Born: October 22, 1943
Age: 80
Birthplace: Paris, France
Catherine Deneuve (born 22 October 1943) is a French actress as well as occasional singer, model and producer. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof, mysterious beauties for various directors, including Luis Buñuel and Roman Polanski. In 1985, she succeeded Mireille Mathieu as the official face of Marianne, France's national symbol of liberty. A 14-time César Award nominee, she won for her performances in François Truffaut's The Last Metro (1980) and Régis Wargnier's Indochine (1992). She is also noted for her support for a variety of liberal causes.
Deneuve made her film debut in 1957 and first came to prominence in Jacques Demy's 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, before going on to star for Polanski in Repulsion (1965) and for Buñuel in Belle de Jour (1967) and Tristana (1970). She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress for Belle de Jour, and the Academy Award for Best Actress for Indochine. She also won the 1998 Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for Place Vendôme, and the 2002 Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for 8 Women. Other films include Scene of the Crime (1986), My Favourite Season (1993) and Potiche (2010). Her English-language films include The April Fools (1969), Hustle (1975), The Hunger (1983) and Dancer in the Dark (2000). In 2015, she starred in The Brand New Testament and Standing Tall.
Deneuve was born Catherine Fabienne Dorléac in Paris, France, the daughter of French stage actors Maurice Dorléac and Renée Simonot. Deneuve has two sisters, Françoise Dorléac (an actress, who died in a car crash in 1967, aged 25) and Sylvie Dorléac (born 14 December 1946), as well as a maternal half-sister, Danielle, whom their mother had out of wedlock in 1937 with Aime Clariond, but who was later adopted by Maurice and took his surname. Deneuve was her mother's maiden name, which she chose for her stage name, in order to differentiate herself from her sisters. Deneuve attended Catholic schools.
Deneuve was 13 when she made her film debut with a small role in André Hunebelle's Les Collégiennes (1957) with her younger sister Sylvie Dorléac, who, along with their older half-sister Danielle, was an occasional child actress. She subsequently appeared in several films for director Roger Vadim as well as in L'Homme à femmes (1960), which caught the eye of Jacques Demy, who cast Deneuve in his 1964 musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, the film that brought her to stardom. Deneuve first portrayed the cold but erotic persona, for which she would be nicknamed the "ice maiden", in Roman Polanski's horror classic Repulsion (1965), reinforcing it in Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour (1967), and reaching a peak in Tristana (1970). Her work for Buñuel would be her most famous.
Further prominent films from this early time in her career included Jean-Paul Rappeneau's A Matter of Resistance (1966), and Demy's musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967). Deneuve remained active in European films during the 1960s and 1970s, though she limited her appearances in American movies of the period to The April Fools (1969), a romantic comedy with Jack Lemmon, and Hustle (1975), a crime drama with Burt Reynolds. Her starring roles at the time were featured in such films as A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973) with Marcello Mastroianni and Le Sauvage (1975) with Yves Montand.
In the 1980s, Deneuve's films included François Truffaut's Le Dernier métro (1980), for which she won the César Award for Best Actress, and Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983) as a bisexual vampire, co-starring with David Bowie and Susan Sarandon, a role which brought her a significant lesbian following. She made her debut film as a producer in 1988, Drôle d'endroit pour une rencontre, alongside frequent co-star Gerard Depardieu.
In the early 1990s, Deneuve's more significant roles included 1992's Indochine opposite Vincent Perez, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and won a second César Award for Best Actress; and André Téchiné's two movies, Ma saison préférée (1993) and Les Voleurs (1996). In 1997, Deneuve was the protagonist in the music video for the song N'Oubliez Jamais sung by Joe Cocker. In 1998 she won acclaim and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in Place Vendôme. In the late 1990s, Deneuve continued to appear in a large number of films such as 1999's five films Est-Ouest, Le temps retrouvé, Pola X, Belle maman, and Le Vent de la nuit.
