Cécile de France
Cécile de France (French: [sesil də fʁɑ̃s]; born 17 July 1975) is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art (délicat) de la séduction (2001) and Irène (2002), she gained international attention for her lead roles in High Tension (2003) and Hereafter (2010).
Cécile de France | |
|---|---|
_crop_2.jpg.webp) Cécile de France at the 2018 Berlinale | |
| Born | 17 July 1975 Namur, Belgium |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse |
Guillaume Siron (m. 2006) |
| Children | 2 |
Life and career
Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she studied theatre for two years with actor Jean Paul Denizon, assistant to British director Peter Brook. She then spent three years (1995–98) at the acting academy ENSATT (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre) in the Département Comédie first at the Rue Blanche in Paris, then in Lyon. She was discovered by the agent Dominique Besnehard and appeared in French hit films such as L'Art (délicat) de la séduction (2001) and Irène (2002).
Her international breakthrough came with the horror film High Tension (2003, UK title: Switchblade Romance, US title: High Tension). She caught the eye of Hollywood producers and soon landed her first major role in a US feature, Around the World in 80 Days (2004), in which she starred alongside Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan.
She won two César Awards for Most Promising Actress in L'Auberge espagnole (2002), and Best Supporting Actress in Les Poupées russes (2005).
In 2014, she hosted the 39th César Awards ceremony.
She was selected to be on the jury for the Cinéfondation and short films sections of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[1] She was also selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]
She has two children, Lino and Joy, with musician Guillaume Siron.[3]
In 2019, she was cast in Wes Anderson's film The French Dispatch.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Regarde-moi (en face) | Dune | |
| 2001 | Toutes les nuits | The Prostitute | |
| L'Art (délicat) de la séduction | Laure | ||
| 2002 | L'Auberge Espagnole | Isabelle | |
| Irene | Irène | ||
| A+ Pollux | Pollux Lesiak | ||
| 2003 | I, Cesar | Samantha | |
| Kaena: The Prophecy | Kaena | Voice | |
| High Tension | Marie | ||
| 2004 | Around the World in 80 Days | Monique La Roche | |
| La Confiance règne | Chrystèle Burrel | ||
| 2005 | Russian Dolls | Isabelle | |
| 2006 | Avenue Montaigne | Jessica | |
| When I Was a Singer | Marion | ||
| The Colonel | Lieutenant Galois | ||
| Bad Faith | Clara Breitmann | ||
| 2007 | Snow White: The Sequel | Snow White / Sleeping Beauty / Cinderella | Voice |
| Gone for a Dance | Blanche | ||
| Hand of the Headless Man | Eva Sanders | ||
| A Secret | Tania Stirn / Grimbert | ||
| 2008 | Mesrine | Jeanne Schneider | |
| 2009 | Sister Smile | Jeanine Deckers | |
| 2010 | Gardiens de l'ordre | Julie | |
| Hereafter | Marie LeLay | ||
| 2011 | The Kid with a Bike | Samantha | |
| A Butterfly Kiss | Alice | ||
| Cars 2 | Sally Carrera | Voice (French dubbed) | |
| 2012 | Superstar | Fleur Arnaud | |
| 2013 | Chinese Puzzle | Isabelle | |
| 2014 | Möbius | Alice | |
| 2015 | En équilibre | Florence Kernel | |
| Summertime | Carole | ||
| 2016 | The Jungle Book | Raksha | French voice |
| Le Voyage de Fanny | Madame Forman | ||
| Term Life | Lucy | ||
| 2017 | Django | Louise De Klerk | |
| Ôtez-moi d'un doute | Anna | ||
| 2018 | Dolphin Reef | The Narrator | French voice |
| Mademoiselle de Joncquières | Madame De La Pommeraye | ||
| 2019 | Rebelles | Sandra | |
| Un monde plus grand | Corine | ||
| 2021 | The French Dispatch | Mrs. B | |
| Lost Illusions | Louise de Bargeton | ||
| Peaceful | Eugénie | ||
| 2023 | Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe | Marthe Bonnard |
Short film
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Tous nos voeux de bonheur |
| 2000 | The Last Dream |
| Bon appétit ! | |
| 2001 | Le Mariage en papier |
| 2002 | Loup ! |
| 3 jours, 3 euros | |
| Il était une femme | |
| 2003 | Nervous Breakdown |
| 2004 | La Nuit du 6 au 7 |
| Les Calamars n'écoutent plus la radi | |
| 2008 | D'une vie à l'autre |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cas de divorce | Gabrielle Clément | |
| 1999 | The Judge Is a Woman | Anna | |
| 2001 | Nana | Christine | Television film |
| 2003 | Petits mythes urbains | The Woman | |
| 2007 | La parure | Mathilde Loisel | |
| 2011 | Hard | Herself | |
| 2014 | Hidden Kingdoms | Narrator (French dubbed) | Documentary TV series |
| 2015 | Call My Agent! | Herself | TV series (1 Episode) |
| 2016 | The Young Pope | Sofia | Season 1 |
| 2019 | The New Pope | Sofia | Season 2 |
| 2023 | The Swarm | Dr. Cécile Roche | |
| Greek Salad | Isabelle | 2 episodes | |
Theatre
- 1996 : Dormez je le veux by Georges Feydeau, directed by Benoît Blampain
- 1996 : Une palette rouge sang by Valeria Moretti, directed by Jean Paul Denizon
- 1996 : Le songe d'une nuit d'été by William Shakespeare, directed by Pierre Pradinas
- 1997 : Variations Strindberg-Feydeau, directed by Nada Strancar
- 1998 : Pour nous, directed by Serguei Issayev
- 1998 : Tu serais un ange tombé du ciel exprès pour nous by N. Sadour and A. Vampilov
- 1999, 2000 : Electre, by Sophocle, directed by Claudia Stavisky
- 1999 : Le baladin du monde occidental de John Millington Synge, directed by Philippe Delaigue
- 2001 : Mademoiselle Julie by August Strindberg, directed by Gwenaël Morin
- 2001 : SC35C, by Jean-Michel Frère
Awards and nominations
References
- "The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury". Cannes Film Festival. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- "The International Jury 2018". 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- "Cécile de France en toute sincérité : L'orgasme à jouer, c'est terrible !". PurePeople. 4 February 2013.
External links
- (in French) Official web site
- Cécile de France at IMDb
- Cécile de France at AllMovie
- Cécile de France at AlloCiné (in French)