Mélanie Laurent: French Actress, Director, Writer
Melanie Laurent is an internationally acclaimed French actress, director, and writer best known for her portrayal in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
Her breakthrough came in 2006 with Philippe Lioret’s movie Don’t Worry, I’m Fine where she played an insecure 19-year-old who pined desperately for her twin brother and earned numerous praise and awards for this performance.
Melanie Laurent’s Biography
Melanie Laurent is a French actress and filmmaker honored with two Cesar Awards. She first gained international prominence as one of Quentin Tarantino’s star characters in his blockbuster war film Inglourious Basterds; moreover, she has gone on to enjoy success both singing professionally as well as directing multiple films.
She began acting at 16 after being introduced by actor Gerard Depardieu and cast in one of his films The Bridge (1999). Dikkenek (2006) won critical acclaim and received multiple accolades as it showcased her comedic talent. She soon made her mark as Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, receiving critical acclaim and becoming a financial success as well. She went on to win numerous awards and accolades, such as the Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress. Additionally, she featured in two more movies before Chris Weitz’s 2018 drama Operation Finale about Mossad’s capture of Nazi Adolf Eichmann by Mossad.
As well as acting, she has also written and directed films. Her directorial debut came with De Moins en moins (2008) before The Adopted (2011) was her first feature-length production as director, premiering at Cannes Critics Week International Critics Week section that year. Furthermore, she wrote and recorded songs – most notably her 2010 album En t’attendant which featured five co-written and produced tracks with Irish folk musician Damien Rice.
Melanie Laurent is an active climate defender, advocating against rainforest destruction and overfishing. She recently visited an Indonesian forest climate defender camp as well as being part of the Global Humanitarian Forum’s Climate Ambassador group and participating in the Fish Fight France campaign which seeks to reduce unwanted fish discards on European seas.
Melanie Laurent’s Acting Career
Her versatility as an actress has been evident from the numerous roles she has taken throughout her career – ranging from seductress, romantic lead, and action heroine – with praise being shown for both French and Hollywood film roles, two Cesar Awards won and her directorial debut with DE MOINS EN MOINS released in 2008.
This movie was an official selection at Cannes, and in the following year, she wrote and directed Le Bal des Folles with Audrey Tautou in it, receiving critical acclaim. That same year, she co-directed a documentary with Olivier Assayas that garnered her numerous accolades and awards.
Laurent started acting at an early age, appearing in both French and foreign films. Her breakthrough role came in 2006’s Don’t Worry, I’m Fine which won her the Cesar Award as best newcomer actress. Since then she has gone on to work with such directors as Michel Blank, Denis Villeneuve, and Angelina Jolie among many others.
As she earned a name for herself in French cinema, she soon made inroads in international filmmaking as an actress. She made appearances in such movies as Comedy-drama ‘Beginners” (2011), the caper film ‘Now You See Me’ (2013), and Francois Favrat’s French drama film Boomerang (2014); where her performance earned her a San Diego Film Critics Society nomination for best performance.
Even with her busy schedule, she has managed to successfully balance both acting and directing careers. Additionally, she has written and directed short films and documentaries, recorded an album with Irish folk musician Damien Rice as well as written several novels.
Melanie Laurent released her album in May 2011. Additionally, the talented actress has performed vocal performances on stage as well as singing live. Furthermore, she possesses an eye for photography and fashion; having appeared in magazines and commercials and serving as brand ambassador for Chanel and Prada. Furthermore, she maintains an active social media presence via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (where she boasts over 130k followers on that last platform alone).
Melanie Laurent’s Directing Career
Melanie Laurent may be better known for her acting work, but she’s also an accomplished director. She made her directorial debut with 2011’s The Adopted before returning in 2014 for Breathe and Tomorrow (2015), respectively. Additionally, she directed Nic Pizzolatto’s Galveston adaptation in 2018. Additionally, she served on this year’s Marrakech International Film Festival jury where she honored actor Viggo Mortensen with a career tribute award.
Laurent has shown a keen sense of narrative and visual style in her directorial work. De Moins en Moins or Less and Less was entered in Cannes Film Festival 2008. These shorts, both mysterious and strange in tone, explore themes of sexual desire as well as exploring reality/fantasy boundaries.
She directed and wrote the screenplay for Laurent’s short film X Femmes or X Women as part of French television channel Canal Plus’s series exploring female sexuality for French TV channel Canal Plus. Second Sexe magazine commissioned this project; Laurent wrote both screenplay and script. This story follows a man who is seduced by a woman at a hotel bar before following her into an unreal dream world where reality and fantasy mix.
Laurent has recently been making waves with her acting abilities, appearing in more action and adventure films than ever. Her breakthrough role came as Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds; there she played an innocent Parisian Jewish woman seeking revenge against Nazis; this performance earned critical acclaim and numerous awards; more recent films like 2010’s The Round-Up and 2012 American movie The Concert showcase her range as an actress.
Melanie Laurent recently made her directorial debut with Wingwomen, set for release on November 1. This film stars Adele Exarchopoulos, Manon Bresch, and Isabelle Adjani as high-profile thieves who retire from heisting to recruit Sam–an ambitious young car racer–as an unlikely action-comedy celebrating fearless women.
Melanie Laurent’s Writing Career
Melanie Laurent has established an outstanding filmography over two decades as both an actress and writer. Her talent, versatility, and international fame have helped cement her status, while her commitment to environmental issues has won her both fans and critics alike.
Laurent first gained global acclaim for her performance as Shosanna in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, but since then has made waves as both an actress and filmmaker – writing and directing several thrillers such as Breathe and Galveston on her own. Additionally, Laurent is also an accomplished singer/ musician having released two albums to date.
De Less En Less was her directorial debut and was entered into Cannes Critics Week for competition. The film follows a woman whose life is upended when she suffers trauma-induced amnesia; its actress was widely lauded for both her sensitive handling of subject matter as well as the ability to create an unnerving psychological atmosphere through visual and audio palette choices.
Laurent’s second feature film, Breathe – which premiered at both Cannes and TIFF last year – was inspired by Anne-Sophie Brasme’s novel of the same name and successfully captured its themes of jealousy and betrayal through its dark psychological drama narrative through Laurent’s meticulous use of sound and image.
After the success of Breathe, Laurent has been working on various other projects. She will soon direct the period drama The Nightingale featuring Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning as its leads, as well as writing/directing a project about feminist cosmetic surgeon Suzanne Noel who repaired wounded faces during World War II while finding ways to remove Nazi tattoos from survivors.
Melanie Laurent remains private about her personal life; however, she remains passionate about humanitarian causes and actively engages in environmental campaigns. She serves as an ambassador for Greenpeace and works closely with World Wildlife Fund to promote sustainable living practices. Additionally, Laurent actively participated in the Fish Fight France campaign where she worked to increase awareness about overfishing impacts on ocean life.
