MARION COTILLARD

Date of Birth: September 30, 1975

Born in Paris, Marion grew up in Orléans, France. Her parents, Jean-Claude Cotillard and Niseema Theillaud, are both actors, and as a youngster, Marion began performing in her father’s plays. She studied drama at the Conservatoire d’Orléans, and her professional screen debut was in an episode of the Canada/France produced TV series Highlander, starring Adrian Paul. In 1997 she won her first award for her stage performance in Affaire classée.

Roles in French TV and movies followed. In 1999 she received her first César nomination (France’s Oscar equivalent) for Luc Besson’s Taxi. She received another nomination in 2002 for Les Jolie choses, and won the award for Best Supporting Actress in 2005 for Un long dimanche de fiançailles.

In 2004 she won the Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation at Cannes, but it was her role in La Vie en Rose, playing tragic but legendary French singer Edith Piaf, that earned Cotillard the most critical attention to date. She received a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a César and an Academy Award for her work, as well as 2007 Actress of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival and awards from festivals and societies around the world.

Cotillard has also appeared in big budget American films, including Tim Burton’s Big Fish (2003) starring Ewan McGregor, Ridley Scott’s A Good Year (2006) starring Russell Crowe, Public Enemies (2009) opposite Johnny Depp and Inception (2010) with Leonardo DiCaprio.

She prefers to keeps her private life to herself, but is a serious environmentalist and a spokesperson for Greenpeace.