Audrey Tautou Award winning and charming French actress Audrey Tautou was born August 9, 1978, in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France. She is the oldest in her family with two younger sisters and one younger brother. Attracted to comedy from very early on, Tautou pursued her acting career with lessons at the Cours Florent. By 1998, Tautou appeared on the French equivalent of Star Search entitled Jeunes Premier (The Young First). Winning Best Young Actress, Tautou was well on her way to stardom. Catching the eye of Tonie Marshall, Tautou was cast in Venus Beauty Institute in 1999. The film proved highly important for her career, and in 2000 she took home the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti for France’s most promising new actress. In this same year, Tautou landed roles in the French films Épouse-moi, Voyous Voyelles, Le Libertin, and Le Battement d’Ailes du Papillon. Any Tautou fan can usually find these early films readily available at their local video store or online.
But in 2001, she became an overnight international success. Her film Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, often called Amélie for short, broke onto the scene and introduced the world to her talents. The film received tremendous critical acclaim and even more love from the cinema-goers. It was even nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar but eventually lost to the Bosnian film No Man’s Land. Suddenly a hot commodity, Tautou made two more films that found success in France and overseas. They were He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not and Dirty Pretty Things. The first was a departure for Tautou who usually stuck to the romantic comedies. With He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not, the audience saw the darker side of romance—and Tautou. And Dirty Pretty Things continued in this vein. With revered British director Stephen Frears at the helm, the dark tale of a seedy London helped propel Tautou into even greater fame. In 2004, she again reached American audiences with her performance in A Very Long Engagement. Advertised as a romance, the graphic depiction of World War I violence surprised and disappointed many. But even if the film split the audiences, everyone could agree (including the Oscars) that this was a visually stunning film. Keep your eyes open for Jodie Foster, who played a small role in the movie as well.
The following year, Tautou garnered the role that arguably offered her the greatest exposure yet. Winning the extremely sought after role of Sophie Neveu, Tautou starred in the Dan Brown film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code. Her first completely Hollywood endeavor, Tautou worked with veteran director Ron Howard, and A-list actors Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, and Alfred Molina. Tautou has publicly stated that she plans to continue making French films as she considers it her home, community, and base. She does not deny the possibility of making more American or English language films, but she will focus on French cinema first. YUDDY |
