Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve at Cannes in 2000.
Born	Catherine Fabienne Dorléac
Years active	1957–present
Spouse	David Bailey (1965–1972)

Catherine Deneuve (French IPA: [katʁin dəˈnœv], born October 22, 1943) is an Academy Award-nominated French actress, who made her reputation playing a series of beautiful ice maidens for various directors, including Luis Buñuel and Roman Polanski.

Career

Deneuve was born Catherine Fabienne Dorléac in Paris, one of four daughters to French stage and film actor Maurice Dorléac and actress Renée Deneuve. She made her screen debut at the age of 13, with a role in the 1956 film Les Collégiennes, and went on to make several films with directors such as Roger Vadim before getting her breakthrough role in Jacques Demy's musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964).

The burst of stardom that accompanied Deneuve's portrayal led to two of her archetypal ice-maiden roles, first in Roman Polanski's Repulsion in 1965 and then in Buñuel's 1967 Belle de Jour. Deneuve's startling portrayal of an icy, sexually adventurous housewife in the latter film helped to establish her as one of the most remarkable and compelling actresses of her generation. She further demonstrated her talent that year in Demy's Umbrellas musical follow-up, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which she starred in with her sister, Françoise Dorléac.

Deneuve continued to work steadily through the 1960s and 1970s in films such as the 1970 Tristana (her second collaboration with Buñuel) and A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973), in which she starred with, Marcello Mastrioanni. Deneuve chose to avoid Hollywood, limiting her appearances in American films to The April Fools (1969) and Hustle (1975). Deneuve also did prolific work through the 1980s, appearing in such films as François Truffaut's Le Dernier métro (1980) and Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983). The latter film saw Deneuve playing a bisexual vampire alongside David Bowie and Susan Sarandon; her performance won her an indelible cult status in the States among lesbians and goths.

In the 1990s, Deneuve garnered further international acclaim for her roles in several films, including 1992's Indochine (for which she won a César Award for Best Actress and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress) and two films directed by André Téchiné, Ma saison préférée (1993) and Les Voleurs (1995). In 1994 she was Vice President on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. In 1996, she paid homage to the director who had first given her fame by taking part in the documentary L'Univers de Jacques Demy. In 1998, she won acclaim and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in Place Vendôme. Closing out the final years of the 1990s Deneuve remained consistently working in numerous films; in 1999 alone she appeared in no less than five films: Est-Ouest, Le temps retrouvé, Pola X, Belle-maman, and Le vent de la nuit, continuing to turn in compelling performances.

In 2000, Deneuve received much critical attention when cast alongside eccentric Icelandic singer Björk in Lars von Trier's melancholy musical Dancer in the Dark. Though it polarized critics and audiences alike, Dancer in the Dark nevertheless won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2002, she shared the Silver Bear Award for Best Ensemble Cast at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in 8 Women. In 2005, Deneuve published her diary A l'ombre de moi-meme (In My Shadow); in it she writes about her experiences shooting the films Indochine and Dancer in the Dark. In 2006, she headed the jury at the Venice Film Festival. Deneuve continues to work steadily making at least two or three films per year.

Awards

César Awards

• Le Dernier métro (Best Actress)
• Indochine (Best Actress)

Other awards

• 1981 - David di Donatello Awards, (Best Foreign Actress) - Le Dernier métro
• 1993 - Women in Film Crystal Awards, (International Award)
• 1995 - San Sebastián International Film Festival, (Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award)
• 1997 - Moscow International Film Festival, (Silver St. George) - (Contribution to World Cinema)
• 1998 - Venice Film Festival, (Volpi Cup, Best Actress) - Place Vendôme
• 1998 - Berlin International Film Festival, (Honorary Golden Berlin Bear)
• 2000 - Art Film Festival, (Actor's Mission Award)
• 2001 - Bambi Awards, (Film - International)
• 2002 - Berlin International Film Festival, (Silver Berlin Bear) - 8 Women, shared with ensemble cast
• 2002 - European Film Awards, (Best Actress) - 8 Women, shared with ensemble cast
• 2006 - Bangkok International Film Festival, (Golden Kinnaree Career Achievement Award)

