Audrey Tautou
Audrey Justine Tautou (French: [odʁɛ ʒystin totu] ⓘ; born 9 August 1976)[1] is a French actress.[2] She made her acting debut at age 18 on television, and her feature film debut in Venus Beauty Institute (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the César Award for Most Promising Actress.
Audrey Tautou
Actress, model
1996–present
Tautou achieved international recognition for her lead role in the 2001 film Amélie, which was critically acclaimed and a major box-office success. She has since appeared in films in a range of genres, including the thrillers Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and The Da Vinci Code (2006), and the romantic comedy Priceless (2006). She was acclaimed for her role in the World War I drama A Very Long Engagement (2004), and for her portrayal of French fashion designer Coco Chanel in the biographical drama Coco avant Chanel (2009). She has been nominated three times for the César Award and twice for the BAFTA for Best Actress in a leading role. In June 2004, she became one of the few French actors invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).[3]
Tautou has modeled for Chanel, Montblanc, L'Oréal and many other companies.
Early life[edit]
Tautou was born in Beaumont and raised in Montluçon. Her father, Bernard Tautou, is a dental surgeon, and her mother Eveline Marie Laure (née Nuret) is a teacher.[1] She was named after actress Audrey Hepburn.[4] She showed an interest in acting at an early age and started her acting lessons at the Cours Florent,[5] where she learned English and Italian.
Public image and modelling career[edit]
Tautou began modelling at a very young age, taking modelling courses and other activities, and has modelled for magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire in many countries, and many others.[2]
Tautou was named in 2009 as the next spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5, replacing Nicole Kidman. She was directed in the advertisement by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, with whom she worked on Amélie and A Very Long Engagement. The advertisement was released in 2009 to coincide with release of Coco before Chanel.[19] She has also become the face of L'Oreal and Montblanc and several other ad campaigns.[20]
Tautou over the years has been declared a fashionista and icon by the press, appearing in many magazines, fashion, beauty, and culture. She has attended major fashion week events around the world as well as smaller events. The press sometimes refers to her as "The Chanel Muse".[2]
Personal life[edit]
Tautou studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris.[21] A churchgoer when young, she has stated that she is "not officially" Catholic.[22]
She says she considers France her base, where she focused her career, rather than in the United States. In 2006, she told Stevie Wong of The Straits Times, "I am, at the end of the day, a French actress. I am not saying I will never shoot an English-language movie again, but my home, my community, my career is rooted in France. I would never move to Los Angeles."[23]
