Mélanie Laurent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mélanie Laurent
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Laurent at the 41st César Awards in 2016
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| Born | 21 February 1983 Paris, France
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) | Unknown (kept private) (m. c. 2013) |
| Partner(s) | Julien Boisselier (2005–2009) |
| Children | 2 |
Mélanie Laurent (born 21 February 1983) is a talented French actress and filmmaker. She has won many awards, including two César Awards and a Lumières Award, making her a very successful actress in French movies. Around the world, Mélanie is famous for her roles in films like Inglourious Basterds (2009), Now You See Me (2013), Operation Finale (2018), and 6 Underground (2019).
Mélanie started acting when she was sixteen. The famous actor Gérard Depardieu gave her a small part in the movie The Bridge (1999). She became more known for her roles in French films, such as the comedy Dikkenek (2006). For this movie, she won an award called the Étoiles d'Or for Best Female Newcomer. Her big break came in 2006 with the drama film Don't Worry, I'm Fine. This role earned her the César Award for Most Promising Actress.
In 2009, Mélanie made her Hollywood debut in Quentin Tarantino's big war movie Inglourious Basterds. She played Shosanna Dreyfus and her performance was highly praised. She won Best Actress awards from the Online Film Critics Society and the Austin Film Critics Association.
While she often works in independent films like Paris (2008), Mélanie has also been in popular international movies. These include the comedy-drama Beginners (2011) and the magic-heist film Now You See Me (2013). She also voiced characters in the French versions of animated movies like Epic (2013) and Inside Out (2015).
Besides acting, Mélanie Laurent has performed in plays in France. She also started directing films. Her first short film was De moins en moins (2008). Her first full-length movie as a director was The Adopted (2011). Her second film, Respire (2014), was shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. In 2011, she also released her first music album, En t'attendant (Waiting For You).
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Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Mélanie Laurent was born in Paris, France, on 21 February 1983. Her mother, Annick, was a ballerina, and her father, Pierre Laurent, was a voiceover actor. He even voices the character Ned Flanders in the French version of The Simpsons. Mélanie's family has a Jewish background. Her grandfather was sent away from Poland during the Nazi occupation. Her grandparents on her mother's side worked as editors for movie posters.
She grew up in a part of Paris called the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Mélanie's acting career began by chance. She visited the set of the movie Asterix and Obelix with a friend. There, actor Gérard Depardieu saw her and asked if she wanted to be in movies. Mélanie said, "Why not?". He told her not to take acting classes because he thought she already had natural talent.
When Mélanie was 16, Depardieu gave her a part in The Bridge. She played Lisbeth Daboval, the daughter of one of the main characters. Mélanie also did voice acting, like voicing Satsuki in the French version of My Neighbour Totoro.
Becoming a Star: Mélanie Laurent's Career
Early Success in French Cinema (2006-2008)
Mélanie Laurent had small roles in several films when she first started. She appeared in movies like Summer Things, Rice Rhapsody, and The Beat That My Heart Skipped. She also acted in the war film Days of Glory.
Her big breakthrough came in 2006 in the film Don't Worry, I'm Fine. She played a 19-year-old girl who missed her lost twin brother. For this role, she won a César Award for Most Promising Actress. Critics praised her performance, saying she made the character's journey very believable. That same year, she also won the Romy Schneider Prize.
She then starred in the comedy Dikkenek. This movie became very popular over the years for its unique Belgian humor. For her role in this film, Mélanie won the Étoiles d'Or for Best Female Newcomer. In 2007, she appeared in films like Le tueur and Hidden Love. She was also nominated for a Lumières Award for Best Actress. Mélanie later appeared in the 2008 comedy-drama Paris. This film featured many famous actors and was well-liked by critics.
Hollywood Debut and International Recognition (2009-2010)
Mélanie Laurent was cast as Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds. In the movie, Shosanna is a Parisian who wants revenge on Nazis. Mélanie acted alongside stars like Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. She even learned some English for her scenes. The film was a huge success, earning over $321 million worldwide.
Many critics praised Mélanie's acting. One critic said she gave the movie its "heart and soul." Another critic from Entertainment Weekly loved her performance, calling her "radiant and heartbreaking." Mélanie said she was thrilled to work with Quentin Tarantino, whom she considered the best director from the United States. She felt a strong connection to her role because of her own Jewish family history.
