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Maïwenn
Maïwenn Cannes 2011 2 (cropped).jpg
Maïwenn in 2011
Born
Maïwenn Le Besco

(1976-04-17) 17 April 1976 (age 49)
Les Lilas, France
Other names Ouin-Ouin
Citizenship
  • France
  • Algeria
Occupation
  • Actress
  • writer
  • director
Years active 1981–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1992; div. 1997)
Jean-Yves Le Fur
(m. 2002; div. 2004)
Children 2; including Shanna Besson
Parent(s) Catherine Belkhodja (mother)
Relatives Isild Le Besco (sister)
Jowan Le Besco (brother)

Maïwenn (born Maïwenn Aurélia Nedjma Le Besco on April 17, 1976) is a talented French actress and filmmaker. She is known for both acting in and directing movies.

About Maïwenn's Early Life

Maïwenn Le Besco was born in Les Lilas, France. Her mother, Catherine Belkhodja, is an artist, and her father, Patrick Le Besco, is a linguist. Maïwenn has a mixed background, with family roots from Brittany, Vietnam, France, and Algeria. She also holds Algerian citizenship. She shared that she gained Algerian nationality to honor her grandparents and remember her family's heritage.

Maïwenn's mother encouraged her to start acting at a very young age. Maïwenn later shared stories about this experience in her one-woman shows, like Le Pois Chiche (The Chickpea) and I'm an Actress.

Maïwenn's Acting Career

Maïwenn started acting when she was a child. One of her early roles was in the 1983 film L'été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer), where she played the main character as a child.

After marrying director Luc Besson and having their daughter in 1993, Maïwenn took a break from acting. During this time, she had a small role in Besson's film Léon (1994). She was even credited as 'Ouin-Ouin' in that movie. She also helped make the "making-of" video for the film.

One of Maïwenn's most famous international roles was as the alien Diva Plavalaguna in Besson's science fiction movie The Fifth Element (1997).

After her marriage ended, Maïwenn returned to France. She performed as a stand-up comedian, sharing personal stories. Filmmakers saw her comedy shows and she started acting in movies again. She appeared in films like the horror movie Haute Tension (High Tension) in 2003. Around this time, she decided she wanted to try directing films herself.

Maïwenn as a Director

In 2006, Maïwenn wrote and directed her first full-length movie, Pardonnez-moi. This film was a drama about a family. She also starred in the movie. For her work on Pardonnez-moi, she was nominated for two important French film awards, the César Award for Best First Feature Film and César Award for Most Promising Actress.

Her second film was Le bal des actrices (2009), also known as All About Actresses. In this movie, she played herself making a documentary.

Maïwenn gained international attention with her third film, Polisse (2011). This social drama won the Jury Prize at the famous 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Her 2015 film Mon roi was chosen to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d'Or is one of the highest awards a film can win at Cannes.

In 2020, she co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film DNA. This movie was an Official Selection for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her 2023 film, Jeanne du Barry, was a historical movie about the life of Madame du Barry. Maïwenn co-wrote, directed, and starred in it, playing the main character. Johnny Depp played King Louis XV in the film. Jeanne du Barry opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and was very popular in France.

Maïwenn's Family Life

Maïwenn has two children. Her daughter, Shanna, was born in 1993. Shanna's father is director Luc Besson.

Maïwenn was also married to Jean-Yves Le Fur from 2002 to 2004. They had a son named Diego in July 2003. Diego later appeared in Maïwenn's film Jeanne du Barry, playing a young King Louis XVI. Maïwenn shared the sad news of Jean-Yves Le Fur's passing in April 2024.

Filmography

Maïwenn 2009
Maïwenn in 2009 at the Deauville American Film Festival.

Actress

Year Title Role Director Notes
1981 L'année prochaine... si tout va bien Prune Jean-Loup Hubert
1983 One Deadly Summer The Kid Jean Becker
Cinéma 16 Albine Patrick Saglio TV series (1 Episode)
Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret Colette Jean-Paul Sassy TV series (1 Episode)
1986 State of Grace Jacques Rouffio
1987 Double face The Kid Serge Leroy TV movie
1988 L'autre nuit Joan Jean-Pierre Limosin
1990 Lacenaire Hermine Francis Girod
La famille Ramdam Christiane Lehérissey TV series (1 Episode)
1992 La gamine Carole Lambert Hervé Palud
1994 Léon: The Professional Blond Babe Luc Besson
1997 The Fifth Element Diva Plavalaguna Luc Besson
1998 Keskidi ? The Waitress Manuel Pouet Short
Coquillettes Joséphine Flasseur Short
2000 La mécanique des femmes Jérôme de Missolz
Le marquis Gilles Paquet-Brenner Short
2001 8 rue Charlot Bruno Garcia Short
L'oiseau rare Diane Didier Albert TV movie
2002 Nestor Burma Jade Jacob Berger TV series (1 Episode)
Caméra Café Irina Katostefia Francis Duquet TV series (1 Episode)
2003 Osmose A Girl Raphaël Fejtö
High Tension Alexia Alexandre Aja
2004 Les parisiens Shaa Claude Lelouch
I'm an actrice Isabelle Maïwenn Short
2005 Le courage d'aimer Shaa Claude Lelouch
Star Stuff Grégory Hervelin Short
2006 Pardonnez-moi Violette Maïwenn Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress
2009 All About Actresses Maïwenn Maïwenn Nominated - Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actress
2011 Polisse Melissa Maïwenn
2012 Télé gaucho Yasmina Michel Leclerc
2013 Love Is the Perfect Crime Anna Arnaud Larrieu & Jean-Marie Larrieu
2017 The Price of Success Linda Teddy Lussi-Modeste
2019 All Inclusive Paloma Fabien Onteniente
2020 Soeurs Yamina Benguigui
2020 DNA Neige Maïwenn
2020 The Man In The Hat The Biker John-Paul Davidson and Stephen Warbeck
2021 Tralala Barbara Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu
2022 Our Ties Emma Roschdy Zem
2022 Neneh Superstar Marianne Belage Ramzi Ben Sliman
2023 Jeanne du Barry Jeanne Du Barry Maïwenn

Director, Screenwriter, and Producer

Year Title Role Box Office Notes
2004 I'm an actrice Director & Writer Short film
2006 Pardonnez-moi Director, Writer & Producer Nominated - César Award for Best First Feature Film
2009 All About Actresses Director & Writer $4,948,702
2011 Polisse Director & Writer $20,334,081 Cannes Film Festival - Jury Prize
Lumières Award for Best Director
Cinemania Film Festival - Audience Award
Sarasota Film Festival - Best in World Cinema
Nominated - Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
Nominated - César Award for Best Director
Nominated - César Award for Best Film
Nominated - César Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated - Globes de Cristal Award - Best Film
Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated - Stockholm International Film Festival - Best Film
Nominated - CinEuphoria Award - Best Film - International Competition
Nominated - CinEuphoria Award - Best Director - International Competition
2015 Mon Roi Director & Writer Nominated - César Award for Best Film
Nominated - César Award for Best Director
Nominated - Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Director
2020 DNA Director & Writer
2023 Jeanne du Barry Director, Writer, & Co-Producer

Theatrical Writer

  • 2003 : Café de la Gare : Le pois chiche

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Maïwenn para niños

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