Sophie Marceau 17 November 1966 is a French actress, director, screenwriter, and author. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La Boum (1980) and La Boum 2 (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress. She became a film star in Europe with a string of successful films, including L’Étudiante (1988), Pacific Palisades (1990), Fanfan (1993), and Revenge of the Musketeers (1994). Marceau became an international film star with her performances in Braveheart (1995), Firelight (1997), and the 19th James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999).
Early life
She was born 17 November 1966 in Paris, the second child of Simone (née Morisset), a shop assistant (d. 2016), and Benoît Maupu, a truck driver. Her parents divorced when she was nine years old.
Film career
In February 1980, Marceau and her mother came across a model agency looking for teenagers. Marceau had photos taken at the agency, but did not think anything would come of it. At the same time, Françoise Menidrey, the casting director for Claude Pinoteau’s La Boum (1980), asked modeling agencies to recommend a new teenager for the project. After viewing the rushes, Alain Poiré, the director of the Gaumont Film Company, signed Marceau to a long-term contract. La Boum was a hit movie, not only in France, where 4,378,500 tickets were sold, but also in several other European countries. In 1981, Marceau made her singing debut with French singer François Valéry on record “Dream in Blue”, written by Pierre Delanoë. She rejected the main role in a soon-to-be controversial film, Beau-père, in which she would have played as a teenage girl who seduces her step-father for a sexual relationship. The role was eventually played by Ariel Besse.
In 1982, at age 16, Marceau bought back her contract with Gaumont for one million French francs. She borrowed most of the money. After starring in the sequel film La Boum 2 (1982), Marceau focused on more dramatic roles, including the historical drama Fort Saganne in 1984 with Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve, Joyeuses Pâques (Happy Easter) in 1984, L’amour braque and Police in 1985, and Descente aux enfers (Descent into Hell) in 1986. In 1988, she starred in L’Étudiante (The Student) and the historical adventure film Chouans!. That year, Marceau was named Best Romantic Actress at the International Festival of Romantic Movies for her role in Chouans!
Marceau at the César Awards, 1996
In 1989, Marceau starred in My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, which was directed by her long-time boyfriend Andrzej Zulawski. In 1990, she starred in Pacific Palisades and La note bleue, her third film directed by her companion. In 1991, she ventured into the theater in Eurydice, which earned Marceau the Moliere Award for Best Female Newcomer. Throughout the 1990s, Marceau began making less-dramatic films, such as the comedy Fanfan in 1993 and Revenge of the Musketeers (La fille de d’Artagnan) in 1994—both popular in Europe and abroad. That year, she returned to the theatre as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion.
Marceau achieved international recognition in 1995 playing the role of Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. That year, she was part of an ensemble of international actors in the French film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wenders, Beyond the Clouds. In 1997, she continued her string of successful films with William Nicholson’s Firelight, filmed in England, Véra Belmont’s Marquise, filmed in France, and Bernard Rose’s Anna Karenina, filmed in Russia. In 1999, she played Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the villainess Bond girl Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough. In 2000, Marceau teamed up again with her then-boyfriend Andrzej Zulawski to film Fidelity, playing the role of a talented photographer who takes a job at a scandal-mongering tabloid and becomes romantically involved with an eccentric children’s book publisher.
Marceau at the premiere of Arrêtez-moi, 2013
In recent years, Marceau has continued to appear in a wide variety of roles, mainly in French films, playing a widowed nurse in Nelly (À ce soir) in 2004, an undercover police agent in Anthony Zimmer in 2005, and the troubled daughter of a murdered film star in Trivial in 2007. In 2008, Marceau played a member of the French Resistance movement in Female Agents, and a struggling single mother in LOL (Laughing Out Loud). In 2009, she teamed up with Monica Bellucci in Don’t Look Back about the mysterious connection between two women who have never met. In 2010, Marceau played a successful business executive forced to confront her unhappy childhood in With Love… from the Age of Reason (L’âge de raison).
In 2012, Marceau played a 40-something career woman who falls in love with a young jazz musician in Happiness Never Comes Alone. In 2013, she appeared in Arrêtez-moi (Arrest Me) as a woman who shows up at a police station and confesses to the murder of her abusive husband several years earlier.
She was selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Author and director
In 1995, Marceau wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, Menteuse (the English translation, Telling Lies, was published in 2001). Marceau’s work was described as “an exploration of female identity”.
In 2002, Marceau made her directorial debut in the feature film Speak to Me of Love, for which she was named Best Director at the Montreal World Film Festival. The film starred Judith Godrèche. It was her second directorial effort, following her nine-minute short film L’aube à l’envers in 1995, which also starred Godrèche. In 2007, she directed Trivial, her second feature film.
