Biography

(written by me - don’t copy. This is NOT an official biography. The facts come from various internet sources.)

Marion Cotillard was born September 30, 1975. Her parents are actors in the theatre world and soon Marion Cotillard appeared in her father’s plays on stage. Although becoming a singer was an alternative for her she chose acting and went on to study Drama. Leaving the Conservatory award-winning (she won the ‘Premier Prix du Conservatoire d’Orléans’) in 1994 she got a part in an episode of US TV series ‘Highlander‘.

Until 1996 she appeared in various French films but didn’t quite become a successful film actress. But then came 1997 and Marion Cotillard first won an award for her stage performance in ‘Affaire classée‘ and won the part of Lilly Bertineau in ‘Taxi‘. It was the most successful summer comedy in France that year and as the mad taxi-driver’s girlfriend Marion Cotillard received broad recognition. She also got nominated as Most Promising Actress for a César award - the French Oscars.

All of this opened the doors for Marion and she played opposite Jeanne Moreau in ‘Lisa‘ and got her first major starring role in 2001 in ‘Les Jolies Choses‘ (english: Pretty Things). This provided her with the opportunity of proving that she was more than just the pretty girlfriend from ‘Taxi‘. Her excellent performance lead to a second César nomination, again as Most Promising Newcomer.

After participating in ‘Taxi 2‘ and ‘Taxi 3‘ she then received international recognition for her amazing performance as Sophie in Yann Samuel’s debut film ‘Jeux d’Enfants‘ (2003) (english: Love Me If You Dare). It was shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival and Marion won a Best Actress award. And she got a small but notable part in Tim Burton’s Hollywood film ‘Big Fish‘ opposite Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Ewan McGregor.

The slowly built up career finally led to the big break-through when she got again a small but notable part in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2004 international hit ‘Un long dimanche de fiançailles‘ (english: A Very Long Engagement). She filled the character of Tina Lombardi with life and won a César award as Best Supporting Actress. She advanced to one of the most poupular actresses in France and has been working constantly ever since. Notable appearances include ‘Ma Vie En L’Air‘, ‘La Boîte Noir‘ and ‘A Good Year‘ opposite Russel Crowe under the direction of Ridley Scott.

2006 saw the shooting of ‘La Môme‘ (english: La Vien En Rose), Olivier Dahan’s biopic about the famous singer Edith Piaf. It is a role of a lifetime for Marion Cotillard. In it she portrays the singer from the age of 20 until 46 (when she actually looked like 60). The pressure and expectations were high but shooting footage that was shown during the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006 already got positive remarks. It went on to be the opening film of the 57th Berlin International Film Festival and Marion Cotillard’s performance received standing ovations lasting over 15 minutes. In France the film draw many people to the theatres and Marion Cotillard graced many a magazine cover. She is very proud of the film and is actively supporting its release in various parts of the world. It is a must-see, if not for the film itself then definitively Marion’s perfect performance as Edith Piaf.

‘Taxi‘ may have made her a bankable star, but Marion Cotillard has proved more than enough that she so much more - and ‘Taxi 4′ will have to do without her. She is a very talented and serious actress with a huge body of work. She keeps her private life to herself. To be happy in her private life she needs - in her own words - to accomplish herself in her profession, but wouldn’t be satisfied if that were the only things in her life. Thus Marion Cotillard is also a spokesperson for Greenpeace.

I personally noticed Marion Cotillard because she appears so natural and authentic as an actress and conveys strong emotions seemingly without effort. She’s also got gorgeous looks and reminds me of two other favourite actresses of mine: Romola Garai and Sophia Myles. These two are younger and not yet as experienced but are certainly making their way like Marion.

Last Updated ( Monday, 05 March 2007 )



Go back Top Contact
All graphics and originally written content © www.marion-cotillard.org 2006-2008