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Sophie Marceau (born November 17, 1966)
is a French actress.
Career: Born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu in
Paris, France, her career started at age 14 when Claude
Pinoteau cast her in the starring role of the teenager
movie La Boum (1980).
Sophie's childhood was spent at first in
Chelles and later in a council flat in Gentilly although
she spent a lot of her time at her parents brasserie Le
Pharaon, rue Crozatier in the 12th arrondissement of
Paris.
At the age of twelve, Sophie was looking unsuccessfully
for a job to occupy her during the school holidays when
her mother suggested, jokingly, that she register with a
baby modelling agency whose advert she had seen in the
newspaper.
Although obviously not a baby, she agreed and went along
for an interview accompanied by her mother. The agency
told her she was too old for their requirements but went
ahead and photographed her anyway.
Later she was contacted by the agency who informed her
that Gaumont were to audition teenagers for a new film
and suggested that she attend.
Sophie noted the address and went to the audition with
her father. The scene that greeted her was a long
corridor full to overflowing with teenagers and their
parents awaiting their turn to be interviewed and to
audition.
Her father wanted to leave but Sophie persevered and was
eventually the 52nd teeneager to be seen by Françoise
Menidrey, Casting Director for Gaumont.
Sophie was asked to return the following week in order
to meet the Director, Claude Pinoteau. She returned as
requested in the company of her brother.
Sophie Marceau began acting in films at 14. Up until
that point, she grew up far away from studios spots.
Back then, she was living in the Paris suburbs and her
father was a truck driver. At that time, she learned
from one of her friends that Claude Pinoteau (French
director) was looking for new faces, for a teenagers
movie call La Boum. This movie turned out to be a huge
success. This led to the sequel La Boum 2 (1982) for
which she received the 1983 Cesar for Most Promising
Actress. She then bought back her contract with Gaumont
when she was sixteen for one million French franks.
"Of course I had to borrow the money", she
said, "I didn't have such an amount. People did
everything to keep me from doing L'Amour Braque with
Zulawski. It was violent and almost racist. I belonged
to Gaumont (The studio she then worked for), I was their
little pet and had to listen to them. But it was
unbearable. I walked around the Champs Elysees wandering
what to do. I was afraid to go to prison for breach of
contract".
She has since become one of the most popular and
respected actresses in her own country-and is only now
becoming known internationally. Her role in Braveheart
was her first English speaking part. Asked why he chose
Sophie for the character of Princess Isabelle, Mel
Gibson replied: "Well, she's beautiful, she's
French and she's a good actress. The character needed to
be at least two of those things". Bettina Rheims,
who photographed her many times, calls her "the
most beautiful and sensual of young actresses".
In spring 1995, she directed her first film, L'aube a
l'envers, an eight minute short based on a screenplay
she wrote while filming Braveheart. It was well received
at the Cannes Film Festival.
She is critical of French cinema: "It's great that
American cinema poses such a threat. In France we have
all these pseudo-auteurs who don't have a new idea in
their heads". She has a Hollywood agent, but is not
tempted to move to Los Angeles and play the Hollywood
system like Julie Delpy.
On July 24th, 1995, Sophie gave birth to her first
child, a boy named Vincent. She is unmarried, and lives
in Paris with Andrzej Zulawski, a Polish director who is
24 years her senior.
Sophie is an outspoken opponent of blood sports, and has
joined Brigitte Bardot in protests against dove shooting
in the Gironde and bullfighting in Provence. "I
detest all forms of violence. For me, the toreador who
tortures the bull loses his dignity as a man. One cannot
respect life and approve of this game of death."
She used to own an antique farmhouse in Seine-et-marne,
but left it for good after her cats were shot by hunters
and one of her dogs, an eleven year old cocker spaniel
named Lolita, was stolen.
In addition to her work for animal welfare, Sophie is a
patron of Arc-en-Ciel ("Rainbow"), an
organization which helps sick children realize their
dreams.
During the following weeks, Sophie returned several
times to complete further auditions, screen tests, etc.
and was offered the lead role in Claude Pinoteau's
forthcoming film La Boum (The Party).
The film La Boum was released in 1980 and was an
immediate success. Sophie Marceau became a household
name, a star at the age of fourteen.
Rising to teenage idol status as the star of the hit
romantic comedy La Boum (1980) and its sequel La Boum 2
(1982), Sophie Marceau has since managed to become more
than "just another pretty face." She developed
her dramatic skills in the romantic epic Fort Saganne
(1984) and, most notably, in three films directed by her
long-time companion, Polish/French director Andrzej
Zulawski.
As her career progressed during the early '90s, Marceau
preferred to appear in such lighter fare as the romantic
comedy Fanfan (1993), a huge hit in France, or the
swashbuckler La Fille de D'Artagnan (1994).
Meanwhile, her stage debut in Jean Anouilh's Euridyce in
1991 brought Marceau a Moliere award for Most Promising
Newcomer. She also starred as Eliza Dolittle in
Pygmalion at the Theatre des Arts Hebertot.
In 1995, Marceau rose to international film stardom
playing Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson's epic
Braveheart; that same year, she made her directorial
debut with a nine-minute film, L'Aube à l'envers, which
opened "Un Certain Regard" at the Cannes Film
Festival.
Marceau's international profile continued to grow
throughout the decade thanks to her increasing
appearances in both British and American productions,
particularly A Midsummer Night's Dream and the 19th
James Bond outing, The World Is Not Enough (both 1999).
She stepped in front of the camera for Zulawski again
the following year as the star of his La Fidélité.
Two years later, she appeared in the sequel La Boum 2.
In 1983, she was honoured with a César Award (France's
equivalent of an Oscar) for "Most Promising
Actress".
At age 18, she appeared in Fort Saganne (1984), in which
her co-stars were Gérard Depardieu and Catherine
Deneuve. During the same year she acted with Jean-Paul
Belmondo in Joyeuses Pâques (1984), based on the play
by Jean Poiret.
She also appeared in films directed by director Andrzej
Żuławski: "L'Amour braque" (1985),
"Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours"
(1989), "La Note bleue" (1991), and "Fidélité"
(2000).
Marceau played the part of Princess Isabelle in Mel
Gibson's historical epic Braveheart (1995).
Following this, she appeared in A Midsummer Night's
Dream (1999), and as Bond girl/villain Elektra King in
the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999).
Marceau wrote a semi-autobiographical novel Telling Lies
(2001), and tried directing as well. Making her
directorial debut in a feature film, Marceau was awarded
Best Director by the jury of the 2002 Montreal World
Film Festival for her film Parlez-moi d'amour starring
Judith Godrèche. Prior to this, in 1995, she had made a
nine-minute short film, L'Aube à l'envers, which also
starred Godrèche. |
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