In 2000, Deneuve's part in Lars von Trier's musical drama Dancer in the Dark alongside Icelandic singer Björk was subject to considerable critical scrutiny. The film was selected for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. She made another foray into Hollywood the following year, starring in The Musketeer (2001) for Peter Hyams. In 2002, she shared the Silver Bear Award for Best Ensemble Cast at the Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in 8 Women. In 2005, Deneuve published her diary A l'ombre de moi-meme ("In My Own Shadow", published in English as Close Up and Personal: The Private Diaries of Catherine Deneuve); in it she writes about her experiences shooting the films Indochine and Dancer in the Dark. She also provided the voice role of Marjane Satrapi's mother in Satrapi's animated autobiographical film Persepolis (2007), based on the graphic novel of the same name. In 2008, she appeared in her 100th film, Un conte de Noël.
Deneuve's more recent work in the 2010s includes Potiche (2010) with Depardieu, Les Bien-aimés (2012), in which she acts alongside her real-life daughter Chiara Mastroianni, and Emmanuelle Bercot's On My Way (2014). During an interview at the Cannes Film Festival with Ali Naderzad, Deneuve was asked which was her own favorite film. "I still say it was The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. To do a film completely with music like an opera was an incredible experience. But to work with music all the time, it's such a lift, you know? It's an opera, it's very different." Deneuve continues to work steadily making at least two or three films per year.
Deneuve appeared nude in two Playboy pictorials in 1963 and 1965. Her image was used to represent Marianne, the national symbol of France, from 1985 to 1989. As the face of Chanel No. 5 in the late 1970s, she caused sales of the perfume to soar in the United States - so much so that the American press, captivated by her charm, nominated her as the world's most elegant woman. In 1983, American Home Products retained her to represent their cosmetics line and hired world-renowned photographer Richard Avedon to promote its line of Youth Garde cosmetics, for which she famously proclaimed, "Look closely. Next year I will be 40."
She is considered the muse of designer Yves Saint Laurent; he dressed her in the films Belle de Jour, La Chamade, La sirène du Mississipi, Un flic, Liza, and The Hunger. In 1992, she became a model for his skincare line. In 2001, she was chosen as the new face of L'Oréal Paris. In 2006, Deneuve became the third inspiration for the M•A•C Beauty Icon series and collaborated on the colour collection that became available at M•A•C locations worldwide in February that year. Deneuve began appearing in the new Louis Vuitton luggage advertisements in 2007. Deneuve was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by the Guardian in March 2013.
Deneuve introduced her own perfume, Deneuve, in 1986. She is also a designer of glasses, shoes, jewelery, and greeting cards.
Deneuve speaks fluent Italian, English and some German. Her hobbies and passions include gardening, drawing, photography, reading, music, cinema, fashion, antiques and decoration.
Deneuve has been married only once, to photographer David Bailey from 1965 to 1972. She has lived with director Roger Vadim, actor Marcello Mastroianni, cinematographer Hugh Johnson, and Canal+ tycoon Pierre Lescure.
Deneuve has two children: actor Christian Vadim, from her relationship with Roger Vadim, and actress Chiara Mastroianni, from her relationship with Marcello Mastroianni, and was among the earliest female celebrities to unabashedly have children out of wedlock. She has five grandchildren.
