Ennemis intérieurs (2016)- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Lionel Bailliu was born on 19 August 1969 in Paris, France. He is a writer and director, known for Squash (2002), Fair Play (2006) and Microsnake (2000).Nominated for Best Live Action Short - Squash (2002)- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Christophe Barratier was born on 17 June 1963 in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He is a writer and producer, known for The Chorus (2004), Faubourg 36 (2008) and Team Spirit (2016).Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - The Chorus (2004)
Nominated for Best Original Song - The Chorus (2004)- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Marie-Christine Barrault was born on 21 March 1944 in Paris, France. She is an actress and writer, known for My Night at Maud's (1969), Cousin, Cousine (1975) and Marie Curie, une femme honorable (1991). She was previously married to Roger Vadim and Daniel Toscan du Plantier.Nominated for Best Actress - Cousin, cousine (1975)- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Set Decorator
Léon Barsacq was born on 18 October 1906 in Feodosiya, Crimea, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was a production designer and art director, known for The Longest Day (1962), Diabolique (1955) and Beauty and the Devil (1950). He died on 23 December 1969 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Art Direction - The Longest Day (1962)- Art Department
- Set Decorator
- Location Management
Gabriel Béchir was born on 24 October 1927. He was a set decorator, known for Target (1985), Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! (1966) and A Room in Town (1982). He died on 18 December 2001.Nominated for Best Art Direction - The Longest Day (1962)- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Director
A rabid movie fan when he was young, Jean-Jacques Beineix first studied medicine before entering the movie business. During the seventies, he became an established assistant director, working with Claude Berri, René Clément, Claude Zidi and even Jerry Lewis. But, like many assistants, Beineix's ultimate dream was to direct. He had a pass at it in 1977 with the short Le chien de Monsieur Michel (1977). A promising debut, it won the first price at Trouville Festival and earned a César nomination for best short film (fiction).
In 1981, came his first long feature Diva (1981), a stylish thriller based on a book by Delacorta. When it came out, Diva was not supported by French critics and seemed at first well on its way to crash and burn. But slowly the film gained momentum due to good word of mouth and positive reactions in various festivals like Moscow and Toronto. Ultimately, the film became a great success internationally, winning four Césars along the way.
Next came the expensive The Moon in the Gutter (1983). An adaptation of a David Goodis novel, the film was even more radical than 'Diva' in its deliberate artificiality. Premiering in competition at the 36th Cannes Film Festival in 1983, the film was booed and most critics found it pretentious and boring. Only few voices rose up to defend the movie but it was not enough to save it. It flopped at the box office but manage to win one César for set design.
At that point, Beineix's career was in serious danger of biting the dust, but he came back in force in 1986 with Betty Blue (1986) (aka 'Betty Blue'), based on a 'Philippe Djian' novel. Despite mixed reviews, the film was another international hit, won the top price at Montréal festival, and was nominated for best foreign film at both the Oscars and Golden Globes, each time losing to Fons Rademakers' 'De Aanslag'. It also earned 9 César nominations including best film and best director ... but won only for best poster !
Beineix's next movie Roselyne and the Lions (1988), set in the circus world, came and went unnoticed. In 1992, IP5: The Island of Pachyderms (1992) got attention mostly for being Yves Montand's last role. Beineix then resurfaced where he was least expected with social documentaries. He did a film about children in Romania; Otaku (1994) was shot in Japan; Assigné à résidence (1997) was about locked-in syndrome victim Jean-Dominique Bauby.
In 2001, he came back to fiction with Mortal Transfer (2001), a psycho-thriller based on a Jean-Pierre Gattegno novel. Once again, critics were lukewarm and the film performed poorly at the box-office. In 2002, however, Beineix drew strong ratings with made for TV documentary Loft Paradoxe (2002), an attempt to analyse the success of reality show 'Loft Story'.
With his intense focus on the power of images, Beineix paved the way for directors like Luc Besson, Leos Carax and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. A self-proclaimed misanthropist who never hid his contempt for producers and was often deemed excessive and irascible, he will go down in the history books as a director who raised controversy not for the subjects he tackled but for his stylistic approach. Still, with Diva (1981) and Betty Blue (1986), he directed two of the few French films of the eighties that reached an international audience.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Betty Blue (1986)- Actress
- Cinematographer
Actress Bérénice Bejo was born in Buenos Aires, the daughter of Silvia De Paoli, a lawyer, and Miguel Bejo, a filmmaker. When she was three, Bejo's family relocated to Paris, France. She embarked on a successful acting career in the 1990s, with various roles in French television and film productions. She made her American film debut as Christiana in A Knight's Tale (2001), but came to major international recognition with her role as Peppy Miller in the critical and popular hit, The Artist (2011), which was written and directed by her husband, Michel Hazanavicius. The film garnered many major awards and nominations. Bejo herself was nominated as Best Supporting Actress of the year at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Oscars. She was also nominated as Best Leading Actress at the BAFTA Awards.Nominated for Best Supporting Actress - The Artist (2011)- Production Designer
- Set Decorator
- Art Department
Françoise Benoît-Fresco is known for Brazil (1985), Léon: The Professional (1994) and Femme Fatale (2002).Nominated for Best Art Direction - Vatel (2000)- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Claude Berri was born on 1 July 1934 in Paris, France. He was a producer and actor, known for Jean de Florette (1986), Germinal (1993) and The Two of Us (1967). He was married to Sylvie Gautrelet and Anne-Marie Rassam. He died on 12 January 2009 in Paris, France.Won for Best Live Action Short - The Chicken (1965)
Nominated for Best Picture - Tess (1979)- Actress
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Juliette Binoche was born in Paris, France, to Monique Yvette Stalens, a director, teacher, and actress, and Jean-Marie Binoche, a sculptor, director, and actor. Her mother was born in Czestochowa, Poland, of French, Walloon Belgian, and Polish descent, while her father is French. Juliette was only 23 when she first attracted the attention of international film critics with The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times film critic with an international following of his books on film and TV reviews, wrote that she was "almost ethereal in her beauty and innocence". That innocence was gone by the time Binoche completed Louis Malle's Damage (1992) (aka "Fatale"). In an interview after the film was released, Binoche said: "Malle was trying direct and wanted something more sophisticated". A year later, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Blue (1993) was added to her film credits. After a sabbatical from film-making to become a mother in 1994, Binoche was selected as the heroine of France's most expensive ($35 million) movie ever: The Horseman on the Roof (1995). More recently, she has made The English Patient (1996), for which she won an Oscar for 'Best supporting actress' and Chocolat (2000).Won for Best Supporting Actress - The English Patient (1996)
Nominated for Best Actress - Chocolat (2000)- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Writer
Anne-Sophie Bion is known for The Artist (2011), Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008) and Micmacs (2009).Nominated for Best Film Editing - The Artist (2011)- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Pierre Bismuth was born on 6 June 1953 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He is an actor and writer, known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Where Is Rocky II? (2016) and The Barn (2018).Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Bertrand Blier was born on 14 March 1939 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France. He is a writer and director, known for The Clink of Ice (2010), Too Beautiful for You (1989) and 1, 2, 3, Freeze (1993).Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978)- Editor
- Actress
- Editorial Department
Noëlle Boisson was born on 1 December 1944 in France. She is an editor and actress, known for Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), The Bear (1988) and Qu'est-ce qui fait courir David? (1982).Nominated for Best Film Editing - The Bear (1988)- Production Designer
- Set Decorator
- Art Department
Nominated for Best Art Direction - Amélie (2001)
Nominated for Best Art Direction - A Very Long Engagement (2004)- Editor
- Director
- Editorial Department
Mathilde Bonnefoy was born on 11 March 1972 in Paris, France. She is an editor and director, known for Run Lola Run (1998), Citizenfour (2014) and The International (2009).Won for Best Documentary - Feature - Citizenfour (2014)- Editor
- Actress
- Editorial Department
Françoise Bonnot was born on 17 August 1939 in Bois-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France. She was an editor and actress, known for Z (1969), Missing (1982) and The Tenant (1976). She was married to Henri Verneuil. She died on 9 June 2018 in Paris, France.Won for Best Editing - Z (1969)- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Rachid Bouchareb was born on 1 September 1959 in Paris, France. He is a director and writer, known for Days of Glory (2006), Little Senegal (2000) and Cheb (1991).Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Days of Glory (2006)
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Outside the Law (2010)- Writer
- Actor
Daniel Boulanger was born on 24 January 1922 in Compiègne, Oise, France. He was a writer and actor, known for That Man from Rio (1964), The Joker (1960) and King of Hearts (1966). He died on 27 September 2014 in Senlis, Oise, France.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - The Man from Rio (1964)- Pierre Boulle was a French novelist best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963), that were both made into award-winning films.
