Agnès Jaoui facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Agnès Jaoui
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![]() Agnès Jaoui at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival
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Born | Antony, France
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19 October 1964
Alma mater | Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers |
Occupation | Actress, screenwriter, film director, singer |
Years active | 1983–present |
Partner(s) | Jean-Pierre Bacri (1987–2012) |
Children | 2 |
Agnès Jaoui (born 19 October 1964) is a talented French actress, screenwriter, film director, and singer.
She has won many important awards for her work. These include six César Awards (which are like the French Oscars), three Lumières Awards, and a Best Screenplay Award at the famous Cannes Film Festival. She was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film!
Contents
Life and Career
Agnès Jaoui was born in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France. Her family has Tunisian Jewish roots. Both her parents, Hubert and Gyza Jaoui, were writers. When Agnès was 8 years old, her family moved to Paris.
She started acting in high school at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. At 15, she joined the Cours Florent, a well-known drama school. In 1984, she began taking drama classes at the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre. The director there, Patrice Chéreau, gave her a role in the 1987 film Hôtel de France. That same year, she acted in a play called L'anniversaire with Jean-Pierre Bacri. He later became a close friend and someone she often worked with.
Writing and Directing Success
Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri wrote a play called Cuisine et dépendances. It was made into a movie in 1992. In 1993, a director named Alain Resnais asked them to write a film based on an 8-part play. This became the two-part film Smoking/No Smoking. This clever film, which explored ideas about free will and destiny, won the César Award for Best Writing in 1994.
In 1996, they became even more famous with the film Family Resemblances (Un air de famille). This movie showed how good they were at looking closely at everyday life and using humor to comment on society. They won another César Award for Best Writing in 1997. That same year, they worked with Resnais again on Same Old Song (On connaît la chanson). They not only wrote this film but also acted in it. Together, they won their third César Award for Best Writing. Agnès Jaoui also won her first César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role.
Directing Films
In 2000, Agnès Jaoui directed her first feature film, The Taste of Others (Le Goût des autres). She wrote it with Jean-Pierre Bacri. The film explored different social and cultural groups. It was a huge hit in France, bringing in 4 million viewers. It won 4 César Awards in 2001, including Best Film and Best Writing. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Her second film as a director was Look at Me (Comme une image) in 2004. She co-wrote this film with Bacri. It was chosen for the Cannes Festival and won the Best Screenplay prize. After acting in the film La maison de Nina (2005), she focused on music. She released her first album of Latin songs, Canta, in 2006.
She returned to cinema in 2008 with Let's Talk About the Rain (Parlez-moi de la pluie). In 2012, she directed her most recent film, Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte). She also co-wrote this film with Bacri. In this movie, she retells classic fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. Critics and audiences loved its fresh ideas and funny dialogue.
Music Career
Agnès Jaoui studied music when she was 17. However, she didn't start her singing career until 2006. That's when her first album, Canta, came out. This album mixed different Latin music styles, such as flamenco, bolero, and bossa. She sang only in Spanish and Portuguese. In 2007, it won the Victoire de la Musique award for "best traditional music album."
Her second album, Dans Mon Pays, was released in 2009. It also featured Latin sounds and songs in Spanish and Portuguese, along with two songs in French.
Personal Life

Agnès Jaoui's mother, Gyza Jaoui, was a pioneer in a type of therapy called transactional analysis. Agnès also has a brother, Laurent Jaoui, who is a screenwriter and director.
Agnès Jaoui was in a relationship with Jean-Pierre Bacri from 1987 to 2012. Even after they broke up, they remained good friends and continued to work together on many projects.
In 2012, Agnès Jaoui adopted two children from Brazil.
She is also a member of the 50/50 collective. This group works to make sure there is equal representation for men and women and more diversity in the film industry.
