Audrey Tautou

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Audrey Tautou
Born Audrey Justine Tautou
August 9, 1976/1978
Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France
Occupation Actress
Years active 1996–present

Audrey Justine Tautou (French pronunciation: [odʁɛ totu]; born 9 August either in 1976[1][2][3][4][5] or 1978)[6][7][8][9] is a French film actress, known to worldwide audiences for playing the title character in the award-winning 2001 film Amélie, Sophie Neveu in the 2006 thriller The Da Vinci Code, and more recently Irène in Priceless (2006). She, also, won the César Award for Most Promising Actress in Venus Beauty Institute (1999).

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[edit] Early life

Tautou was born in the Puy-de-Dôme département of Auvergne, and was raised in Montluçon[3] in nearby Allier, Auvergne. Her father is a dental surgeon and her mother is a teacher.[10] Tautou showed an interest in comedy at an early age and started her acting lessons at the Cours Florent.[11] This theatrical institution is highly prestigious and she is one of several famous actors to have passed through its doors (others including Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil and Guillaume Canet). After graduating she went on to star in some of French cinema's biggest and most famous films.[1]

[edit] Career

In 1998, Tautou participated in a Star Search-like competition sponsored by Canal+ called "Jeunes Premiers" (The Young Debut) and won Best Young Actress at the 9th Béziers Festival of Young Actors. Then, she came to the attention of Tonie Marshall, who gave her a role in the César-winning Venus Beauty Institute (1999, aka Vénus beauté (institut)). In 2000, she won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as her country's most promising young film actress.

Already well-known in France for her work in Venus Beauty Institute, in 2001 Tautou rose to international fame for her performance as the eccentric lead in the romantic comedy Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie). In June 2004 she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).[12] She accepted the invitation and is still a member as of 1 September, 2006.

In 2005, Tautou worked in her first full Hollywood production, opposite Tom Hanks, in the film version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard and released in May 2006. She acted alongside Gad Elmaleh in Pierre Salvadori's Hors de prix (Priceless), released 13 December, 2006. The film has been compared to Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Tautou starred with Guillaume Canet (best known for his role in the film adaptation of The Beach) in Claude Berri's Ensemble, c'est tout in 2007, an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Anna Gavalda.

Tautou played the lead role in the biopic of fashion designer Coco Chanel. Filming began in Paris in September 2008, and the film was released in France on April 22, 2009. The film is titled Coco avant Chanel, and is directed by Anne Fontaine.[13][14][15] The script of the new movie[16] is partially based on Edmonde Charles-Roux’s book “L’Irrégulière” (”The Non-Conformist”). As part of promoting the new Coco Chanel bio film in May 2008, Tautou was named as the next spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5, replacing Nicole Kidman. She will be directed in the advertisement by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, with whom she worked on Amélie and A Very Long Engagement. The advertisement will be released in 2009 to coincide with the film's release.[17][18][19]

[edit] Personal life

Her favourite authors are Victor Hugo, Oscar Wilde, Paul Auster, and Timothy Zahn; and her favourite poets are Charles Baudelaire and Tristan Tzara. She was brought up attending church, though she has now stated that she is "not officially" a Catholic.[20] She takes pictures of each reporter who interviews her and keeps them in a scrapbook. Tautou says she still considers France her base, and plans to pursue a career predominantly there rather than crossing over to the United States. As she told Stevie Wong of The Straits Times:

“ I am, at the end of the day, a French actress. I am not saying I will never shoot an English-language movie again, but my home, my community, my career is rooted in France. I would never move to Los Angeles.[21] ”

After the premiere of the film Amélie (for which she received phenomenal amounts of paparazzi and press coverage) she travelled to the jungles of Indonesia to help with the preservation of a monkey sanctuary.

The Brand New song "Tautou", from the album Déjà Entendu ("previously heard") is named after her.

[edit] Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1999 Venus Beauty Institute Marie
Triste à Mourir Caro
2000 Marry Me Marie-Ange
The Little Grifters Anne-Sophie
The Libertine Julie d'Holbach
Happenstance Irène
2001 Amélie Amélie Poulain
God Is Great and I'm Not Michèle
2002 He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not Angélique
Dirty Pretty Things Senay Gelik
Pot Luck Martine
2003 Lost Seamen Lalla
Not on the Lips Huguette Verberie
Happy End Martine
2004 A Very Long Engagement Mathilde
2005 The Russian Dolls Martine
2006 The Da Vinci Code Sophie Neveu
Priceless Irène
2007 Hunting and Gathering Camille
2009 Coco Before Chanel Coco Chanel

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b IMDB Biography, IMDB, http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0851582/bio, retrieved 2008-08-22 
  2. ^ A very big engagement, Times Online, http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article715245.ece, retrieved 2008-08-22 
  3. ^ a b Montlucon's Jules Ferry college alumnus, http://coll-ferry-montlucon.planet-allier.com/, http://coll-ferry-montlucon.planet-allier.com/celebres.html, retrieved 2008-08-28 
  4. ^ Birth certificate, Les Gens du Cinema, http://www.lesgensducinema.com/affiche_acteur.php?mots=tautou&nom_acteur=TAUTOU%20Audrey&ident=55466&debut=0&record=0, retrieved 2008-08-22 
  5. ^ Transcript of interview from French edition of Elle, Elle, French edition issue 3068, October 2004, http://web.archive.org/web/20060515141812/http://fandeaudreytautou.free.fr/interview_elle_uldf.php, retrieved 2008-08-28 
  6. ^ Vanderschelden, Isabelle (2006). Amélie ; Le Fabuleux Destin D' Amélie Poulain. I. B. Tauris. pp. 21. ISBN 9781845113759. 
  7. ^ Audrey Tautou, Encyclopædia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1020875/Audrey-Tautou, retrieved 2008-08-22 
  8. ^ , AskMen.com, http://www.askmen.com/celebs/women/actress_200/233_audrey_tautou.html, retrieved 2008-08-22 
  9. ^ Audrey Tautou, Variety, http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/44857/Audrey+Tautou.html?dataSet=1/, retrieved 2008-08-22 
  10. ^ Biographie, Fan de Andrey Tautou, http://web.archive.org/web/20060516040918/fandeaudreytautou.free.fr/Bio.php, retrieved 2009-10-28 
  11. ^ Les florentins qui font la réputation de nore école, Cours Florent, http://www.coursflorent.fr/index.php/box-office, retrieved 2009-10-28 
  12. ^ Academy Invites 127 to Membership
  13. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a126980/warner-bros-backs-chanel-biopic.html?imdb
  14. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851582/
  15. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1035736/
  16. ^ Audrey Tautou: The New Coco Chanel
  17. ^ New role for Audrey Tautou, Daily Telegraph, 2008-05-11, http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23676294-5006013,00.html, retrieved 2008-05-21 
  18. ^ Snead, Elizabeth (2008-05-05), Is it a bird or a plane? Sarah Jessica Parker won't save the Costume Gala?, Los Angeles Times, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2008/05/tonights-metrop.html, retrieved 2008-05-21 
  19. ^ Audrey Tautou new face of Chanel, China Daily, 2008-05-16, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2008-05/16/content_6690516.htm, retrieved 2008-05-21 
  20. ^ Audrey Tautou News | Tautou dismisses Da Vinci controversy
  21. ^ The Star Online eCentral: From Amelie to Sophie

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Tautou"