He was an engineer serving as a secret agent with the Free French in Singapore, when he was captured and subjected to two years' forced labor. He used these experiences in The Bridge over the River Kwai, about the notorious Death Railway, which became an international bestseller. David Lean made the book into a motion picture that won seven 1957 Oscars, including the Best Picture, and Best Actor for Alec Guinness. Boulle himself won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay despite not having written the screenplay and, by his own admission, not even speaking English. Boulle had been credited with the screenplay because the film's actual screenwriters, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, had been blacklisted as communist sympathizers. The Motion Picture Academy added Foreman's and Wilson's names to the award in 1984.
In 1963, following several other reasonably successful novels, Boulle published his other famous novel, Planet of the Apes. In 1968 the book was made into an Oscar-winning film, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston. The screenplay, originally written by Rod Serling, focused more on action and deviated in many ways from the novel, including the addition of its own classic twist ending that was different from the novel's. It inspired four sequels, a television series, an animated series, a 2001 remake of the original title by Tim Burton, a 2011 reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, followed by the sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017).
Boulle died in Paris, France on 30 January 1994, at age 81.Won for Best Adapted Screenplay - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ludovic Bource is known for The Artist (2011), Escape from Planet Earth (2012) and OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006).Nominated for Best Original Score - The Artist (2011)- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Bourgoin was born on 4 March 1913 in Paris, France. Jean was a cinematographer, known for The Longest Day (1962), My Uncle (1958) and The Grand Illusion (1937). Jean died on 3 September 1991 in Paris, France.Won for Best Cinematography - The Longest Day (1962)- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Serge Bourguignon was born on 3 September 1928 in Maignelay-Montigny, Oise, Picardie, France. He is a director and writer, known for Sundays and Cybèle (1962), Le sourire (1960) and Two Weeks in September (1967).Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Sundays and Cybele (1962)
Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - Sundays and Cybele (1962)- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Charles Boyer studied philosophy before he went to the theater where he gave his debut in 1920. Although he had at first no intentions to pursue a career at the movies (his first movie was Man of the Sea (1920) by Marcel L'Herbier) he used his chance in Hollywood after several filming stations all over Europe. In the beginning of his career his beautiful voice was hidden by the silent movies but in Hollywood he became famous for his whispered declarations of love (like in movies with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich or Ingrid Bergman). In 1934 he married Pat Paterson, his first and (unusual for a star) only wife. He was so faithful to her that he decided to commit suicide two days after her death in 1978.Nominated for Best Actor - Conquest (1937)
Nominated for Best Actor - Algiers (1938)
Nominated for Best Actor - Gaslight (1944)
Nominated for Best Actor - Fanny (1961)- Writer
- Actor
François Boyer was born on 30 March 1920 in Epernay, Marne, France. He was a writer and actor, known for Forbidden Games (1952), Forbidden Priests (1973) and The Scheming Women (1954). He died on 24 May 2003 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines, France.Nominated for Best Story - Forbidden Games (1952)- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Philippe de Broca born in 1933 worked as an assistant for Claude Chabrol and Francois Truffaut ( "Les 400 coups" aka "The 400 blows" ). From 1960 to 2004 he directed over 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful adventure movies such as "That Man from Rio" (L'Homme de Rio) in 1964 and "Le Magnifique" in 1973, romantic comedies as "Le Cavaleur" in 1979, epics as "Chouans" in 1988 and "On Guard" (Le Bossu) in 1999. His personal favorite film was "King of Hearts" ( Le Roi de Coeur) that he wrote, directed and produced.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - The Man from Rio (1964)- Producer
- Writer
- Production Manager
Didier Brunner is known for The Triplets of Belleville (2003), Ernest & Celestine (2012) and Wolfwalkers (2020).Nominated for Best Animated Feature - Ernest and Celestine (2013)- Director
- Sound Department
- Executive
Nominated for Best Animated Short Film - Garden Party (2017)- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
The work of Marcel Camus is characterized by a lyricism which, although central to his fine films of the 1950s and 60s - Fugitive in Saigon (1957), Black Orpheus (1959) and Love in the Night (1968) - later deteriorated into superficial sentimentality. Camus was a professor of painting and sculpture before breaking into film as an assistant to Alexandre Astruc, Georges Rouquier and Jacques Becker, among others. During this period he made his first film, a short documentary called Renaissance Du Havre (1950). Like many French filmmakers whose first chance to direct a feature came in the postwar era, Camus chose to deal explicitly with the issue of personal sacrifice in the context of war. But unlike most of his colleagues who quite naturally dealt with WWII, Camus took as his subject the war in Indochina. Based on a novel by Jean Hougron, Fugitive in Saigon depicts a village caught between two fronts. Its only possibility of survival involves the destruction of a dam on which it depends. Camus then embarked on three films in collaboration with scenarist Jacques Viot. The first, Black Orpheus, brought him international acclaim. Winner of the 1959 grand prize at Cannes and an Academy Award as best foreign language film, this exotic modern adaptation of the Greek legend portrays its Orpheus (Breno Mello) as a streetcar conductor who meets his Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) and lives out his legendary destiny during the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The next two Camus-Viot collaborations, Os Bandeirantes (1960) and L'oiseau de paradis (1962), were generally well received, but neither lived up to the expectations created by Black Orpheus. Love in the Night (1968), an affecting portrait of nocturnal Paris, proved successful, but Un été sauvage (1970) was generally recognized as an inauthentic and superficial evocation of young people on vacation in Saint-Tropez. Camus then returned to the subject of war, this time with a gentle comedy about a Normandy restaurant owner who becomes a hero of the Resistance in spite of himself. Le mur de l'Atlantique (1970) offered a rich role for comic actor Bourvil, but was essentially a routine commercial product. This unfortunate trend continued with Bahia (1976), and some unexceptional work for French TV.Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Black Orpheus (1959)- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Laurent Cantet was born on 11 April 1961 in Melle, Deux-Sèvres, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Class (2008), Human Resources (1999) and Time Out (2001). He was married to Isabelle Coursin. He died on 25 April 2024 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - The Class (2008)- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Christian Carion was born in a family of farmers in the North of France. Despite nursing a passion for films since he was 13, he travels a scientific path. After passing his baccalauréat, he joins an engineering school affiliated to the french ministry of agriculture, thus answering his family's wishes.
Yet the movies were never far away, and at a point he no longer could hide his wishes to make films. He rented a camera and began shooting films he himself describes as « uninteresting ». At that moment he met Christophe Rossignon. Both men decide there and then to start making movies. Christian Carion will be the film-maker and Christophe Rossignon the producer. And sometimes an actor as in the short film Carion shoots in 1999: Monsieur le député.
In 2001, Christian Carion directs his first feature film: Une hirondelle a fait le printemps (The girl from Paris), the story, an hommage to his upbringing, tells the meeting of a brooding farmer, Michel Serrault, and a parisian girl seeking the calm of the countryside, played by Mathilde Seigner. The movie is a hit, seducing over 2,4 millions of french moviegoers.
The success allows Carion to move on to a more ambitious project, Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas). A movie he had in mind since 1993. Screened in Cannes for the film festival in 2005, this historic movie depicts the fraternizations of warriors on the eve of Christmas during World War I. The movie, a huge public success, was nominated numerous times in the french Cesar and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
Two years later, he filmed another historic movie ; L'affaire Farewell''(Farewell), with Emir Kusturica and Guillaume Canet. A spy movie set in Russia and based on true events.
In 2014 he shot, on the roads of northern France, En mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît (Come what may). Another historical piece about the exodus of millions of people in may 1940, when France was falling apart and the inhabitants of northern France were fleeing the german troops. Written using numerous recollections from the northern people, the movie depicts the quest of a german dissident, looking for his son. The original music was composed by Enio Morricone.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Joyeux Noël (2005)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
French ballet dancer Leslie Caron was discovered by the legendary MGM star Gene Kelly during his search for a co-star in one of the finest musicals ever filmed, the Oscar-winning An American in Paris (1951), which was inspired by and based on the music of George Gershwin. Leslie's gamine looks and pixie-like appeal would be ideal for Cinderella-type rags-to-riches stories, and Hollywood made fine use of it. Combined with her fluid dancing skills, she became one of the top foreign musical artists of the 1950s, while her triple-threat talents as a singer, dancer and actress sustained her long after musical film's "Golden Age" had passed.
