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Sophie Marceau is a popular French
actress who gained international recognition with her performances in
Braveheart and The World is Not Enough.
She was born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu on November 17, 1966 in Paris,
France, the second child of Benoît and Simone Maupu. Her father, Benoît, a
veteran of the Algerian War, worked as a truck driver, painter, and
bartender; her mother, Simone, was a demonstrator in department stores.
Her brother Sylvain is three years older than Sophie.
Sophie grew up in Chelles, France in the eastern suburbs of Paris. Later
they moved into a council flat in Gentilly, France in the southern suburbs
of Paris. She also spent time as a child at her parents' restaurant Le
Pharaon, on rue Crozatier in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.
The hardworking family lived a humble working class life that left Sophie
with generally fond memories of childhood. During the week, she was busy
helping out at the restaurant, where she enjoyed the noise and hectic
environment. She spent weekends with her family in La Cabane, a small
house in Vert-le-Petit in the Essonne. While her parents were busy serving
customers, Sophie quickly developed her adventurous and independent
spirit, keeping up with her brother Sylvain and her cousin Jacques. When
she was eleven years old, she got in trouble stealing records from a
supermarket — something that infuriated her parents. Another time, after
being scolded by her father, she hid all the giblets in the restaurant.
Sophie also had a shy and reserved side to her, particularly around
adults. She used to hide beneath her bed whenever her parents' friends
came by to visit. Alone, in the darkness of her room, she would dream of
one day becoming a truckdriver like her father. When she was nine years
old, her parents were divorced. Sophie enjoyed her time in school, but not
her studies. A bit of a prankster, she did not enjoy studying very much,
although she did like reading Molière, who made her laugh.
Sophie loved animals and collected stray cats and forsaken animals with
her older brother. She had a dog she named Scotch, and also adopted a
German shepherd at the SPCA. She had a cat she called Bidule, who refused
to move with the family when they left Gentilly.
When Sophie was twelve years old, she experienced her first kiss under a
tent. By then, she was already impatient about her life in Gentilly. She
longed to be free, to live in a large stone house in Normandie, France
with her friends. Most of all, she wanted to escape the boredom of
adolescence.
In February 1980, while searching unsuccessfully for a job over the school
holidays, Sophie and her mother came across a model agency advertisement
looking for teenagers. Sophie had photos taken at the agency, but she did
not think anything would come of it. At the same time, Françoise Menidrey,
the casting director for Claude Pinoteau's upcoming film La boum, sent out
a call to modeling agencies looking for a new teenager for his film. A
month after her photo session, Sophie was invited to audition for the
role. She showed up with her father, nervous and very simply dressed. She
was just one of over a thousand young girls waiting for their chance.
Unlike many of the others, however, her acting was simple and natural with
no forced seduction.
Sophie was called back to read for director Claude Pinoteau, who was
immediately won over by her "surprising simplicity" and knew he'd found
his new leading actress. Filming began on July 17 and finished just in
time for her school's fall term. After viewing the rushes, Alain Poiré,
the director of the film studio Gaumont, signed Sophie to a long-term
contract. Before the film opened, Sophie changed her name following her
agency's advice. Given a list of street names, she chose "Marceau" to
retain her initials.
Audiences responded favorably to La boum and its old-fashioned
sensibilities, becoming a big hit not only in France, where 4.5 million
tickets were sold, but also in Italy, Japan, and around the world. The
fourteen year old actress responded to the instant fame - posing for
magazine covers, giving interviews, and doing commercials for the soap Lux
Beauté, which made her a big star in Japan.
In 1981, Sophie made her singing debut with French singer François Valéry
on the record Dream in blue, written by Delanoë. In 1985, she recorded her
first and only album Certitude, which contained nine songs writed by
Étienne Roda-Gil and composer Franck Langolff.[
In 1982, at the age of sixteen, Sophie bought back her contract with the
film studio Gaumont for one million French francs. She borrowed most of
the money, but she felt it was worth it to gain back her independence. She
was still only 16 years old, but things were happening fast. In 1983,
Sophie received the César Award (France's equivalent of an Oscar) for Most
Promising Actress.
After starring in the sequel film La Boum 2 in 1982, Sophie broke away
from the teenage film genre and focused on more dramatic roles, including
Fort Saganne (co-starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve) and
Joyeuse Pâques (Happy Easter) in 1984, L'Amour Braque and Police in 1985,
and Descente aux Enfers (Descent Into Hell) in 1986. In 1988, she starred
in L'Etudiante (The Student) and Chouans!. That year, Sophie was named
Best Romantic Actress at the International Festival of Romantic Movies for
her role in Chouans!
In 1989, she starred in Mes Nuits Sont Plus Belles Que Vos Jours (My
Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days), which was directed by her
long-time boyfriend Andrzej Zulawski. In 1990, she starred in Pacific
Palisades and La Note Bleue, her third film directed by her companion. In
1991, she ventured into the theater with her role in Eurydice, which
earned her a Marceau a Moliere Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
Following her introduction to theatre acting, Sophie began making lighter,
less-dramatic films, such as the comedy Fanfan in 1993 and La Fille de
D'Artagnan in 1994 — both films very popular in Europe and abroad. That
same year, she returned to the theatre as Eliza Dolittle in Pygmalion.
In 1995, Sophie Marceau achieved international recognition for her role of
Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson's historical epic Braveheart. That same
year, she was part of an ensemble cast of international actors that
appeared in the French film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim
Wenders, Beyond the Clouds.
Petr Shelokhonov and Marceau (1997)
On location for Anna Karenina in St. PetersburgIn 1997, Sophie continued
her international string of successful films with William Nicholson's
Firelight, filmed in England, Véra Belmont's Marquise, filmed in France,
and Bernard Rose's Anna Karenina, filmed in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Interestingly, this was the first filmed version of Tolstoy's great novel
to be filmed in Russia.
In 1999, she made two films that defined her as an international star. For
A Midsummer Night's Dream, she played the role of Hippolyta among a
star-filled cast of international actors. That same year, she entered the
elite realm of Hollywood Bond girls by playing the role of Elektra King in
the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.
In 2000, Sophie teamed up once again with her husband Andrzej Zulawski to
film La Fidélité. It would be their final film together.
Sophie married the producer Andrzej Żuławski, who was at the time 26 years
her senior. Their son Vincent was born in June 1995. In 2001, Sophie
separated from Zulawski and became involved with producer Jim Lemley and
later gave birth to her second child, Juliette, born in London in 2002. In
2007 various french newspapers and magazines reported that Sophie is
dating Christopher Lambert with whom she acts in La Disparue de Deauville. |