Award nominations

César Award nominations

• 1976 - Le Sauvage (Best Actress)
• 1982 - Hôtel des Amériques (Best Actress)
• 1988 - Agent trouble (Best Actress)
• 1989 - Drôle d'endroit pour une rencontre (Best Actress)
• 1994 - Ma saison préférée (Best Actress)
• 1997 - Les Voleurs (Best Actress)
• 1999 - Place Vendôme (Best Actress)
• 2006 - Palais Royal! (Best Supporting Actress)

Academy Award nominations

• 1992 - Indochine (Best Actress)

BAFTA Award nominations

• 1967 - Belle de Jour (Best Actress)

Career outside of film

Modeling

• Designer Yves Saint Laurent's muse, he dressed her in the films Belle de Jour, La Chamade, La Sirène du Mississippi, Liza, and The Hunger.

• Deneuve was the face of Chanel No. 5 in the seventies and 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.

• Her visage was used to symbolize Marianne, the national symbol of France, from 1985 to 1989.

• In 1992, Deneuve became a model for Yves Saint Laurent's skincare line.

• In 2001, Deneuve 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. Deneuve and Make-up Art Cosmetics closely collaborated on the colour collection that became available at M•A•C locations worldwide in February 2006.

• In late 2007, Deneuve began appearing in the new Louis Vuitton luggage advertisements.

Entrepreneurial

• Introduced her own perfume, Deneuve, in 1986.

• Designer of glasses, shoes, jewelry and greeting cards.

Charities

• Deneuve was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Safeguarding of Film Heritage in 1994. On November 12, 2003, she resigned her position as Goodwill Ambassador at UNESCO to protest the nomination of French businessman Pierre Falcone as the Angola representative, which enables him to escape justice and investigation for illegal arms dealing.

• Deneuve asked that the rights owed to her from her representation of Marianne be given to Amnesty International.

• Louis Vuitton made a donation to The Climate Project, spearheaded by Al Gore, on behalf of Deneuve.

• Deneuve is also involved with Children Action, Children of Africa, Orphelins Roumains and Reporters sans frontiers (Reporters Without Borders).

• Douleur sans frontiers (Pain Without Borders) - At the end of 2003, Deneuve recorded a radio commercial to encourage donations to fight against the pain in the world, notably for the victims of landmines.

• Handicap International - In the middle of July, 2005, Deneuve lent her voice to the message of radio commercials, TV and cinema, which denounced the use of the BASM (cluster bombs).

• Voix de femmes pour la démocratie (Voice of women for democracy) - Deneuve read the text, "Le petit garçon," of Jean-Lou Dabadie, on the entitled CD, "Voix de femmes pour la démocratie." The CD was sold for the benefit of the female victims of the war and the fundamentalisms that fight for democracy.

• Deneuve has also been involved with various charities in the fight against AIDS and cancer.

Political involvement

• In 1971, Deneuve signed the Manifesto of the 343 (Manifeste des 343 salopes, Manifest of the 343 bitches). The manifesto was an admission by its signers to have practiced illegal abortions, and therefore, exposed themselves to judicial actions and prison sentences. It was published in Le Nouvel Observateur on April 5, 1971. That same year, feminist lawyer Gisèle Halimi founded the group, Choisir (“To Chose”), to protect the women who had signed the Manifesto of the 343.

• Deneuve is involved with Amnesty International's program to abolish the death penalty.

• In 2001, Deneuve delivered a petition organized by the French-based group, "Together Against the death penalty," to the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

• In April 2007, Deneuve signed a petition on the internet protesting the "misogynous" treatment of socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal. More than 8,000 French men and women signed the petition, including French actress Jeanne Moreau.

Personal life

Deneuve has three sisters - the actress Françoise Dorléac (who died in a car crash on June 26, 1967), Sylvie Dorléac and Danielle Dorléac.

Deneuve speaks fluent French, Italian, English and is semi-fluent in German. Some of her hobbies and passions include gardening, drawing, photography, reading, music, cinema, fashion, antiques and decoration.

Deneuve's sole marriage was from 1965 to 1972 with photographer David Bailey. The couple divorced in 1972 and have remained friends. She has had relationships with director Roger Vadim, director François Truffaut, actor Marcello Mastroianni 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.

Filmography

Main article: Catherine Deneuve filmography

See also

• Cinema of France

External links

• Film.guardian.uk interview
• Catherine Deneuve at IMDb