You are not currently logged in. Login

Sophie Marceau

Sophie Marceau is a French actress best known for her role as Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson's Braveheart and as a Bond girl in The World is Not Enough. Sophie Marceau was born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu on November 17, 1966 in Paris, France, the second child of Benoît and Simone Maupu. Her father, Benoît, a veteran of the Algerian War, worked as a truck driver, painter, and bartender; her mother, Simone, was a demonstrator in department stores. Her brother Sylvain is three years older. Marceau started her career at age 14. In February 1980, while searching unsuccessfully for a job over the school holidays, Marceau and her mother came across a model agency advertisement looking for teenagers. Marceau had photos taken at the agency, but she did not think anything would come of it. At the same time, Françoise Menidrey, the casting director for Claude Pinoteau's upcoming film La Boum, sent out a call to modeling agencies looking for a new teenager for his film. A month after her photo session, Marceau was invited to audition for the role. She showed up with her father, nervous and very simply dressed. She was just one of over a thousand young girls waiting for their chance. Unlike many of the others, however, her acting was simple and natural with no forced seduction. Marceau was called back to read for director Claude Pinoteau, who was immediately won over by her "surprising simplicity" and knew he'd found his new leading actress. Filming began on July 17 and finished just in time for her school's fall term. After viewing the rushes, Alain Poiré, the director of the Gaumont Film Company, signed Marceau to a long-term contract. Before the film opened, Marceau changed her name following her agency's advice. Given a list of street names, she chose "Marceau" to retain her initials. Audiences responded favorably to La Boum and its old-fashioned sensibilities, becoming a big hit not only in France, where 4.5 million tickets were sold, but also in Italy, Japan, and around the world. The fourteen year old actress responded to the instant fame — posing for magazine covers, giving interviews, and doing commercials for the soap Lux Beauté, which made her a big star in Japan. In 1981, Marceau made her singing debut with French singer François Valéry on the record "Dream in Blue," written by Delanoë. In 1985, she recorded her first and only album Certitude, which contained nine songs written by Étienne Roda-Gil and composer Franck Langolff. In 1982, at the age of 16, Marceau bought back her contract with the film studio Gaumont for one million French francs. She borrowed most of the money, but she felt it was worth it to gain back her independence. She was still only 16 years old, but things were happening fast. In 1983, Marceau received the César Award (France's equivalent of an Oscar) for Most Promising Actress. After starring in the sequel film La Boum 2 in 1982, Marceau broke away from the teenage film genre and focused on more dramatic roles, including Fort Saganne (co-starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve) and Joyeuse Pâques (Happy Easter) in 1984, L'Amour Braque and Police in 1985, and Descente aux Enfers (Descent Into Hell) in 1986. In 1988, she starred in L'Etudiante (The Student) and Chouans!. That year, Marceau was named Best Romantic Actress at the International Festival of Romantic Movies for her role in Chouans. In 1989, she starred in Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours (My Nights are more Beautiful than your Days), which was directed by her long-time boyfriend Andrzej Zulawski. In 1990, she starred in Pacific Palisades and La Note Bleue, her third film directed by her companion. In 1991, she ventured into the theater with her role in Eurydice, which earned her a Marceau a Moliere Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Following her introduction to theatre acting, Marceau began making lighter, less-dramatic films, such as the comedy Fanfan in 1993 and La Fille de D'Artagnan in 1994 — both films very popular in Europe and abroad. That same year, she returned to the theatre as Eliza Dolittle in Pygmalion. In 1995, Marceau achieved international recognition for her role of Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson's historical epic Braveheart. That same year, she was part of an ensemble cast of international actors that appeared in the French film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wenders, Beyond the Clouds. In 1997, Marceau continued her international string of successful films with William Nicholson's Firelight, filmed in England, Véra Belmont's Marquise, filmed in France, and Bernard Rose's Anna Karenina. In 1999, Marceau made two films that defined her as an international star. For A Midsummer Night's Dream, she played the role of Hippolyta among a star-filled cast of international actors. That same year, she entered the elite realm of Hollywood Bond girls by playing the role of Elektra King in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. In 2000, Marceau teamed up once again with her then-boyfriend Andrzej Zulawski to film La Fidélité. Marceau married the producer Andrzej Żuławski, who is 26 years her senior. Their son Vincent was born in June 1995. In 2001, Marceau separated from Zulawski and became involved with producer Jim Lemley and later gave birth to her second child, Juliette, born in London in 2002. In 2007, various French newspapers and magazines reported that Marceau is dating Christopher Lambert with whom she acts in La Disparue de Deauville.

Page: 1

1 Comments

Good wow

vndyrndd - 5/9/2015, 12:54 AM

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.