Fanny Ardant

Born: 22 March 1949
Where: France

The actress first attracted attention for Francois Truffaut's The Woman Next Door opposite Gerard Depardieu.

As well as landing a Cesar (French Oscar) she also become Truffaut's companion until his death in 1984 and the mother of his child.

The daughter of a cavalry officer in the French Army, she grew up in Monaco where she counted Princess Grace among her friends.

She then moved to Aix-en-Provence aged 17 to study political science where her interests gradually turned toward acting.

After taking drama classes from Jean Périmony, she made her professional debut in a 1974 stage production of Corneille's Polyeucte.

Ardant's first dose of acclaim came with her performance in the made-for-TV drama Les dames de la côte.

This attracted Truffaut's attention and she landed a second Cesar nomination for best actress for his last film Confidentially Yours.

Throughout the 80's and 90's, Ardant continued to give strong performances, cementing her reputation with serious and dramatic roles.

In 1994, she teamed up once again with Depardieu in Le Colonel Chabert, playing the role of a complex widow.

Some of her most memorable performances showcased her comedic talent, such as Pédale douce in 1996, which won her that year's César Award for Best Actress.

In that same year, Ardant also appeared in the highly acclaimed costume drama Ridicule (Oscar-nominated Best Foreign Film), as the acidic Madame de Blayac.

Fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish, Ardant occasionally ventured outside of French cinema.

She worked in The Family and Le Cena for Italian director Ettore Scola and the Italian version of Chekov's Three Sisters (Paura e amore).

She was also seen in a small supporting role in the 1995 Sydney Pollack film Sabrina.

In 1998, she appeared in the Oscar-nominated drama Elizabeth, in which her presence highlighted the small but important role of the ruthless Mary of Guise.

In 2002, she took on the role of the sexy, mischievous, yet complex sister-in-law of Catherine Deneuve in François Ozon's hit musical comedy/murder mystery 8 Women. Recent work includes Franco Zeffirelli's biopic of Maria Callas, Callas Forever with Jeremy Irons.