Personal life
Marceau with then partner Christopher Lambert at the premiere of Skyfall, 2012
From 1985 to 2001, Marceau had a relationship with Polish director Andrzej Żuławski. Their son Vincent was born in July 1995. In 2001, Marceau separated from Żuławski and began a six-year relationship with American producer Jim Lemley. They have a daughter, Juliette (born June 2002 in London).
Marceau also had a relationship with American actor Christopher Lambert beginning in 2007, with whom she appeared in the films Trivial and Cartagena. They announced their separation on 11 July 2014.
Marceau is a classically trained cellist, as seen in the 1999 film Lost and Found. She is bilingual (French and English).
Honours and awards
- 1983 César Award for Most Promising Actress for La Boum 2
- 1988 Cabourg Award for Best Actress for Chouans!
- 2000 Cabourg Award for Best Actress for La fidélité
- 2000 Goldene Kamera for Film International
- 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress for The World Is Not Enough
- 2002 Montréal World Film Festival Award for Best Director for Speak to Me of Love
- 2002 Montréal World Film Festival Grand Prix Special des Amériques Nomination
- 2007 Montréal World Film Festival Grand Prix Special des Amériques
- 2008 Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival Jury Prize for LOL (Laughing Out Loud)
Filmography
Actress
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | La Boum | Vic Beretton | The Party |
| 1982 | La Boum 2 | Vic Beretton | The Party 2 |
| 1984 | Fort Saganne | Madeleine de Saint-Ilette | |
| 1984 | Joyeuses Pâques | Julie | Happy Easter |
| 1985 | L’amour braque | Mary | Mad Love |
| 1985 | Police | Noria | |
| 1986 | Descente aux enfers | Lola Kolber | Descent into Hell |
| 1988 | L’Étudiante | Valentine Ezquerra | The Student |
| 1988 | Chouans! | Céline | |
| 1989 | My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days | Blanche | Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours |
| 1990 | Pacific Palisades | Bernardette | |
| 1991 | Pour Sacha | Laura | For Sacha |
| 1991 | La note bleue | Solange Sand | The Blue Note |
| 1993 | Fanfan | Fanfan | Fanfan & Alexandre |
| 1994 | Revenge of the Musketeers | Eloïse d’Artagnan | La fille de d’Artagnan D’Artagnan’s Daughter |
| 1995 | Braveheart | Isabella of France | |
| 1995 | Beyond the Clouds | The Girl in Portofino | Al di là delle nuvole |
| 1997 | Anna Karenina | Anna Karenina | |
| 1997 | Marquise | Marquise du Parc | |
| 1997 | Firelight | Élisabeth Laurier | |
| 1999 | Lost & Found | Lila Dubois | |
| 1999 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Hippolyta | |
| 1999 | The World Is Not Enough | Elektra King | |
| 2000 | Fidelity | Clélia | La fidélité |
| 2001 | Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre | Lisa | Belphégor – Le fantôme du Louvre |
| 2003 | Alex & Emma | Polina Delacroix | |
| 2003 | I’m Staying! | Marie-Dominique Delpire | |
| 2003 | Les clefs de bagnole | La clapman | The Car Keys |
| 2004 | Nelly | Nelly | À ce soir |
| 2005 | Anthony Zimmer | Chiara Manzoni | |
| 2007 | Trivial | Lucie / Victoria | La disparue de Deauville |
| 2008 | Female Agents | Louise Desfontaines | Les femmes de l’ombre |
| 2008 | LOL (Laughing Out Loud) | Anne | |
| 2008 | De l’autre côté du lit | Ariane Marciac | Changing Sides |
| 2009 | Don’t Look Back | Jeanne #1 | Ne te retourne pas |
| 2009 | Cartagena | Muriel | L’homme de chevet |
| 2010 | With Love… from the Age of Reason | Marguerite alias Margaret Flore | L’âge de raison |
| 2012 | Happiness Never Comes Alone | Charlotte | Un bonheur n’arrive jamais seul |
| 2013 | Arrêtez-moi | La coupable | Stop Me |
| 2014 | Quantum Love | Elsa | Une rencontre |
| 2014 | The Missionaries | Judith Chabrier | Tu veux ou tu veux pas Sex, Love & Therapy |
| 2015 | Jailbirds | Mathilde Leroy | La Taularde |
Writer and director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | L’aube à l’envers | |
| 2002 | Speak to Me of Love | Parlez-moi d’amour |
| 2007 | Trivial | La disparue de Deauville |