Leslie Claire Margaret Caron was born in France on July 1, 1931. Her father, Claude Caron, was a French chemist, and her American-born mother, Margaret Petit, had been a ballet dancer back in the States during the 1920s. Leslie herself began taking dance lessons at age 11. She was on holidays at her grandparents' estate near Grasse when the Allies landed on the 15th of August 1944. After the German rendition, she and her family went to Paris to live. There she attended the Convent of the Assumption and started ballet training. While studying at the National Conservatory of Dance, she appeared at age 14 in "The Pearl Diver," a show for children where she danced and played a little boy. At age 16, she was hired by the renowned Roland Petit to join the Ballet des Champs-Elysees, where she was immediately given solo parts.
Leslie's talent and reputation as a dancer had already been recognized when on opening night of Petit's 1948 ballet "La Rencontre," which was based on the theme of Orpheus and featured the widely-acclaimed dancer 'Jean Babilee', she was seen by then-married Hollywood couple Gene Kelly and Betsy Blair. Leslie did not meet the famed pair at the end of the show that night as the 17-year-old went home dutifully right after her performance, but one year later Kelly remembered Leslie's performance when he returned to Paris in search for a partner for his upcoming movie musical An American in Paris (1951). The rest is history.
Kelly and newcomer Caron's touching performances and elegant and exuberant footwork (especially in the "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "Embraceable You" numbers, as well as the dazzling 17-minute ballet to the title song) had critics and audiences simply enthralled. The film, directed by Vincente Minnelli, won a total of six Oscar awards, including "Best Picture," plus a Golden Globe for "Best Picture in a Musical or Comedy". Leslie was put under a seven-year MGM contract where her luminous skills would also be featured in non-musical showcases.
While Leslie's dramatic mettle was tested as a New Orleans nightclub entertainer opposite Ralph Meeker's boxer in Glory Alley (1952) and as a French governess in The Story of Three Loves (1953), it was as the child-like urchin who falls for a cruel carnival puppeteer (Mel Ferrer) in Lili (1953) that finally lifted Leslie to Academy Award attention. The film, which went on to inspire the Tony-winning Broadway musical "Carnival," earned Leslie not only an Oscar nomination, but the British Film Award for "Best Actress" as well. At her waif-like best once again in the musical Daddy Long Legs (1955), Leslie was paired this time with the "other" MGM male dancing legend Fred Astaire. The story, which unfolded in an appealing Henry Higgins/Eliza Dolittle style, was partly choreographed by Roland Petit, who founded the Ballet des Champs-Elysees, Leslie's former dance company.
While the actress gave poignant life to the ugly-duckling-turned-swan tale, The Glass Slipper (1955), choreographed by Petit and co-starring Britisher Michael Wilding as Prince Charming, Leslie also played a ballerina in love with WWII soldier John Kerr in Gaby (1956), a lukewarm remake of the superior Waterloo Bridge (1940). It took another plush musical classic, Gigi (1958), to remind audiences once again of Leslie's unique, international appeal. Audrey Hepburn, who had played the title part on Broadway, was keen on doing the film, but producer Arthur Freed wrote the part expressly for Leslie. It was also Freed who called up Fred Astaire to suggest her as his leading lady in Gigi (1958). Leslie tried the role out on the London stage prior to doing the film version. The musical wound up receiving nine Academy Awards, including "Best Picture," and Leslie herself was nominated for a Golden Globe as "Best Musical/Comedy Actress".
A few more forgettable film roles came and went until she returned triumphantly in a non-musical adaptation of a highly successful 1954 Broadway musical. The film version of Fanny (1961) was more adult in nature for Leslie and was blessed with gorgeous cinematography, a touching script and the continental flavor of veterans, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Boyer, and Horst Buchholz. At the movie's centerpiece is a child-like Leslie (at age 30!) who is mesmerizing as a young girl with child who is deserted by her sailor/boyfriend. Even more adult in scope was the shattering British drama The L-Shaped Room (1962) wherein the actress plays a pregnant French refugee who is abandoned yet again. She earned her a second British Academy Award and a second Oscar nomination for this superb performance.
On stage in London with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Leslie earned applause in another Audrey Hepburn Broadway vehicle, "Ondine," in 1961. While the mid-1960s and 1970s saw her film career take a Hollywood detour into breezy comedy with a number of lightweight fare opposite the likes of Rock Hudson, Cary Grant and Warren Beatty, she managed to shine with a complex working class mother role in the remarkable Italian film Il padre di famiglia (1967) starring Nino Manfredi and Ugo Tognazzi, and was spotted in the popular crossover film Valentino (1977) starring iconic Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev.
In the 1980s, Leslie appeared in stage productions of "Can-Can", "On Your Toes" and "One for the Tango". She also was invited and accepted to appear on American TV. At the age of 75, the actress won her first Emmy Award with her very moving portrayal of an elderly woman and closeted rape victim in a 2006 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). More recent filming have included Damage (1992) by Louis Malle, Chocolat (2000) by Lasse Hallström, and the Merchant Ivory romantic comedy/drama The Divorce (2003).
Leslie's private life has been more turbulent than expected. She is divorced from the late meat packing heir and musician Geordie Hormel; from avant-garde Royal Shakespeare director Peter Hall, by whom she has two children, Christopher and Jennifer (both of whom have careers in the entertainment field); and from her Chandler (1971) movie producer Michael Laughlin.
One of the few MGM post-musical stars to enjoy a long, lasting and formidable dramatic career, Leslie Caron is still continuing today though on a much more limited basis. In 2008, the actress published her memoirs, "Thank Heaven," later translated to French as "Une Francaise à Hollywood". In 2010, she triumphed on the Chatelet Theater stage in Paris with her portrayal of Madame Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music. More recently the still mesmerizing octogenarian had a recurring role as a countess in the British TV series The Durrells (2016). Over the years, she has received a number of "Life Achievement" awards for her contributions to both film and dance.Nominated for Best Actress - Lili (1953)
Nominated for Best Actress - The L-Shaped Room (1962)- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Jean-Claude Carrière was born on 17 September 1931 in Colombières-sur-Orb, Hérault, France. He was a writer and actor, known for The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990). He was married to Nicole Janin and Nahal Tajadod. He died on 8 February 2021 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)- Visual Effects
- Cinematographer
- Editor
Native of France and a Canadian citizen, Stephane Ceretti started in the VFX industry at Buf Compagnie in Paris in the late nineties. He began working on Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin and numerous commercials before moving into VFX Supervision on Tarsem Singh's The Cell.
Stephane has been involved as VFX Supervisor on major feature films including the Wachowski siblings' Matrix sequels, Oliver Stone's Alexander , Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Batman Begins. He has been overall VFX Supervisor for a few projects at Buf, most notably The Prestige from Oscar nominated Director Christopher Nolan.
Ceretti later joined MPC and Method studios in London where he met with Marvel Studios. It was his start as 2nd VFX Supervisor on the shoot of Joe Johnston's The First Avenger : Captain America that then led to 20th Century Fox Studios' X-Men: First Class and Co-Supervision for Warner Bros.'s Cloud Atlas directed by Lana & Andy Wachovski and Tom Tykwer.
Following his work on Marvel's Thor: The Dark World as a 2nd Unit Supervisor, Stephane joined Marvel's Guardians Of the Galaxy as the main Production VFX Supervisor where his work garnered an Oscar Nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, as well as nominations at the 2015 BAFTAs and Visual Effect Society (VES) Awards.Nominated for Best Visual Effects - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)- Georges Chaperot was born on 24 April 1902 in Brest, Finistère, France. He was a writer, known for The Chorus (2004), A Cage of Nightingales (1945) and Vacances payées (1938). He died on 16 July 1970 in Montargis, Loiret, France.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - A Cage of Nightingales (1945)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Benoît Charest was born in 1964 in Canada. He is a composer and actor, known for The Triplets of Belleville (2003), Upside Down (2012) and Polytechnique (2009).Nominated for Best Original Song - The Triplets of Belleville (2003)- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Nicolas Chartier, the Academy Award-winning producer of The Hurt Locker, has been involved in the financing, production and distribution of over five hundred films. In 2005, he founded Voltage Pictures, the Los Angeles-based international financing, sales and production operation.
The Hurt Locker was Voltage's first in-house production and won six Academy Awards in 2009, including Best Picture. Killer Joe was Voltage's second production, directed by William Friedkin and starring Matthew McConaughey. In 2013, Nicolas executive produced Dallas Buyers Club, for which Matthew McConaughey won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor. He also produced The Company You Keep, directed by Robert Redford and starring Robert Redford and Shia LaBeouf, The Zero Theorem directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Christoph Waltz; Don Jon, directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, starring Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore; Good Kill, directed by Andrew Niccol, starring Ethan Hawke; Fathers and Daughters, starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried and Aaron Paul; I.T. starring Pierce Brosnan and is an executive producer on A Tale of Love and Darkness, written, directed by and starring Natalie Portman and was an official selection at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Recent movies include I Feel Pretty starring Amy Schumer and Michelle Williams, which grossed nearly $100 million worldwide; Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron and Lily Collins, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film festival; After starring Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and based on the worldwide best-seller from Anna Todd, and Eve starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, John Malkovich, Common and Geena Davis, which is currently in post-production.