Filmography
As Actress
Year | English title | Original title | Role |
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1983 | Le Faucon | Sandra | |
1987 | Hôtel de France | Madame Bouguereau | |
1987 | L'Amoureuse | Agathe | |
1990 | Ivanov | Babakina | |
1991 | Canti | ||
1993 | Cuisine et Dépendances | Charlotte | |
1996 | Family Resemblances | Un air de famille | Betty Ménard |
1997 | Le Déménagement | Claire | |
1997 | Same Old Song | On connaît la chanson | Camille |
1998 | Le Cousin | Claudine Delvaux | |
1999 | On The Run | Kristin | |
2000 | Une femme d'extérieur | Françoise | |
2000 | The Taste of Others | Le Goût des autres | Mani |
2003 | 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman | 24 heures dans la vie d'une femme | Marie Collins Brown |
2004 | The Role of Her Life | Le Rôle de sa vie | Elisabeth Baker |
2004 | Nina's House | La Maison de Nina | Nina |
2004 | Look at Me | Comme une image | Sylvia Millet |
2008 | Let It Rain | Parlez-moi de la pluie | Agathe Villanova |
2012 | The Dandelions | Du vent dans mes mollets | Colette Gladstein |
2013 | Under the Rainbow | Au bout du conte | Marianne |
2014 | The Easy Way Out | L'Art de la fugue | Ariel |
2015 | The Sweet Escape | Comme un avion | Laëtitia |
2015 | I'm All Yours | Je suis à vous tout de suite | Simone Belkacem |
2017 | Aurore | Aurore | |
2018 | Best Intentions | Les Bonnes Intentions | Isabelle |
2021 | À l'ombre des filles | Catherine | |
2021 | Compagnons | Hélène | |
TBA | Kaiser Karl | Gaby Aghion |
As Filmmaker
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |
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Director | Screenwriter | |||
1993 | Cuisine et Dépendances | Yes | ||
1993 | Smoking/No Smoking | Yes | ||
1996 | Family Resemblances | Yes | ||
1997 | Same Old Song | Yes | ||
2000 | The Taste of Others | Yes | Yes | |
2004 | Look at Me | Yes | Yes | |
2008 | Let's Talk About the Rain | Yes | Yes | |
2013 | Under the Rainbow | Yes | Yes | |
2014 | The Easy Way Out | Yes | Script consultant | |
2017 | Place publique | Yes | Yes | starred as Helene |
Discography
Year | Title |
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2006 | Canta |
2009 | Dans Mon Pays |
2015 | Nostalgias |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Nominated work | Original title | Result |
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1994 | César Award for Best Writing | Smoking/No Smoking | Won | |
1997 | César Award for Best Writing | Family Resemblances | Un air de famille | Won |
1997 | César Award for Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | ||
1997 | Lumières Award for Best Screenplay | Won | ||
1997 | César Award for Best Writing | Same Old Song | On connaît la chanson | Won |
1998 | César Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | ||
2000 | Lumières Award for Best Film | The Taste of Others | Le Goût des autres | Won |
2000 | Lumières Award for Best Director | Won | ||
2000 | Lumières Award for Best Screenplay | Won | ||
2000 | European Film Award for Best Film | Nominated | ||
2000 | European Film Award for Best Screenwriter | Won | ||
2000 | Montreal World Film Festival - Grand Prix des Amériques | Won | ||
2001 | César Award for Best Film | Won | ||
2001 | César Award for Best Writing | Won | ||
2001 | César Award for Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | ||
2001 | César Award for Best Director | Nominated | ||
2001 | Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | ||
2001 | BIFA for Best Foreign Independent Film | Nominated | ||
2001 | Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film | Nominated | ||
2001 | René Clair Award | Won | ||
2004 | Cannes Film Festival - Best Screenplay | Look at Me | Comme une image | Won |
2004 | European Film Award for Best Screenwriter | Won | ||
2004 | European Film Award for Best Director | Nominated | ||
2004 | London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year | Nominated | ||
2005 | César Award for Best Writing | Nominated | ||
2005 | Bodil Award for Best Non-American Film | Won | ||
2007 | Victoires de la Musique — World music album of the year | Canta | Won | |
2016 | César Award for Best Supporting Actress | The Sweet Escape | Comme un avion | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Agnès Jaoui para niños