Sophie Marceau

Sophie Marceau was born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu to a working class family in the Paris suburb of Gentilly. Her parents divorced when she was a child. She began working as a model as a teenager, and made her acting debut in Claude Pinoteau's film La Boum (1980), which became a hit throughout Europe. She made her singing debut a year later with François Valéry on the record "Dream in Blue." At age 15, Marceau bought out her contract from the film studio Gaumont in order to be more independent. She received the annual César Award (the French equivalent of an Oscar) for Most Promising Actress for La Boum II in 1983. In 1988, she was named Best Romantic Actress at the International Festival of Romantic Movies for her role in Chouans. She's now appeared in nearly 40 films and is one of France's most popular actresses. Marceau wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, Menteuse (Telling Lies, 1996). In 1995, she directed a nine-minute short film, and in 2002 directed her first feature film, Speak to Me of Love, for which she was named Best Director at the Montreal World Film Festival. In 2007, she directed Trivial, her second feature film. She has two children, a daughter Juliette and a son, Vincent. Sophie Marceau has served as the official model for Marianne, the national emblem of France.