Past films produced by Chartier also include Colossal starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis and Family Man starring Gerard Butler which both premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. He was also executive producer on Taylor Sheridan's directorial debut Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival which took over $45 million in worldwide box office.
Prior to forming Voltage Pictures, Chartier held various executive level sales and acquisitions roles where he championed the sale of titles including the international box office phenomenon My Big Fat Greek Weddingand Paul Haggis' Academy Award-winning film, Crash.Won for Best Picture - The Hurt Locker (2008)- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Maurice Chevalier's first working job was as an acrobat, until a serious accident ended that career. He turned his talents to singing and acting, and made several short films in France. During World War I he enlisted in the French army. He was wounded in battle, captured and placed in a POW camp by the Germans. During his captivity he learned English from fellow prisoners. After the war he returned to the film business, and when "talkies" came into existence, Chevalier traveled to the US to break into Hollywood. In 1929 he was paired with operatic singer/actress Jeanette MacDonald to make The Love Parade (1929). Although Chevalier was attracted to the beautiful MacDonald and made several passes at her, she rejected him firmly, as she had designs on actor Gene Raymond, who she eventually married. He did not take rejection lightly, being a somewhat vain man who considered himself quite a catch, and derided MacDonald as a "prude". She, in turn, called him "the quickest derrière pincher in Hollywood". They made three more pictures together, the most successful being Love Me Tonight (1932). In the late 1930s he returned to Europe, making several films in France and England. World War II interrupted his career and he was dogged by accusations of collaboration with the Nazi authorities occupying France, but he was later vindicated. In the 1950s he returned to Hollywood, older and gray-headed. He made Gigi (1958), from which he took his signature songs, "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" and "I Remember it Well". He also received a special Oscar that year. In the 1960s he made a few more films, and in 1970 he sang the title song for Walt Disney's The Aristocats (1970). This marked his last contribution to the film industry.Nominated for Best Actor - The Love Parade (1929)
Nominated for Best Actor - The Big Pond (1930)- Director
- Writer
- Animation Department
Sylvain Chomet was born on 10 November 1963 in Maisons-Laffitte, Seine-et-Oise [now Yvelines, Île-de-France], France. He is a director and writer, known for The Triplets of Belleville (2003), The Illusionist (2010) and Paris, I Love You (2006).Nominated for Best Animated Short - The Old Lady and the Pigeons (1997)
Nominated for Best Animated Feature - The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
Nominated for Best Original Song - The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
Nominated for Best Animated Feature - The Illusionist (2010)- Writer
- Director
- Producer
René Clair was born on 11 November 1898 in Paris, France. He was a writer and director, known for Man About Town (1947), Beauties of the Night (1952) and The Grand Maneuver (1955). He was married to Bronia Clair. He died on 15 March 1981 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - The Gates of Paris (1957)- Director
- Writer
- Actor
René Clément was one of the leading French directors of the post-World War II era. He directed what are regarded as some of the greatest films of the time, such as The Battle of the Rails (1946), Forbidden Games (1952) and The Day and the Hour (1963). He was later almost forgotten as a director. He was back in public attention briefly when his epic Is Paris Burning? (1966) (with an all-star cast of famous actors) was released in 1966, but it was much criticized.
During the 1960s and 1970s Clement directed a number of unnoticed international productions, always with his usual brio and technical virtuosity. Indeed, what characterizes most of his films is how, even to serve sometimes very unexceptional scripts, the directing is always breathtakingly original, inventive, featuring technical virtuosity and the use of special effects. When a remarkable script is associated with these qualities, a film such as Forbidden Games (1952) is the result: the masterpiece of a lifetime. I think we can say that René Clément was one of the most unlucky talented filmmakers who existed, but unfortunate career choices damaged his legacy.
He died in March 1996.Won for Best Foreign Language Film - The Walls of Malapaga (1949)
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Gervaise (1956)- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Maurice Cloche was born on 17 June 1907 in Commercy, Meuse, France. He was a director and writer, known for L'invité de la onzième heure (1945), Monsieur Vincent (1947) and La cage aux filles (1949). He died on 20 March 1990 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France.Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Monsieur Vincent (1947)- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Ghislain Cloquet was born on 18 April 1924 in Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Tess (1979), Love and Death (1975) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). He was married to Sonia Salvy-Matossian and Sophie Becker. He died on 2 November 1981 in Montainville, Yvelines, France.Won for Best Cinematography - Tess (1979)- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Beginning his film career as a screenwriter, Henri-Georges Clouzot switched over to directing and in 1943 had the distinction of having his film The Raven (1943) banned by both the German forces occupying France and the Free French forces fighting them, but for different reasons. He shot to international fame with The Wages of Fear (1953) and consolidated that success with Diabolique (1955), but continuous ill health caused large gaps in his output, and several projects had to be abandoned (though one, Hell (1994), was subsequently filmed by Claude Chabrol). His films are typically relentless suspense thrillers, similar to Alfred Hitchcock's but with far less light relief.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - The Truth (1960)- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Pierre-Louis Padang Coffin is a French animator, voice actor, director, producer, and writer best known for co-directing four films in the Despicable Me franchise and being the voice of the Minions, which won him the Kids Family Award at the 10th Seiyu Awards. Coffin was born in 1967 in France to Yves Coffin, a French diplomat, and Nh. Dini, an Indonesian novelist. He has a sister, Marie-Claire. During his childhood, they moved a lot across Asia, living in Cambodia and Japan, before settling in a Parisian suburb in the 1970s. Growing up, their father forbade them watching television, considering it too passive. Instead, Coffin drew, read, and listened to music a lot. Although he never considered a career in arts, some talented friends, who were better than him at drawing, inspired him to improve his skills.Nominated for Best Animated Feature - Despicable Me 2 (2013)- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the brightest film stars to grace the screen was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin on September 13, 1903, in Saint Mandé, France where her father owned a bakery at 57, rue de la République (now Avenue Général de Gaulle). The family moved to the United States when she was three. As Claudette grew up, she wanted nothing more than to play to Broadway audiences (in those days, any actress or actor worth their salt went for Broadway, not Hollywood). After her formal education ended, she enrolled in the Art Students League, where she paid for her dramatic training by working in a dress shop. She made her Broadway debut in 1923 in the stage production of "The Wild Wescotts". It was during this event that she adopted the name Claudette Colbert.
When the Great Depression shut down most of the theaters, Claudette decided to make a go of it in films. Her first film was called For the Love of Mike (1927). Unfortunately, it was a box-office disaster. She wasn't real keen on the film industry, but with an extreme scarcity in theatrical roles, she had no choice but to remain. In 1929 she starred as Joyce Roamer in The Lady Lies (1929). The film was a success and later that year she had another hit entitled The Hole in the Wall (1929). In 1930 she starred opposite Fredric March in Manslaughter (1930), which was a remake of the silent version of eight years earlier. A year after that Claudette was again paired in a film with March, Honor Among Lovers (1931). It fared well at the box-office, probably only because it was the kind of film that catered to women who enjoyed magazine fiction romantic stories. In 1932 Claudette played the evil Poppeia in Cecil B. DeMille's last great work, The Sign of the Cross (1932), and once again was cast with March. Later the same year she was paired with Jimmy Durante in The Phantom President (1932). By now Claudette's name symbolized good movies and she, along with March, pulled crowds into the theaters with the acclaimed Tonight Is Ours (1933).
The next year started a little on the slow side with the release of Four Frightened People (1934), where Claudette and her co-stars were at odds with the dreaded bubonic plague on board a ship. However, the next two films were real gems for this young actress. First up, Claudette was charming and radiant in Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular Cleopatra (1934). It wasn't one of DeMille's finest by any means, but it was a financial success and showcased Claudette as never before. However, it was as Ellie Andrews, in the now famous It Happened One Night (1934), that ensured she would be forever immortalized. Paired with Clark Gable, the madcap comedy was a mega-hit all across the country. It also resulted in Claudette being nominated for and winning the Oscar that year for Best Actress. IN 1935 she was nominated again for Private Worlds (1935), where she played Dr. Jane Everest, on the staff at a mental institution. The performance was exquisite. Films such as The Gilded Lily (1935), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) and No Time for Love (1943) kept fans coming to the theaters and the movie moguls happy. Claudette was a sure drawing card for virtually any film she was in. In 1944 she starred as Anne Hilton in Since You Went Away (1944). Again, although she didn't win, Claudette picked up her third nomination for Best Actress.