For her part as Shosanna, Mélanie won several awards. These included the Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress. This highly anticipated film was Mélanie's first major role in an American movie. It helped her become famous in North America.
In 2010, Mélanie starred in The Round Up. This French film was based on the true story of a young Jewish boy. It showed the mass arrest of Jewish people by French police in Paris in July 1942. Critics liked the film and Mélanie's performance. One critic called her acting "inspiring."
Continued Success in Film (2011-Present)
Mélanie Laurent played a violinist in the film Le Concert. She described it as a "smart and popular movie" and was happy that French people wanted to watch a film with classical music. A critic from San Francisco Chronicle said she was "extremely subtle and reserved" in the role.
In 2011, Mélanie hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 64th Cannes Film Festival. That same year, she worked with director Mike Mills in Beginners. This comedy-drama was Mélanie's second English-speaking role in Hollywood. She played Anna, a French actress. The film was well-received, and critics noted Mélanie's "soulful charisma."
Mélanie then starred with Jeremy Irons in Night Train to Lisbon (2013). She also appeared in the 2013 movie Now You See Me. In this film, she played a French Interpol agent investigating a bank theft. The movie was a big commercial success, earning over $351 million. Critics praised the cast's performances, with one saying Mélanie brought the only "warmth" to the film.
Her next movie was the Canadian-Spanish thriller Enemy (2013). This film was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and received good reviews. Mélanie and Sarah Gadon played the romantic partners of the main character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
In 2014, Mélanie appeared in Aloft, a drama film. She also voiced Mary Katherine in the French version of Epic and Disgust in the French version of Inside Out. In 2015, Mélanie starred in the French drama Boomerang. She also appeared as Léa in Angelina Jolie's film By the Sea. Later, in 2018, she was in the drama Operation Finale, which told the story of how Adolf Eichmann was captured.
Mélanie Laurent's Directing Career
Mélanie Laurent made her directing debut with the 2008 short film De moins en moins. She also wrote and starred in this 7-minute film. It was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2011, she directed and starred in her first full-length movie, The Adopted. Her second film, Breathe, was shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and received great praise. She then co-directed the 2015 documentary Tomorrow, which won a César Award for Best Documentary Film.
Mélanie has said she loves writing because it's exciting to imagine stories and characters. She enjoys the "fun part" of shooting films, working with people who share her vision. In 2018, Mélanie directed her first English-language film, Galveston. It starred Ben Foster and Elle Fanning.
In 2021, Mélanie directed and starred in The Mad Women's Ball. She also directed Wingwomen for Netflix in 2023 and Libre for Amazon Prime Video in 2024.
Music Career
Mélanie Laurent started her singing career in May 2011. She released her first album, En t'attendant. The album has twelve songs, and five of them were co-written and co-produced by Irish folk musician Damien Rice. The album reached number 22 on the Belgian Albums Charts and number 35 on the French Albums Charts.
Personal Life and Important Causes
Mélanie Laurent was in a long relationship with actor Julien Boisselier until 2009. In 2013, she shared that she had gotten married but did not say who her husband was. She mentioned he was a crew member on a film set. Her first child, a son named Léo, was born in September 2013. In 2019, she had her second child, a daughter named Mila. As of 2019, her family lives in Los Angeles.
Mélanie is also involved in environmental work. She visited a Climate Defenders Camp in the Indonesian rainforest with Greenpeace activists. She is a Climate Ambassador for Kofi Annan's "Tck Tck Tck" Campaign. She also joined a campaign against overfishing and did the voice-over for the French documentary Surpêche. This film was about the dangers of overfishing. She was also part of the Fish Fight France campaign, which asked for new laws to reduce wasted fish in European seas.
Filmography and Awards
Mélanie Laurent has acted in over 40 films and directed 10 films. For her role in Don't Worry, I'm Fine, she won the César Award and Lumières Award. She received many awards for her role in Inglourious Basterds, including Best Actress awards from the Austin Film Critics Association Awards and Online Film Critics Society Awards. Mélanie's documentary film Tomorrow (2015) won the César Award for Best Documentary Film.
Discography
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | |
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| BEL | FRA | ||
| 2011 | En t'attendant.
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23 | 35 |
See also
In Spanish: Mélanie Laurent para niños
