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Audrey Justine Tautou, born 9 August
1976, 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, Irène in Priceless (2006) and Coco
Chanel in Coco Avant Chanel. She, also, won the César Award for Most
Promising Actress in Venus Beauty Institute (1999).
Tautou was born in the Puy-de-Dôme département of Auvergne, and was raised
in Montluçon in nearby Allier, Auvergne. Her father is a dental surgeon
and her mother is a teacher. Tautou showed an interest in comedy at an
early age and started her acting lessons at the Cours Florent. 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.
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). 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. The script of the new movie 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.
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. She is fascinated by monkeys. 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.”
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. |
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"I wouldn't mind being in an
American film for a laugh, but I certainly don't want to be in
Thingy Blah Blah 3, if you know what I mean."
"I show through my movies that I can do something else. But I always
play strong-minded characters. I think it's maybe because I'm like
that. I love being by myself."
I'm a tomb when it comes to my personal life. I never give even a
mote of dust of that away."
"Hollywood doesn't need me. After 'Amélie,' I didn't get any offers
that interested me. I have very eclectic tastes, but it's important
for me that a movie be sensitive, clever and subtle."
"Everyone thinks I have an ethnic origin, and could be from North
Africa or parts of Asia, or Italy and Spain. But, as far as I know,
I'm 100-percent French."
"I believe in God, but I am not sure to trust Him so much."
"I figured that maybe it would be interesting to try a blockbuster,
but I never thought it'd happen to me." |
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Soins complets (2010)
... aka Full Treatment (International: English title)
Coco avant Chanel (2009) .... Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel
... aka Coco Before Chanel (UK) (USA)
Ensemble, c'est tout (2007) .... Camille Fauque
... aka Hunting and Gathering (Europe: English title)
Hors de prix (2006) .... Irène
... aka Priceless (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
The Da Vinci Code (2006) .... Sophie Neveu
Les poupées russes (2005) .... Martine
... aka Russian Dolls (Australia: DVD title) (UK) (USA: DVD title)
... aka Russian Dolls: Pot Luck 2 (UK: DVD title)
... aka The Russian Dolls (literal English title)
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) .... Mathilde
... aka A Very Long Engagement (International: English title) (UK)
(USA)
Nowhere to Go But Up (2003) .... Val Chipzik
... aka Happy End (France) (Germany) (USA)
... aka I Want to Be Famous (Singapore: English title)
Pas sur la bouche (2003) .... Huguette Verberie
... aka Not on the Lips (International: English title) (USA)
Les marins perdus (2003) .... Lalla
... aka Lost Seamen (International: English title: festival title)
Dirty Pretty Things (2002) .... Senay Gelik
L'auberge espagnole (2002) .... Martine
... aka Pot Luck (Canada: English title) (UK)
... aka Euro Pudding (International: English title)
... aka L'auberge espagnole (USA)
... aka The Spanish Apartment (USA)
... aka Una casa de locos (Spain)
À la folie... pas du tout (2002) .... Angélique
... aka He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (International: English
title)
Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite (2001) .... Michèle
... aka God Is Great and I'm Not (USA: DVD title)
... aka God Is Great, I'm Not (USA: festival title)
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) .... Amélie Poulain
... aka Amélie (France: working title) (International: English
title) (USA)
... aka Amelie (Australia) (UK)
... aka Amelie from Montmartre (International: English title)
... aka Amelie of Montmartre (International: English title: festival
title)
... aka Die fabelhafte Welt der Amelie (Germany)
... aka The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain (USA: literal English
title)
Le battement d'ailes du papillon (2000) .... Irène
... aka Happenstance (UK) (USA)
... aka Amelie 2 (Hong Kong: English title: DVD title)
... aka The Beating of a Butterfly's Wings (International: English
title: alternative transliteration)
... aka The Beating of the Butterfly's Wings (International: English
title)
Le libertin (2000) .... Julie d'Holbach
... aka The Libertine (International: English title)
Voyous voyelles (2000) .... Anne-Sophie
... aka Bad Girls (Australia: TV title)
... aka Pretty Devils (USA: new title)
... aka The Little Grifters (USA: cable TV title)
Épouse-moi (2000) .... Marie-Ange
... aka Marry Me (International: English title: festival title)
Triste à mourir (1999) .... Caro
Vénus beauté (institut) (1999) .... Marie
... aka Venus Beauty Institute (USA: literal English title)
... aka Venus Beauty Salon (UK)
Le boiteux: Baby blues (1999) (TV) .... Blandine Piancet
"Julie Lescaut" .... Tracy (1 episode, 1998)
- Bal masqué (1998) TV episode .... Tracy
Casting: Archi-dégueulasse (1998) .... Comédienne 1
Chaos technique (1998) (TV) .... Lisa
Bébés boum (1998) (TV) .... Elsa
La vieille barrière (1998) .... La jeune fille du quartier
"Les cordier, juge et flic" .... Léa (1 episode, 1997)
- Le crime d'à côté (1997) TV episode .... Léa
La vérité est un vilain défaut (1997) (TV) .... La standardiste
Coeur de cible (1996) (TV) |
