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Biography |
Sophie Marceau was born November 17,
1966, in Paris, France. While growing up with her father --
who was a truck driver -- in the Parisian suburbs, Sophie
was always far removed from the big movie studios of France.
When she was 14, a friend of hers informed her that French
director Claude Pinoteau was casting fresh talent for his
film, La Boum. Sophie was cast in the teenage film, released
in 1980. The film was a huge hit and led to the sequel, La
Boum 2, released 2 years later.
Sophie was honored with the Cesar (French Oscar) for Most
Promising Actress, in 1983. Legally tied to her contract
with Gaumont, the movie studio she had worked with, Sophie
paid one million French francs to buy back her contract when
she was 16 years old -- of course, she had to borrow the
money to pay the large sum, but it was worth it for a newly
independent Sophie.
Sophie then broke away from the mold of a teenage star and
moved onto more dramatic parts, in films such as 1984's Fort
Saganne, and Joyeuse Pâques (Happy Easter); 1985's L'Amour
Braque (directed by her long-time boyfriend, Andrzej
Zulawski) and Police; 1986's Descente aux Enfers (Descent
Into Hell); 1988's L'Etudiante (The Student) and Chouans!;
and 1989's Mes Nuits Sont Plus Belles Que Vos Jours (My
Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days), also directed by
Andrzej Zulawski.
Thanks to her role in Chouans!, she was named Best Romantic
Actress at the 1988 International Festival of Romantic
Movies.
After a role in Pacific Palisades in 1990 and La Note Bleue,
her third film by her companion, Sophie opted for lighter,
fluffier roles, such as the comedy Fanfan in 1993 and La
Fille de D'Artagnan a year later. She even ventured into
theater with her role in Eurydice in 1991, which garnered
her a Marceau a Moliere Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
She took to the stage again in 1994, as Eliza Dolittle in
Pygmalion.
But it was her role as Princess Isabelle in the
Oscar-winning epic, Braveheart, that made international
audiences take notice of the French beauty. Mel Gibson
immediately knew that Sophie was the one for the part, and
moviegoers agreed that she added beauty to what was already
an excellent, yet gory script.
The same year that Braveheart madness was in the air, Sophie
went behind the camera for a 9-minute film, L'Aube a
L'envers, which opened for a film at the Cannes Film
Festival.
While Sophie tries to stay away from the Hollywood scene and
not get caught up in the circuit, she has an impressive
resume of American films such as her co-starring role in the
David Spade comedy, Lost & Found and William Shakespeare's A
Midsummer Night's Dream, along with Michelle Pfeiffer and
Calista Flockhart.
In 1999, she jumped to Bond Girl status as Elektra King,
starring opposite Pierce Brosnan in the 19th Bond outing,
The World Is Not Enough.
Since her Bond fame, Sophie has starred in the French films
La Fidélité, again under the direction of Zulawski and
Belphégor -- Le Fantôme Du Louvre.
An animal lover, Sophie avidly and publicly protests sports
such as dove-shooting and bullfighting, and supports
Arc-en-Ciel, an organization that helps sick children.
While family and friends refer to Sophie as Flatfoosie,
she's known as mom to her son Vincent (with husband Andrzej
Zulawski), born July 1995. |
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