Vanessa Paradis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vanessa Paradis
Paradis in 2016
Born	Vanessa Chantal Paradis (1972-12-22) 22 December 1972 (age 52) Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France
Occupation	Singer actress model
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Samuel Benchetrit ​ ​ (m. 2018)​
Partner(s)	Johnny Depp (1998–2012)
Children	2, including Lily-Rose Depp
Relatives	Alysson Paradis (sister)
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop rock
Labels	Barclay Polydor
Associated acts	Lenny Kravitz Matthieu Chedid Benjamin Biolay

Vanessa Chantal Paradis is a famous French singer, model, and actress. She became a big star when she was just 14 years old with her hit song "Joe le taxi" in 1987. This song was popular all over the world!

By the time she was 18, Vanessa had already won some of France's top awards. She received the Prix Romy Schneider and the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in the movie Noce Blanche. She also won the Victoires de la Musique for Best Female Singer for her album Variations sur le même t'aime.

Vanessa Paradis has starred in many popular films. Some of her well-known movies include Élisa (1995), Witch Way Love (1997), Girl on the Bridge (1999), and Heartbreaker (2010). She is also famous for being a model for Chanel since 1991, chosen by the famous designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Early Life

Vanessa Paradis was born on December 22, 1972, in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, a town near Paris, France. Her parents, André and Corinne Paradis, were interior designers.

As a child, Vanessa loved to dance and learned to play the piano. She also started going to auditions for child modeling. When she was only seven, she appeared on a local TV show called L'École des fans. This show was a talent competition for young singers.

Music Career

Becoming a Star

Vanessa Paradis recorded her very first song, "La Magie des surprises-parties," in 1983. She even performed it at a festival in Italy in 1985. This song helped her get ready for her huge hit, "Joe le taxi".

In 1987, when Vanessa was 14, "Joe le taxi" made her famous around the world. The song was number one in France for 11 weeks. It was also released in the United Kingdom, which was unusual for a French song, and reached number three there. Her first album, M&J, came out around this time.

In March 1989, at age 16, Vanessa decided to leave high school to focus completely on her singing career.

Working with Famous Artists

In 1990, Vanessa released her album Variations sur le même t'aime. This album included a new version of the song "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed. The famous French composer Serge Gainsbourg wrote the songs for this album. Vanessa met him when she won the best singer award at the Victoires de la Musique in 1990.

In 1992, Vanessa moved to the United States to work with the American musician Lenny Kravitz. They were dating at the time. Vanessa started making a new album in English, as she was now very good at the language. Lenny Kravitz wrote and produced this album, which was simply called Vanessa Paradis. It became number one in France. One of the popular songs from this album was "Be My Baby".

Paradis performing in 2007

In May 2013, Vanessa released a new double album called Love Songs. The French singer and producer Benjamin Biolay produced this album. Many talented people helped write songs for it, including Johnny Depp and her daughter Lily-Rose Depp.

Recent Music and Tours

Vanessa released a new album called Divinidylle in 2007. She then started the Divinidylle Tour in October. Some of her concerts were filmed, and a DVD/CD of the tour was released. Vanessa won two Les Victoires de la Musique awards for this album in February 2008.

She also released a "greatest hits" CD called Best of Vanessa Paradis. In 2010, she starred in the animated movie Un monstre à Paris, where she sang.

In November 2010, Vanessa released an acoustic album called Une nuit à Versailles. This album was recorded at the beautiful L'Opéra of the Palace of Versailles during her Vanessa Paradis Concert Acoustique Tour. She also released a set of DVDs in 2010 called Anthologie, which showed rare live performances and interviews from 1987 to 2007.

Her 2011 international tour included shows in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Turkey.

Acting Career

In 1990, Vanessa won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in the movie Noce Blanche.

Paradis in 1991

In April 1994, Vanessa filmed Élisa, directed by Jean Becker. Elisa was a big success in France and was also released in other countries.

In 1997, Vanessa acted in Un amour de sorcière with Jeanne Moreau and Jean Reno. After that, she filmed Une chance sur deux with famous actors Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. In March 1999, the movie La fille sur le Pont, directed by Patrice Leconte, was released. This movie was filmed in black and white.

Canadian film director Jean-Marc Vallée chose Vanessa to star in his film Café de Flore. In this movie, she plays a single mother of a child with Down syndrome in the 1960s. The film came out in 2011. Vanessa won a Genie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2012 Genie Awards for her performance.

In 2016, Vanessa acted alongside her daughter Lily-Rose in the movie Yoga Hosers. She played a history teacher in the film. The same year, she was a judge for the main competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

In September 2021, Vanessa made her first appearance in a play called Maman. Her husband, Samuel Benchetrit, wrote and directed the play. For her acting in Maman, she was nominated for the Molière Award for Best Actress in a Private Theatre.

Modeling and Chanel

In 1991, Vanessa Paradis became the face of the perfume Coco for Chanel. In the advertisement, she was covered in black feathers, acting like a bird swinging in a cage. The famous director Jean-Paul Goude filmed this advertisement. Vanessa has continued to admire Chanel for many years.

In 2004, she promoted Chanel's new handbags called Ligne Cambon. In 2005, she modeled for Chanel again for The New Mademoiselle handbag. In 2010, she became the face of Chanel's new lipstick, Rouge Coco. She also became the face of their new handbag line, Ranger.

Vanessa has appeared on more than 300 magazine covers around the world. These include famous magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Family Life

Vanessa Paradis has two children. Her daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, was born in 1999. Her son, John "Jack" Christopher Depp III, was born in 2002.

In June 2018, Vanessa Paradis married Samuel Benchetrit. He is a director who worked with her on his film Dog.

Vanessa's sister, Alysson Paradis, is also an actress.

Helping Others

Since 1993, Vanessa Paradis has been a member of the Les Enfoirés charity group. This group brings together many French artists to raise money for people in need.

Other Interesting Facts

• In 1991, the fashion designer Calvin Klein asked Vanessa Paradis to be the face of his new advertising campaign. She turned down the offer. His second choice, Kate Moss, then became very famous from that campaign.
• In 2001, the singer Carla Bruni wrote several songs for Vanessa. However, Vanessa felt the songs were very personal and encouraged Carla Bruni to record them herself. This led to Carla Bruni's successful album Quelqu'un m'a dit in 2002.
• In 2014, Vanessa's song "Mi amor" was chosen for a TV advertisement. It was used for the Love Story perfume from the brand Chloé.

Music Albums

• M&J (1988)
• Variations sur le même t'aime (1990)
• Vanessa Paradis (1992)
• Bliss (2000)
• Divinidylle (2007)
• Love Songs (2013)
• Les Sources (2018)

Concert Tours

• Natural High Tour (1993)
• Bliss Tour (2001)
• Divinidylle Tour (2007–08)
• Vanessa Paradis Concert Acoustique Tour (2009–10)
• International Tour 2011 (2011)
• Love Songs Tour (2013)
• Tournée les sources (2019)

Film and TV Shows

Theatre

Awards and Honors

Vanessa Paradis has won many awards for her music and acting.

See also

In Spanish: Vanessa Paradis para niños