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1957 | Les Collégiennes | Une grande | André Hunebelle | |
1960 | L'Homme à femmes (fr) | Catherine | Jacques-Gérard Cornu | |
Les Portes claquent | Dany | Michel Fermaud Jacques Poitrenaud |
||
1962 | Les Parisiennes | Sophie | Marc Allégret | |
Ça c'est la vie | Claude Choublier | Short film | ||
Et Satan conduit le bal | Manuelle | Grisha Dabat | ||
1963 | Vice and Virtue | Justine Morand | Roger Vadim | |
Vacances portugaises | Catherine | Pierre Kast | ||
1964 | The Umbrellas of Cherbourg | Geneviève Emery | Jacques Demy | |
Les Plus belles escroqueries du monde | Swindler | Claude Chabrol | ||
La Chasse à l'homme (fr) | Denise | Édouard Molinaro | ||
Male Companion | Isabelle | Philippe de Broca | ||
La Costanza della ragione | Lori | Pasquale Festa Campanile | ||
1965 | Les Petits chats | Jacques R. Villa | ||
Repulsion | Carol | Roman Polanski | Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (3rd place) | |
Who Wants to Sleep? | Angela Claasen | Rolf Thiele Axel von Ambesser Alfred Weidenmann |
||
Le Chant du monde | Clara | Marcel Camus | ||
1966 | A Matter of Resistance | Marie | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | |
Les Créatures (fr) | Mylène | Agnès Varda | ||
1967 | The Young Girls of Rochefort | Delphine Garnier | Jacques Demy | |
Belle de Jour | Séverine Serizy / Belle de Jour | Luis Buñuel | Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role | |
1968 | Benjamin | Anne de Clécy | Michel Deville | |
Manon 70 | Manon | Jean Aurel | ||
Mayerling | Maria Vetsera | Terence Young | ||
La Chamade | Lucile | Alain Cavalier | ||
1969 | The April Fools | Catherine Gunther | Stuart Rosenberg | |
Mississippi Mermaid | Julie Roussel / Marion Vergano | François Truffaut | ||
Tout peut arriver (fr) | Interviewee | Philippe Labro | ||
1970 | Tristana | Tristana | Luis Buñuel | |
Peau d'Âne | Princess / 'Donkey Skin' | Jacques Demy | ||
1971 | It Only Happens to Others | Catherine | Nadine Trintignant | |
1972 | Liza | Liza | Marco Ferreri | |
Un flic | Cathy | Jean-Pierre Melville | ||
1973 | A Slightly Pregnant Man | Irène de Fontenoy | Jacques Demy | |
1974 | Don't Touch the White Woman! | Marie-Hélène de Boismonfrais | Marco Ferreri | |
Drama of the Rich | Linda Murri | Mauro Bolognini | ||
La mujer con botas rojas (es) | Françoise LeRoi | Juan Luis Buñuel (es) | ||
1975 | Zig-Zig (fr) | Marie | László Szabó | |
L'Agression (fr) | Sarah | Gérard Pirès | ||
Lovers Like Us | Nelly | Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress | |
Hustle | Nicole Britton | Robert Aldrich | ||
1976 | If I Had to Do It All Over Again | Catherine Berger | Claude Lelouch | |
1977 | Anima persa | Sofia Stolz | Dino Risi | |
March or Die | Simone Picard | Dick Richards | ||
Beach House | La donna del sogno | Sergio Citti | ||
1978 | L'Argent des autres | Cécile Rainier | Christian de Chalonge | |
1979 | Ils sont grands, ces petits (fr) | Louise Mouchin | Joël Santoni | |
Us Two | Françoise | Claude Lelouch | ||
Courage - Let's Run | Eva | Yves Robert | ||
Écoute voir | Claude Alphand | Hugo Santiago | ||
1980 | The Last Metro | Marion Steiner | François Truffaut | César Award for Best Actress David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress |
Je vous aime | Alice | Claude Berri | ||
1981 | Le Choix des armes (fr) | Nicole Durieux | Alain Corneau | |
Hotel America | Hélène | André Téchiné | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress | |
1982 | Le choc | Claire | Robin Davis | |
1983 | L'Africain (fr) | Charlotte | Philippe de Broca | |
The Hunger | Miriam Blaylock | Tony Scott | ||
1984 | Le Bon Plaisir | Claire Després | Francis Girod | |
Fort Saganne | Louise | Alain Corneau | ||
Paroles et Musique (fr) | Margaux | Élie Chouraqui | ||