By the late 1940s and early 1950s she was not only seen on the screen but the infant medium of television, where she appeared in a number of programs. However, her drawing power was fading somewhat as new stars replaced the older ones. In 1955 she filmed the western Texas Lady (1955) and wasn't seen on the screen again until Parrish (1961). It was her final silver screen performance. Her final appearance before the cameras was in a TV movie, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987). She did, however, remain on the stage where she had returned in 1956, her first love. After a series of strokes, Claudette divided her time between New York and Barbados. On July 30, 1996, Claudette died in Speightstown, Barbados. She was 92.Won for Best Actress - It happened one night (1934)
Nominated for Best Actress - Private Worlds (1935)
Nominated for Best Actress - Since you went away (1944)- Make-Up Department
Martial Corneville is known for 101 Dalmatians (1996), Hillbilly Elegy (2020) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).Nominated for Best Makeup - Albert Nobbs (2011)- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Costa-Gavras was born on 12 February 1933 in Loutra-Iraias, Greece. He is a director and writer, known for Z (1969), Missing (1982) and Amen. (2002). He has been married to Michèle Ray-Gavras since 1968. They have two children.Nominated for Best Picture - Z (1969)
Nominated for Best Director - Z (1969)
Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - Z (1969)
Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Z (1969)
Won for Best Adapted Screenplay - Missing (1982)- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard was born on September 30, 1975 in Paris. Cotillard is the daughter of Jean-Claude Cotillard, an actor, playwright and director, and Niseema Theillaud, an actress and drama teacher. Her father's family is from Brittany.
Raised in Orléans, France, she made her acting debut as a child with a role in one of her father's plays. She studied drama at the Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique in Orléans. After small appearances and performances in theater, Cotillard had occasional and minor roles in TV series such as Highlander (1992) and Extrême limite (1994), but her career as a film actress began in the mid-1990s. While still a teenager, Cotillard made her cinema debut at the age of 18 in the film L'histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse (1994), and had small but noticeable roles in films such as Arnaud Desplechin's My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument (1996) and Coline Serreau's comedy The Green Planet (1996).
In 1996, she had her first lead role in the TV film Chloé (1996), playing the title role - a teenage runaway who is forced into prostitution. Cotillard co-starred opposite Anna Karina, the muse of the Nouvelle Vague.
In 1997, she won her first film award at the Festival Rencontres Cinématographiques d'Istres in France, for her performance as the young imprisoned Nathalie in the short film Affaire classée (1997). Her first prominent screen role was Lilly Bertineau in Gérard Pirès's box-office hit Taxi (1998), a role which she reprised in two sequels: Taxi 2 (2000) and Taxi 3 (2003), this role earned her first César award nomination (France's equivalent to the Oscar) for Most Promising Actress in 1999.
In 1999, Cotillard starred as Julie Bonzon in the Swiss war drama War in the Highlands (1998). For her performance in the film, she won the Best Actress award at the Autrans Film Festival in France. In 2001, Marion starred in Pretty Things (2001) as the twin sisters Marie and Lucie, and was nominated for her second César award for Most Promising Actress.
Cotillard's breakthrough in France came in 2003, when she starred in Yann Samuell's dark romantic comedy Love Me If You Dare (2003), in which she played Sophie Kowalsky, the daughter of Polish immigrants who lives a love-hate relationship with her childhood friend. The film was a box-office hit in France, became a cult film abroad and led Cotillard to bigger projects.
Her first Hollywood movie was Tim Burton's Big Fish (2003), in which she played Joséphine, the wife of William Bloom (played by Billy Crudup). A few years later, Marion starred in Ridley Scott's A Good Year (2006) playing Fanny Chenal, a French café owner who falls in love with Russell Crowe's character. In 2004, she won the Chopard Thophy of Female Revelation at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, Cotillard won the César award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance of Tina Lombardi in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement (2004).
In 2007, Cotillard received international recognition for her iconic portrayal of Édith Piaf in La Vie En Rose (2007). Director Olivier Dahan cast Cotillard to play the legendary French singer because to him, her eyes were like those of "Piaf". The fact that she can sing also helped Cotillard land the role of "Piaf", although most of the singing in the film is that of Piaf's. The role won Cotillard the Academy Award for Best Actress along with a César, a Lumière Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe. That made her only the second actress to win an acting Oscar performing in a language other than English next to Sophia Loren (Two Women (1960)). Only two male performers (Roberto Benigni for Life Is Beautiful (1997) and Robert De Niro for The Godfather Part II (1974)) have won an Oscar for solely non-English parts. Trevor Nunn called her portrayal of "Piaf" "one of the greatest performances on film ever". At the Berlin International Film Festival, where the film premiered, Cotillard was given a 15-minute standing ovation. When she won the César, Alain Delon presented the award and announced the winner as "La Môme Marion" (The Kid Marion), he also praised her at the stage saying: "Marion, I give you this César. I think this César is for a great great actress, and I know what I'm talking about".
Cotillard has worked much more frequently in English-language movies following her Academy Award recognition. In 2009, she acted opposite Johnny Depp in Michael Mann's Public Enemies (2009), and later that year played Luisa Contini in Rob Marshall's musical Nine (2009) and received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Time magazine ranked her as the fifth best performance by a female in 2009. The following year, she took on the main antagonist role, Mal, in Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010), and in 2011 she had memorable parts in Midnight in Paris (2011) and Contagion (2011) and reteamed with Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
In 2011 and 2012 respectively, Cotillard appeared on the top of Le Figaro's list of the highest paid actors in France, it was the first time in nine years that a female topped the list. Cotillard was also the highest paid foreign actress in Hollywood.
In 2012, Cotillard received wide-spread critical acclaim for her role as the legless orca trainer Stéphanie in Rust and Bone (2012). The film was a box office hit in France and received a ten-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. Cotillard won the Globe de Cristal (France's equivalent to the Golden Globe), the Étoile d'Or award and was nominated for the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA, Critics' Choice and César Awards for her performance in the film. Cate Blanchett wrote an op-ed for Variety praising Cotillard's performance in "Rust and Bone", the two actresses competed for the Academy Awards for Best Actress in 2008, Cate was nominated for her performance in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) and Marion for her performance in La Vie En Rose (2007) and Cotillard won the Oscar.
She had her first leading role in an American movie in 2013, in James Gray's The Immigrant (2013), in which she played Ewa Cybulska, a Polish immigrant who wants to experience the American dream. Cotillard received wide-spread acclaim for her performance in the film at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, where the film premiered, and also won several critics awards. In 2014, Cotillard played Sandra in the Belgian film Two Days, One Night (2014) by the Dardenne brothers. Her performance was unanimously praised at the 67th Cannes Film Festival, earned several critics awards, Cotillard won her first European Award for Best Actress and also received her second Oscar nomination and her sixth César award nomination.
