Fanny Ardant

Fanny Ardant

Fanny Ardant at the 2004 César awards ceremony.
Born Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant
(1949-03-22) 22 March 1949
Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France
Occupation Actress
Years active 1974–present
Partner(s) Dominique Leverd (1975) 1 daughter
François Truffaut (1983) 1 daughter
Fabio Conversi (1990) 1 daughter

Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than eighty motion pictures since 1976. Ardant won the César Award for Best Actress in 1997 for her performance in Pédale douce.

Early life

Ardant was born in Saumur Maine-et-Loire, France, to a military attaché father.[1] She grew up in Monaco until age 17 when she moved to Aix-en-Provence to study at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence. In her early twenties her interest turned to acting and in 1974 she made her first appearance on stage.

Career

By the early 1980s she was a major motion picture star, gaining international recognition for her role opposite Gérard Depardieu in La Femme d'à côté (The Woman Next Door).[2] The film, directed by François Truffaut, brought Ardant her first César Award nomination for best actress in 1982 and in 1984 she was nominated again for Vivement dimanche!. Eventually she became Truffaut's companion, giving birth to their daughter, Joséphine Truffaut, on 28 September 1983. Initially, her youthful beauty brought popularity but over time her sophistication and acting skills have made her one of France's most admired actresses.[3] She proved her versatility, playing a comedic role in Pédale douce for which she won the 1997 César Award for Best Actress.

Fluent in English and Italian, Ardant has starred in several Hollywood and British films. Her most recent English-language film was the Franco Zeffirelli production Callas Forever, in which she portrayed opera diva Maria Callas. It opened the 14th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival on 9 January 2003. In 2003, Ardant received the Stanislavsky Award at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival (for the outstanding achievement in the career of acting and devotion to the principles of Stanislavsky's school).[4]

In 2009, she became a director and screenwriter, with Cendres et sang (Ashes and Blood). She also took part in a rare performance of Sardou's La Haine on 19 July 2009 at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier Languedoc Roussillon, with Gérard Depardieu, the concert broadcast on France Musique.[5]

In 2010, she directed her first-ever short feature called Absent Chimeras (Chimères absentes in French) in which she also stars. She made this short film in order to raise public awareness to the plight of Romani people in Europe, a cause she personally defends.[6]

In 2011, she starred in the music video for Elle me dit, the first French single by Lebanese singer Mika, and appeared in the play based on Joan Didion's 2005 novel The Year of Magical Thinking in the Théâtre de l'Atelier, Paris.

In 2013, she made a cameo appearance as herself in The Great Beauty.[7]

Controversy

She once expressed admiration for Renato Curcio, ex leader of the militant Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse), saying that it was good of him to adhere to his principles. She later discovered that it would be difficult to attend a film festival in Venice, as her declaration had created much scandal in Italy.[8] The Governor of Veneto said that he would prefer that Ardant not visit his region. She then pleaded for forgiveness from victims of terrorism.[9][10]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role
1979 The Dogs
1980 Les Uns et les Autres Véronique
1981 The Woman Next Door Mathilde Bauchard
1982 Life Is a Bed of Roses Livia Ceraskier
Confidentially Yours Barbara Becker
1983 Un amour de Swann Duchesse de Guermantes
Benvenuta Benvenuta
1984 L'Amour à mort Judith Martignac
1986 Mélo Christiane Levesque
1987 The Family Adriana
1988 Love and Fear Velia
1989 Australia Jeanne Gauthier
1992 Afraid of the Dark Miriam
1994 Colonel Chabert Countess Ferraud
A Hundred and One Nights the star who works at night
1995 Beyond the Clouds Patricia
Sabrina Irene
1996 Désiré Odette
Pédale douce Evelyne, called Eva
Ridicule Madame de Blayac
1998 Elizabeth Mary of Guise
Le Dîner Flora
1999 Augustin, King of Kung-Fu as herself
Le fils du Français Anne
2000 Le Libertin Madame Therbouche
2001 8 Women Pierrette
Callas Forever Maria Callas
Don't Tempt Me Marina D'Angelo
2003 Nathalie... Catherine
2006 Paris, je t'aime Fanny
2007 Roman de Gare Judith Ralitzer
Il Divo the wife of the French ambassador
2008 Hello Goodbye Gisèle
The Secrets Anouk
2009 Ashes and Blood (Director)
Face the producer/ Queen Hérodias
2011
Interno Giorno Maria Toricello
2013 Bright Days Ahead Caroline
The Great Beauty cameo appearance as herself
Cadences obstinées (Director)
2015 Chic! Alicia Ricosi

Awards

César Awards

Year Group Award Film Result
1997 César Award Best Actress Pédale douce Won
Year Group Award Film Result
1982 César Award Best Actress The Woman Next Door (La Femme d'à côté) Nominated
1984 César Award Best Actress Confidentially Yours (Vivement dimanche !) Nominated
2002 César Award Best Actress 8 Women (Huit Femmes) Nominated

Molière Awards

Year Group Award Film Result
1993 Molière Award Best Actress L'Aide-mémoire Nominated
1997 Molière Award Best Actress Master Class Nominated

References

Bibliography

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