1986 | Speriamo che sia femmina | Claudia | Mario Monicelli | |
Scene of the Crime | Lili Ravenel | André Téchiné | ||
1987 | Agent trouble | Amanda Weber | Jean-Pierre Mocky | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
1988 | Fréquence meurtre | Jeanne Quester | Élisabeth Rappeneau | |
A Strange Place to Meet | France | François Dupeyron | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress | |
1991 | La Reine blanche (fr) | Liliane Ripoche | Jean-Loup Hubert (fr) | |
1992 | Indochine | Eliane | Régis Wargnier | César Award for Best Actress Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress |
1993 | My Favorite Season | Emilie | André Téchiné | Goldene Kamera for Best International Actress Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
1994 | La Partie d'échecs (fr) | Marquise | Yves Hanchar (fr) | |
1995 | One Hundred and One Nights | The star-fantasy | Agnès Varda | |
The Convent | Hélène | Manoel de Oliveira | ||
1996 | Thieves | Marie Leblanc | André Téchiné | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
Court toujours: L'inconnu | Marianne | Ismaël Ferroukhi | Short film | |
1997 | Genealogies of a Crime | Jeanne / Solange | Raúl Ruiz | |
Sans titre | Leos Carax | Short film | ||
1998 | Place Vendôme | Marianne Malivert | Nicole Garcia | Volpi Cup Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
1999 | Le vent de la nuit (fr) (The Wind of the Night) | Hélène | Philippe Garrel | |
Belle maman | Léa | Gabriel Aghion | ||
Pola X | Marie | Leos Carax | ||
Time Regained | Odette de Crecy | Raúl Ruiz | ||
East/West | Gabrielle Develay | Régis Wargnier | ||
2000 | Dancer in the Dark | Kathy | Lars von Trier | Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture |
2001 | I'm Going Home | Marguerite | Manoel de Oliveira | |
Absolument fabuleux | A spectator of the parade (cameo) | Gabriel Aghion | ||
The Musketeer | The Queen | Peter Hyams | ||
Le petit poucet | The Queen | Olivier Dahan | ||
2002 | 8 Women | Gaby | François Ozon | 52nd Berlin International Film Festival—Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution European Film Award for Best Actress |
Au plus près du paradis | Fanette | Tonie Marshall | ||
2003 | Les Liaisons dangereuses | Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil | TV mini-series | |
A Talking Picture | Delfina | Manoel de Oliveira | ||
2004 | Princesse Marie | Princess Marie Bonaparte | Benoît Jacquot | TV movie |
Kings and Queen | Mme Vasset | Arnaud Desplechin | ||
Changing Times | Cécile | André Téchiné | ||
2005 | Palais royal! | Eugénia | Valérie Lemercier | Nominated—César Award for Best Supporting Actress |
2006 | Le concile de pierre (fr) | Sybille Weber | Guillaume Nicloux | |
Nip/Tuck | Diana Lubey | Ryan Murphy | TV series (1 Episode: "Diana Lubey") | |
Le héros de la famille | Alice Mirmont | Thierry Klifa | ||
2007 | Après lui | Camille | Gaël Morel | |
Persepolis | Mrs. Satrapi, Marjane's mother's voice | Marjane Satrapi Vincent Paronnaud |
||
Pouvoir et séduction | Elegant Lady | Maria von Heland | TV movie | |
2008 | A Christmas Tale | Junon Vuillard | Arnaud Desplechin | Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Nominated—Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actress |
Je veux voir | The famous actress | Joana Hadjithomas Khalil Joreige |
||
Mes stars et moi | Solange Duvivier | Laetitia Colombani | ||
2009 | Cyprien | Vivianne Wagner | David Charhon | |
The Girl on the Train | Louise | André Téchiné | ||
Park Benches | The client to the cupboard | Bruno Podalydès | ||
Hidden Diary | Martine | Julie Lopes-Curval | ||
2010 | Potiche | Suzanne Pujol | François Ozon | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
The Big Picture | Anne | Eric Lartigau | ||