In 2015, she played Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender in Justin Kurzel's Macbeth (2015) and voiced two animated movies: The Little Prince (2015) in which she voiced The Rose, and April and the Extraordinary World (2015), in which she voiced the lead role, Avril. Her 2016 included Nicole Garcia's From the Land of the Moon (2016), Xavier Dolan's It's Only the End of the World (2016), Justin Kurzel's Assassin's Creed (2016), in which she worked again with her Macbeth co-star Michael Fassbender; and Robert Zemeckis's Allied (2016), with Brad Pitt.Won for Best Actress - La Vie en Rose (2007)
Nominated for Best Actress - Two Days, One Night (2014)- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Bruno Coulais was born on 13 January 1954 in Paris, France. He is a composer and actor, known for The Chorus (2004), Wolfwalkers (2020) and Winged Migration (2001).Nominated for Best Original Song - The Chorus (2004)- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910, in Saint-André-de-Cubzac (Gironde) in France. He entered the naval academy in 1930, was graduated and became a gunnery officer. Then, while he was training to be a pilot, a serious car accident ended his aviation career. In order to rehabilitate his body, he was told to swim regularly in the Mediterranean. In 1936, near the port of Toulon, he went swimming underwater with goggles for the first time and his life was changed forever. Seeking a way to explore underwater longer than a single lung-full of air would allow, he partnered with an engineer Emile Gagnan to co-invent the Aqualung, what became known as Scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) in 1943, and the world was changed forever. Now, for the first time, people could explore the ocean freely. After World War II, Cousteau, along with naval officer Philippe Tailliez and diver Frédéric Dumas, became known as the " mousquemers " (musketeers of the sea) as they carried out diving experiments. In 1950, he converted a former wooden hulled minesweeper called Calypso into an oceanographic vessel, equipped with instruments for diving and scientific research. In 1953 Jacques released a book called The Silent World. Three years later in 1956, Jacques along with his co-director, a young Louis Malle, turned the book into a film also called The Silent World. It was a global phenomenon winning a Palm D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956 and an Academy Award that same year as well. In 1964 he won his second Academy Award with the film World Without Sun. In 1968, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau was launched on ABC in the United States and became a worldwide sensation. Through more than 115 television films and 50 books, Captain Cousteau opened up the wonder and mystery of the oceans to millions of households. During this time he was joined by his youngest son Philippe Cousteau Sr. who went on to direct, produce and film 26 episodes of the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau as well as his own 6-part series Oasis in Space. Throughout his career, Jacques received numerous honors and awards for his work. On April 19, 1961, President John F. Kennedy presented the National Geographic Society's Gold Medal to Captain Jacques Cousteau. He was also recognized as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his service in the French Résistance during WWII. He was the Director of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco for thirty years as well as a member of the US Academy of Sciences. In 1977, the United Nations awarded him the International Environmental Prize. He received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. Then, in 1988, he was inscribed in the UN Environmental Programme's Global 500 Roll of Honor of Environmental Protection and received the National Geographic Society's Centennial Award. Then in 1989 he was elected to the Académie Française. In 1990 he launched a worldwide petition campaign to save Antarctica from mineral exploitation. His effort was successful when nations from around the world agreed to the protection of Antarctica from all exploitation. Captain Cousteau died on June 25, 1997, at the age of 87Won for Best Documentary Feature - The Silent World (1956)
Won for Best Documentary Feature - World Without Sun (1964)- Cinematographer
- Director
- Actor
Raoul Coutard was born on 16 September 1924 in Paris, France. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Hoa Binh (1970), Alphaville (1965) and Z (1969). He died on 8 November 2016 in Labenne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Hoa-Binh (1970)- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Set Decorator
Jean d'Eaubonne was born on 8 March 1903 in Talence, Gironde, France. He was a production designer and art director, known for Charade (1963), La Ronde (1950) and The Earrings of Madame De... (1953). He died on 27 July 1971 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France.Nominated for Best Art Direction - La Ronde (1950)- Producer
- Writer
- Production Manager
Marcello Danon was born on 3 October 1920 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was a producer and writer, known for The Birdcage (1996), La Cage aux Folles (1978) and Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971). He died on 21 January 1997 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - La Cage aux Folles (1978)- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Special Effects
Rosine Delamare was born on 11 June 1911 in Colombes, Seine [now Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France], France. She was a costume designer, known for Rififi (1955), The Day of the Jackal (1973) and The Earrings of Madame De... (1953). She died on 17 March 2013 in Paris, France.Nominated foe Best Costume Design - The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Bruno Delbonnel was born in 1957 in Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. He is a cinematographer and director, known for The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), A Very Long Engagement (2004) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).Nominated for Best Cinematography - Amélie (2001)
Nominated for Best Cinematography - A Very Long Engagement (2004)
Nominated for Best Cinematography - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Nominated for Best Cinematography - Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Nominated for Best Cinematography - Darkest Hour (2017)- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Georges Delerue was born on 12 March 1925 in Roubaix, Nord, France. He was a composer and actor, known for Platoon (1986), Twins (1988) and The Day of the Dolphin (1973). He was married to Micheline Gautron. He died on 20 March 1992 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Nominated for Best Original Score - Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Nominated for Best Original Dramatic Score - The Day of the Dolphin (1973)
Nominated for Best Original Score - Julia (1977)
Nominated for Best Original Score - Agnes of God (1985)- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Julie Delpy was born in Paris, France, in 1969 to Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet, both actors.
She was first featured in Jean-Luc Godard's Detective (1985) at the age of fourteen. She has starred in many American and European productions since then, including Disney's The Three Musketeers (1993), Killing Zoe (1993), Three Colors: White (1994), and the "Before" series, alongside Ethan Hawke: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013).
She graduated from NYU's film school, and wrote and directed the short film Blah Blah Blah (1995), which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. She is a resident of Los Angeles.Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - Before Sunset (2004)
Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay - Before Midnight (2013)- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Richard Dembo was born on 24 May 1948 in Paris, France. He was a writer and director, known for Dangerous Moves (1984), Nina's House (2005) and L'instinct de l'ange (1993). He died on 10 November 2004 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France.Won for Best Foreign Language Film - Dangerous Moves (1984)- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Jacques Demy was born on 5 June 1931 in Pontchâteau, Loire-Atlantique, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) and A Room in Town (1982). He was married to Agnès Varda. He died on 27 October 1990 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Nominated for Best Original Song - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Nominated for Best Original Score - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Nominated for Best Adaptation or Treatment Score - The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)- Actress
- Producer
- Talent Agent
Catherine Fabienne Deneuve was born October 22, 1943 in Paris, France, to actor parents Renée Simonot and Maurice Dorléac. She made her movie debut in 1957, when she was barely a teenager and continued with small parts in minor films, until Roger Vadim gave her a meatier role in Vice and Virtue (1963). Her breakthrough came with the excellent musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), in which she gave an unforgettable performance as a romantic middle-class girl who falls in love with a young soldier but gets imprisoned in a loveless marriage with another man; the director was the gifted Jacques Demy, who also cast Deneuve in the less successful The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). She then played a schizophrenic killer in Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965) and a married woman who works as a part-time prostitute every afternoon in Luis Buñuel's masterpiece Belle de Jour (1967). She also worked with Buñuel in Tristana (1970) and gave a great performance for François Truffaut in Mississippi Mermaid (1969), a kind of apotheosis of her "frigid femme fatale" persona. In the seventies she didn't find parts of that caliber, but her magnificent work in Truffaut's The Last Metro (1980) as a stage actress in Nazi-occupied Paris revived her career. She was also very good in the epic drama Indochine (1992), for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination (Best Actress). Although the elegant and always radiant Deneuve has never appeared on stage, she is universally hailed as one of the "grandes dames" of French cinema, joining a list that includes such illustrious talents as Simone Signoret, Jeanne Moreau, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani and the younger Juliette Binoche.Nominated for Best Actress - Indochine (1992)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Gérard Depardieu was born in Châteauroux, Indre, France, to Anne Jeanne Josèphe (Marillier) and René Maxime Lionel Depardieu, who was a metal worker and fireman. Young delinquent and wanderer in the past, Depardieu started his acting career at the small traveling theatre "Café de la Gare", along with Patrick Dewaere and Miou-Miou. After minor roles in cinema, at last, he got his chance in Bertrand Blier's Going Places (1974). That film established a new type of hero in the French cinema and the actor's popularity grew enormously. Later, he diversified his screen image and became the leading French actor of the 80s and 90s. He was twice awarded a César as Best Actor for The Last Metro (1980) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), also received an Oscar nomination for "Cyrano" and a number of awards at international film festivals. In 1996, he was distinguished by the highest French title of "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur". He married Elisabeth Depardieu in 1971, and they divorced in 1996; she appeared with him in Jean de Florette (1986) and Manon of the Spring (1986); their children Guillaume Depardieu and Julie Depardieu are both actors.Nominated for Best Actor - Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Composer and conductor Alexandre Desplat, Oscar winner and seven-time Academy Award nominated, for his prolific filmography and his collaborations with Stephen Frears, Terrence Malick, Ang Lee, Kathryn Bigelow, Jacques Audiard, Wes Anderson, Roman Polanski, George Clooney or Matteo Garrone is one of the most worthy heirs of the French masters of film music.
Brought up in a cultural and musical mix thanks to his Greek mother and his French father who studied and got married in California, he grew up listening to French symphonists, Ravel or Debussy , world music and jazz.
He studied piano and trumpet before choosing the flute as the main instrument. As a free auditor in Claude Ballif's analysis class at the CNSM, he enriches his classical musical education by studying Brazilian and African music. He will record later with Carlinhos Brown or Ray Lema.
Passionate about film music, it's as much his musical sensitivity as his intimate approach to cinematographic language that will allow his privileged relationship with filmmakers. Inspired by the scores of Maurice Jarre, Bernard Herrmann, Nino Rota or Georges Delerue, it is after hearing the score of John Williams for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) that he decides to compose exclusively for the big screen.
