Sophie Marceau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau at the 2012 Cabourg Film Festival
Born	Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu (1966-11-17) 17 November 1966 (age 58) Paris, France
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present
Partner(s)	Andrzej Żuławski (1985–2001)
Children	2
Awards	See below

Sophie Marceau (born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a famous French actress. She became popular as a teenager with her first films, La Boum (1980) and La Boum 2 (1982). For La Boum 2, she even won a special award called the César Award for Most Promising Actress.

Sophie Marceau became a big movie star in Europe. She starred in many successful films like L'Étudiante (1988), Fanfan (1993), and Revenge of the Musketeers (1994). Later, she became known around the world for her roles in Braveheart (1995), Firelight (1997), and as Elektra King in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999). Some of her recent films talk about important social issues, such as Arrêtez-moi (2013) and Everything Went Fine (2021).

Sophie Marceau has been on the cover of over 300 magazines worldwide. She has also been the face of many fancy brands. In 2003, she was honored by the French Minister of Culture. In 2015, she chose not to accept another high honor, the Legion of Honour.

Early life and first steps in acting

Sophie Marceau was born in Paris, France, on 17 November 1966. She was the second child of Simone, a shop assistant, and Benoît Maupu, a truck driver. Her parents divorced when she was nine years old.

In February 1980, when Sophie was 13, she and her mother saw an advertisement for a modeling agency looking for teenagers. Sophie had some photos taken, but she didn't expect anything to happen. Around the same time, a casting director for a movie called La Boum was looking for a new young actress. After seeing Sophie's photos, the director of the Gaumont Film Company signed her to a long-term contract.

La Boum was a huge success! Over 4 million tickets were sold in France. In 1981, Sophie also started singing and released a song called "Dream in Blue" with French singer François Valéry. When she was 16, Sophie bought out her contract with Gaumont.

Becoming a film star

After starring in La Boum 2 (1982), Sophie Marceau started taking on more serious acting roles. She appeared in historical dramas like Fort Saganne (1984) with famous actors Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve. She also acted in films such as Happy Easter (1984) and Police (1985).

In 1988, she starred in L'Étudiante (The Student) and the adventure film Chouans!. That year, she won an award for Best Romantic Actress for her role in Chouans!.

Sophie Marceau at the Molière Awards in 1993

In 1989, Sophie Marceau starred in My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, directed by her partner at the time, Andrzej Zulawski. She continued to make films with him, including La note bleue in 1991. In 1991, she also tried acting on stage in a play called Eurydice. For this role, she won the Moliere Award for Best Female Newcomer.

Throughout the 1990s, Sophie Marceau started making more comedies. These included Fanfan (1993) and Revenge of the Musketeers (1994). Both of these films were very popular in Europe and other countries. In 1994, she returned to the theater to play Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion.

International success

Sophie Marceau became famous worldwide in 1995 when she played Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson's movie Braveheart. That same year, she was part of a group of international actors in the French film Beyond the Clouds.

In 1997, she continued her success with films like Firelight, filmed in England, and Anna Karenina, filmed in Russia. In 1999, she played Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream. She also played the villain, Bond girl Elektra King, in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough.

Sophie Marceau at the premiere of Arrêtez-moi in 2013

In the early 2000s, Sophie Marceau kept acting in many different roles, mostly in French films. She played a widowed nurse in Nelly (2004) and an undercover police agent in Anthony Zimmer (2005). In 2008, she played a member of the French Resistance in Female Agents and a single mother in LOL (Laughing Out Loud).

In 2009, she starred with Monica Bellucci in Don't Look Back, a movie about a mysterious connection between two women. In 2010, Sophie Marceau played a successful businesswoman who had to face her unhappy childhood in With Love... from the Age of Reason. In 2012, she played a 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 confesses to a crime.

In 2015, Sophie Marceau was chosen to be on the jury for the main film competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Author and director

In 1996, Sophie Marceau wrote a book called Menteuse. It was a bit like her own life story. The English version, Telling Lies, came out in 2001.

In 2002, Sophie Marceau directed her first full-length movie, Speak to Me of Love. She won an award for Best Director at the Montreal World Film Festival for this film. Before that, in 1995, she had directed a short nine-minute film. She also directed Trivial in 2007 and Mrs Mills in 2018.

Advertising work

Place Vendôme, Chaumet showing Sophie Marceau in 2013

When she was younger, Sophie Marceau appeared in many TV commercials and magazine covers, especially in Japan and South Korea, where she became famous after La Boum. Since 2008, she has been a global ambassador for Chaumet, a fancy jewelry company in Paris. Since 2014, she has also been the ambassador for DS cars, appearing in ads across Asia, especially in China.

Personal life

With her then-partner Christopher Lambert at the Skyfall Paris premiere in 2012

From 1985 to 2001, Sophie Marceau was in a relationship with Polish director Andrzej Żuławski. They have a son named Vincent, who was born in July 1995. After separating from Żuławski, Sophie Marceau was with American producer Jim Lemley for six years. They have a daughter named Juliette, born in June 2002.

Sophie Marceau also had a relationship with actor Christopher Lambert starting in 2007. They appeared together in the films Trivial and Cartagena. They separated in July 2014. In 2016, she was in a relationship with chef and restaurant owner Cyril Lignac for about 10 months.

Sophie Marceau can play the cello, which you can see in her 1999 film Lost and Found. She speaks both 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!
• 1988 Jupiter Award as best actress for Descente aux enfers
• 1991 Molière Award (theater) as best newcoming actress for Eurydice
• 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)

Decorations

• In 2003, Sophie Marceau was promoted to Officer in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture. This is a special honor for people who have contributed a lot to arts and literature. The Minister praised her, saying she represents freedom and is a role model for France.

• In March 2016, Sophie Marceau publicly shared that she had refused the Legion of Honour, which is France's highest award. Some other famous people, like Brigitte Bardot and Jean-Paul Sartre, have also chosen to decline this award in the past.

Filmography

Actress

Director and writer

See also

In Spanish: Sophie Marceau para niños