2011 | Les yeux de sa mère | Lena Weber | Thierry Klifa | |
The Beloved | Madeleine | Christophe Honoré | Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Actress | |
2012 | Lines of Wellington | Severina | Valeria Sarmiento | |
God Loves Caviar | Empress Catherine II of Russia | Yannis Smaragdis | ||
Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia | Queen Cordelia | Laurent Tirard | ||
2013 | On My Way | Bettie | Emmanuelle Bercot | Cabourg Film Festival — Coup de Cœur Nominated—César Award for Best Actress Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Actress |
2014 | In the Courtyard | Mathilde | Pierre Salvadori | Nominated—César Award for Best Actress |
Three Hearts | The mother | Benoît Jacquot | ||
In the Name of My Daughter | Renée Le Roux | André Téchiné | ||
2015 | The Brand New Testament | Martine | Jaco Van Dormael | |
Standing Tall | Florence Blaque | Emmanuelle Bercot | Nominated-César Award for Best Actress | |
2016 | Le Cancre | Marguerite | Paul Vecchiali | |
2017 | The Midwife | Béatrice | Martin Provost |
Year | Award | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Best Actress | Indochine | Nominated |
Year | Award | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1969 | Best Actress | Belle de jour | Nominated |
Year | Award | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Best Actress | Le Sauvage | Nominated |
1981 | Le Dernier métro | Won | |
1982 | Hôtel des Amériques | Nominated | |
1988 | Agent trouble | Nominated | |
1989 | Drôle d'endroit pour une rencontre | Nominated | |
1993 | Indochine | Won | |
1994 | Ma saison préférée | Nominated | |
1997 | Les Voleurs | Nominated | |
1999 | Place Vendôme | Nominated | |
2006 | Best Supporting Actress | Palais Royal! | Nominated |
2011 | Best Actress | Potiche | Nominated |
2014 | On My Way | Nominated | |
2015 | In the Courtyard | Nominated | |
2016 | La Tête haute | Nominated |
Year | Group | Award | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1965 | NYFCC Award | Best Actress | Repulsion | Nominated |
1976 | Bambi Award | Film International | Lovers Like Us | Won |
1981 | David di Donatello | Best Foreign Actress | Le Dernier métro | Won |
1993 | WIFTI Award | Crystal Award - International | Herself | Won |
1994 | Goldene Kamera | Best International Actress | My Favorite Season | Won |
1995 | San Sebastián IFF Award | Donostia Award | Herself | Won |
1997 | Moscow IFF Award | Silver St. George | Won | |
1998 | Venice FF Award | Volpi Cup - Best Actress | Place Vendôme | Won |
Berlin IFF Award | Honorary Golden Bear | Herself | Won | |
2000 | AFF Award | Actor's Mission Award | Won | |
2001 | Bambi Award | Film International | East/West | Won |
I'm Going Home | ||||
Dancer in the Dark | ||||
Satellite Award | Best Supporting Actress - Drama | Dancer in the Dark | Nominated | |
2002 | Berlin IFF Award | Silver Berlin Bear | 8 Women |
Won |
EFA Award | Best Actress | Won | ||
2005 | Cannes IFF Award | Palme d'Or d'honneur | Herself | Won |
2006 | Bangkok IFF Award | Golden Kinnaree Award | Won | |
Istanbul IFF Award | Cinema Honorary Award | Won | ||
2008 | Cannes IFF Award | Special Jury Award | Won | |
Satellite Award | Best Actress - Motion Picture | A Christmas Tale | Nominated | |
2012 | FSLC Award | Gala Tribute | Herself | Won |
Manaki Brothers FF Award | Special Golden Camera 300 | Won | ||
2015 | Filmfest Hamburg | Douglas-Sirk-Award | Won |
In 2000, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her. In 2013, she was honoured for her lifetime achievement at the 26th European Film Awards.
In 2015, she received the Lifetime Achievement Golden Orange Award from International Antalya Film Festival, Turkey.
Charities
Catherine Deneuve supports the following charitable causes: Children, AIDS, Peace, Women's Issues.