During the recording of his first feature film he meets violinist Dominique Lemonnier. This is the beginning of an exceptional artistic exchange as she becomes her favorite soloist, artistic director and wife. With his strong sense of interpretation, his creative spirit and his singular violin playing, Solré inspired Alexandre's compositions, influencing his music in depth, initiating a new way of writing for the strings in the cinema.
Collaborator of Jacques Audiard since his first film, he creates for his works strong and singular compositions and he won in 2005 for The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) the Silver Bear of the Berlinale, and his first Caesar. He works in France with Philippe de Broca and Francis Girod but Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) of Peter Webber, his 50th score for the film, he gets a first Golden Globe nomination and BAFTA and began his rise in Hollywood. Leading American career and European collaborations and remaining faithful to his directors, he composes among others Syriana (2005)'s scores of Stephen Gaghan, Birth (2004) of Jonathan Glazer, Coco Before Chanel (2009) by Anne Fontaine, Army of Crime (2009) by Robert Guédiguian, The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (2008) by Jérôme Salle, Intimate Enemies (2007) or Hostage (2005) by Florent-Emilio Siri.
Prizes and collaborations with the greatest directors follow one another. In 2007, he received his first Oscar nomination for Stephen Frears's The Queen (2006) and won his first European Film Award. The same year, he won the Golden Globe, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, and the World Soundtrack Award for John Curran's score The Painted Veil (2006), performed by pianist Láng Lang. He composed in 2008 for Lust, Caution (2007) by Ang Lee and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) by David Fincher which will earn him a second Oscar nomination and a fourth Golden Globes and BAFTA nomination.
With his score for The Ghost Writer (2010) by Roman Polanski, he won in 2010 a second César and a second European Film Award. The same year he wrote the music of The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) by Chris Weitz, whose album was a platinum record, and Tom Hooper's The King's Speech (2010) for which he won the BAFTA, the Grammy Award, and was nominated for the fourth time at the Oscars and for the fifth time at the Golden Globes.
In 2010-2011 he wrote the music of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) which became the third greatest success of all time. He composed in 2011 nine partitions, The Tree of Life (2011) of Terrence Malick, Carnage (2011) by Roman Polanski, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) by George Clooney , which earned him another Oscar nomination, The Well-Digger's Daughter (2011) by Daniel Auteuil and The Ides of March (2011) by George Clooney.
In 2012 he worked with Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Matteo Garrone for Reality (2012), Gilles Bourdos for Renoir (2012), Jérôme Salle for Zulu (2013), George Clooney for Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and Jacques Audiard for Rust and Bone (2012) for which he won a third Cesar. For his score of Argo (2012) of Ben Affleck, Oscar for Best Picture, it is named for the sixth time BAFTA, and for the fifth time at the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
He signed in 2013 the partition The Monuments Men (2014) from George Clooney, Venus in Fur (2013) of Roman Polanski, and was appointed to the BAFTAs and the Oscars for Philomena (2013) of Stephen Frears.
In 2014 he composed the music Godzilla (2014) of Gareth Edwards, and receives exceptional fact, two Oscar nominations for The Imitation Game (2014) of Morten Tyldum and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) by George Clooney, for which he won a BAFTA, Grammy and Oscar.
Member of the jury of the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, he became in 2014 the first composer President of the jury of the Venice Film Festival. Crowning long years of collaboration, he directed the London Symphony Orchestra in December 2014 for a concert of his works at the Barbican Theater in London.
In 2018, Alexandre Desplat received a second Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for The Shape of Water (2017) of Guillermo del Toro.Nominated for Best Original Score - The Queen (2006)
Nominated for Best Original Score - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Nominated for Best Original Score - Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Nominated for Best Original Score - The King's Speech (2010)
Nominated for Best Original Score - Argo (2012)
Nominated for Best Original Score - Philomena (2013)
Won for Best Original Score - The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Nominated for Best Original Score - The Imitation Game (2014)
Won for Best Original Score - The Shape of Water (2017)- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
He grew up in Normandy. After finishing primary school, Dior moved with his parents to Paris, where he attended the Ecole de Sciences Politiques. After graduating from high school and training as a diplomat, Dior opened an art gallery in Paris in 1928, which quickly made a name for himself in the city's select art circles. Dior was also artistically active with numerous drawings and illustrations. From 1931 onwards, he created his first fashion creations in the form of hat sketches commissioned by the magazine "Le Figaro Illustré". In 1937, Dior expanded his field of activity to design the first women's models (costumes, coats, shoes). In 1938, Dior became a designer at "Piquet" and in 1940 he moved to "Lelong" as chief designer. After German troops invaded France in 1940, the designer fled to southern France from the occupiers until the end of the war in 1945.
With the financial help of a wealthy friend of the Boussac family, on December 16, 1946, he moved into a studio on Avenue Montaigne in Paris, where the flagship store of the Dior brand is still located today. His first collection was published on February 12, 1947. Shortly afterwards, Dior founded his own fashion house under the label "Christian Dior", which launched the perfume "Miss Dior" on the market that same year. He celebrated his greatest successes in the same year with his design of the "New Look" in America. The "New Look" term was coined by Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of "Harpers Bazaar" at the time. These creations consisted of feminine, figure-hugging dress tops with round shoulders and a wide, swinging skirt. Furthermore, Dior set completely new accents with color-coordinated accessories, such as a delicate hat and cane umbrella, which made him the groundbreaking couturier of his time. The "New Look" designs became popular under the name "Ligne Corolle" or "Bellflower Line".
After these successes in the USA, Dior founded "Christian Dior New York Inc." in 1949, which was also represented at ready-to-wear shows in Paris under this name. In the same year, 1949, the designer also presented his first fashion show in Hamburg. From 1947 to 1950 he employed Pierre Cardin as a tailor. In 1951 he introduced the "Dior" trademark for worldwide distribution of his production under license. Dior made the young Yves Saint Laurent his assistant in 1953. In 1955 Dior founded "Christian Dior London Ltd." into life. After the "New Look" a changed line appeared every season. The "Tulip Line" was created in 1953 to 1954, the "H Line" in 1954 to 1955, the "A Line" in the summer of 1955 and the "Arrow Line" in 1956 to 1957. In April 1957 he was the first fashion designer to appear on the cover of the US "Time Magazine". Dior was considered the most influential couturier in the world.
After a heart attack, Christian Dior died on October 24, 1957 in the Italian spa town of Montecatini at the age of just 52. Saint Laurent posthumously became Dior's successor as chief designer of the House of Dior in 1957.Nominated for Best Costume Design - Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953)- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Actor
The diversified costumes of designer Jean-Pierre Dorléac have enlightened audiences worldwide with their visual concept of the 18th and 19th centuries; provided them with an accurate and honest visual history of this century and our present day; and propelled them into the futuristic galaxies of tomorrow, ... all filled with details of authenticity. Dorléac's prolific career in costume design has encompassed feature films, television, theater, rock-videos and private couture. His provocative and challenging creations range from the exotic rags and tatters assembled for The Blue Lagoon (1980), the mad, institutional designs for the West Coast premier stage production of Peter Weiss' "Marat/Sade". The gallantry and pageantry of the American Revolutionary War was seen in the television movie, The Bastard (1978), earning Dorléac his first Emmy nomination, followed by its sequel, _"Rebels, The" (1979) (mini)_. The beauty and romanticism of turn-of-the-century America, has been honestly captured in a quartet of films that include Horton Foote's Lily Dale (1996); the biographical films, Mae West (1982), and A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story (1994); and finally, Somewhere in Time (1980), the feature that garnered him an Academy Award nomination. His depiction of the South Pacific in the 30's was nominated for an Emmy for Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982), while the 40's were explored in another woman's biographical film, Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982). The 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's costumes for the NBC series, Quantum Leap (1989) were Emmy nominated for four consecutive years for their factual depiction of the quaternion. The enduring Heart and Souls (1993), showed us San Francisco in the late 50's and present day, while Universal's feature, Leave It to Beaver (1997) gave us a 'today', reminiscent of the late 50's. His striking creations for the cover of NEW YORK magazine caused a fashion media frenzy and the beguilingly-styled, high-tech Bond-ish glamour, Elizabeth Hurley wore in the television special, "THE WORLD OF JAMES BOND" was 'simply drop-dead', so said television's EXTRA. Fantasy and science-fiction have been represented through the punk, sociopathic madness of Max Headroom (1987); the vampy, cartoonish camp of _Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)_; and the Emmy Award winning simplicity of the retro, look-into-the-future of Battlestar Galactica (1978). Dorléac's collection of work has been exhibited world wide. Benefits for AIDS Project Los Angeles have celebrated his designs, as well as the Mannequins Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Southern California with fashion shows. The Los Angeles County Museum of Arts showcased his costumes in their exhibition and book, "HOLLYWOOD AND HISTORY: COSTUME DESIGN IN FILM", as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; La Palais de la Civilization, Montreal, Canada; and La Place Vendôme, Paris, France.Nominated for Best Costume Design - Somewhere in Time (1980)- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Bastien Dubois is known for Souvenir, souvenir (2020), Cargo Cult (2013) and Madagascar, a Journey Diary (2010).Nominated for Best Animated Short Film - Madagascar, a Journey Diary (2009)- Art Department
- Production Designer
- Set Decorator
Hélène Dubreuil was born on 14 May 1967 in France. She is a production designer and set decorator, known for Midnight in Paris (2011), Inception (2010) and Paris, I Love You (2006).Nominated for Best Art Direction - Midnight in Paris (2011)- Sound Department
Jean-Louis Ducarme is known for Sorcerer (1977), The Exorcist (1973) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).Nominated for Best Sound Mixing - Sorcerer (1977)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
In 1995 he began his first one man show, the same year he met Bruno Salomone, Eric Collado, Emmanuel Joucla and Eric Massot with whom he created the "Nous Ç Nous". In 1999, he became "Loulou" in Un gars, une fille (1999). This part permitted him to show his talent to a larger public. Since the end of "Un gars, une fille" in 2003, he has appeared in many films.Won for Best Actor - The Artist (2011)- Writer
- Director
- Actress
Ms. Duras was born in southern Vietnam and lost her father at age 4. The family savings of 20 years bought the family a small plot in Cambodia, but everything was lost in a single season's flooding. The disaster killed her mother as a result. After high school in Saigon, Ms. Duras left Indochina to study law in Paris. As a young woman, she worked as a secretary in France's Ministry of Colonies from 1935 to 1941, before becoming a writer. She wrote 34 novels from 1943 to 1993, and became an enduring part of Paris's intellectual elite. In addition to her writing, she also directed about 16 films. For the film India Song (1975), she won France's Cinema Academy Grand Prix. She claimed to have rescued French president François Mitterand during World War II, when he was a resistance fighter and remained a friend and unconditional campaigner. Her most noted novel is "L'Amant", the story of a girl, from a poor French family in Indochina, who becomes the mistress of a wealthy Indochinese notable's son.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - Hiroshima, My Love (1959)- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Robert Enrico studied in Toulon and then in Paris where he graduated from Lycée Voltaire. He later enrolled in the famous film school IDHEC where he specialized in editing and directing. Until 1956 he was an active member of the Sorbonne's medieval group "Les Théophiliens". From 1956 to 1959 he did his military service within the Service Cinématographique des Armées. His shorts gave him critical acclaim very early in his career. Having become the maker of popular movies after an arty debut, he was awarded the best movie "César" for The Old Gun (1975) before becoming the long-time president of "L'Académie des Césars".Won for Best Live Action Short Film - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962)- Director
- Actress
- Writer
In 2011 Ergüven was invited to attend the Cannes Film Festivals Atelier to help develop her project, The Kings. While there she met fellow director Alice Winocour who was there to develop her first feature film Augustine. After Ergüven was unable to find financing for her film Winocour suggested she write a more intimate piece leading the two to begin work on the script for Mustang.
Her debut film Mustang premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Europa Cinemas Label Award. It later played in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards It was later shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Ergüven was also nominated for multiple César Awards, winning the César Award for Best First Feature Film as well as the César Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Ergüven was the first person surprised by the film's overwhelmingly positive welcome. "During Cannes I was telling this joke: Tuesday we'll show the movie, Wednesday we'll talk to the press, Thursday we'll be old news. But that Thursday never came! We're still Wednesday and it's just getting more intense.", she says.Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film - Mustang (2015)- Director
- Composer
- Writer
Jacques Ertaud was born on 18 November 1924 in Paris, France. He was a director and composer, known for Maria Vandamme (1989), Le prix du silence (1989) and Les rendez-vous de l'été (1966). He died on 18 November 1995 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Documentary Feature - The Link and the Chain (1963)- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Pierre Étaix was born on 23 November 1928 in Roanne, Loire, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Le Grand Amour (1969), As Long as You've Got Your Health (1966) and Yoyo (1965). He was married to Odile Crepin, Annie Fratellini and Denise bernard. He died on 14 October 2016 in Paris, France.Won for Best Live Action Short - Heureux Anniversaire (1962)- Make-Up Department
Jean-Pierre Eychenne is known for Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), Jean de Florette (1986) and Bandidas (2006).Nominated for Best Makeup - Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)- Director
- Animation Department
- Writer
Jean-Loup Felicioli is known for A Cat in Paris (2010), Phantom Boy (2015) and Les tragédies minuscules (1999).Nominated for Best Animated Feature - A Cat in Paris (2010)- Producer
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film - Butter Lamp (2014)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Didier Flamand was born on 12 March 1947 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He is an actor and director, known for The Screw (1993), The Chorus (2004) and Wings of Desire (1987).Nominated for Best Live Action Short - The Screw (1993)- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nominated for Best Costume Design - Jackie (2016)- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Robert Fraisse was born in 1940 in Paris, France. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Enemy at the Gates (2001), Babylon A.D. (2008) and Ronin (1998).Nominated for Best Cinematography - The Lover (1992)- Art Department
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Marc Frédérix was born on 12 February 1919 in Paris, Île-de-France, France. He was an art director and production designer, known for Moonraker (1979), Love and Death (1975) and Is Paris Burning? (1966). He died on 9 June 2014 in Paris, Île-de-France, France.Nominated for Best Art Direction - Is Paris burning ? (1966)- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Alain Gagnol was born in 1967 in Roanne, Loire, France. He is a writer and director, known for A Cat in Paris (2010), Phantom Boy (2015) and One Heck of a Plan (2016).Nominated for Best Animated Feature - A Cat in Paris (2010)- Director
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau was born on 10 March 1923 in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Sky Above, the Mud Below (1961), La forêt sacrée (1954) and Only One New York (1964). He died on 22 October 1997.Won for Best Documentary Feature - Sky Above and Mud Beneath (1961)- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Alexandre Gavras was born on 23 August 1969 in Paris, France. He is a producer and actor, known for Tueur de petits poissons (1998), Custody (2017) and Just Before Losing Everything (2013).Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film - Avant que de tout perdre (2013)- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
- Additional Crew
Hubert de Givenchy was born on 20 February 1927 in Beauvais, Oise, France. He was a costume designer, known for Funny Face (1957), Charade (1963) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). He died on 10 March 2018 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France.Nominated for Best Costume Design - Funny Face (1957)- Director
- Producer
- Writer
He grew up in Versailles with a family who was very influenced by pop music. When he was young, Gondry wanted to be a painter or an inventor. In the 80s he entered in an art school in Paris where he could develop his graphic skills and where he also met friends with whom he created a pop-rock band called Oui-Oui. The band released 2 albums ('Chacun tout le monde' and 'Formidable') and several singles until their separation in 1992. Gondry was the drummer of the band and also directed their video clips in which it was possible to see his strange world, influenced by the 60s and by his childhood. One of his videos was shown on MTV and when Björk saw it, she asked him to make her first solo video for 'Human Behaviour'. The partnership is famous: Gondry directed five other Björk's videos, benefiting by the huge budgets. This led to commissions for other artists around the world, including Massive Attack. He also made a lot of commercials for Gap, Smirnoff, Air France, Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas, Polaroid and Levi - the latter making him the most highly-awarded director for a one-off commercial.
Hollywood became interested in Gondry's success and he directed his first feature movie Human Nature (2001), adapting a Charlie Kaufman's scenario, which was shown in the 2001 Cannes Festival. Although it wasn't a big success, this film allowed him to direct Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he again collaborated with Charlie Kaufman. The movie became a popular independent film and he and his co-writers won an Oscar for it.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)- Director
- Writer
- Animation Department
Nominated for Best Animated Short Film - Garden Party (2017)- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Special Effects
Marcel Grignon was born on 9 November 1914 in Paris, France. He was a cinematographer, known for Is Paris Burning? (1966), Fantomas (1964) and OSS 117: Mission for a Killer (1965). He died on 6 June 1990 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Cinematography - Is Paris burning ? (1966)- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Jean Gruault was born on 3 August 1924 in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Val-de-Marne, Île-de-France, France. He was a writer and actor, known for My American Uncle (1980), Jules and Jim (1962) and The Story of Adele H (1975). He was married to Ginette Geslot. He died on 8 June 2015 in Paris, France.Nominated for Best Original Screenplay - Mon oncle d'Amérique (1980)