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Biography
Sophie Marceau
Born: November 17, 1966
Birthplace: Paris, France
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Nickname: Flatfoosie
Birth Name: Sophie Maupu
Sophie Marceau began acting in films at 14. Up until that point, she grew up far away from
studios spots. Back then, she was living in the Paris suburbs and her father was a truck
driver. At that time, she learned from one of her friends that Claude Pinoteau (French
director) was looking for new faces, for a teenagers movie call La Boum. This movie turned
out to be a huge success. This led to the sequel La Boum 2 (1982) for which she received
the 1983 Cesar for Most Promising Actress. She then bought back her contract with Gaumont
when she was sixteen for one million French franks.
"Of course I had to borrow the money", she said, "I didn't have such an
amount. People did everything to keep me from doing L'Amour Braque with Zulawski. It was
violent and almost racist. I belonged to Gaumont (The studio she then worked for), I was
their little pet and had to listen to them. But it was unbearable. I walked around the
Champs Elysees wandering what to do. I was afraid to go to prison for breach of
contract".
She has since become one of the most popular and respected actresses in her own
country-and is only now becoming known internationally. Her role in Braveheart was her
first English speaking part. Asked why he chose Sophie for the character of Princess
Isabelle, Mel Gibson replied: "Well, she's beautiful, she's French and she's a good
actress. The character needed to be at least two of those things". Bettina Rheims,
who photographed her many times, calls her "the most beautiful and sensual of young
actresses".
In spring 1995, she directed her first film, L'aube a l'envers, an eight minute short
based on a screenplay she wrote while filming Braveheart. It was well received at the
Cannes Film Festival.
She is critical of French cinema: "It's great that American cinema poses such a
threat. In France we have all these pseudo-auteurs who don't have a new idea in their
heads". She has a Hollywood agent, but is not tempted to move to Los Angeles and play
the Hollywood system like Julie Delpy.
On July 24th, 1995, Sophie gave birth to her first child, a boy named Vincent. She is
unmarried, and lives in Paris with Andrzej Zulawski, a Polish director who is 24 years her
senior.
Sophie is an outspoken opponent of blood sports, and has joined Brigitte Bardot in
protests against dove shooting in the Gironde and bullfighting in Provence. "I detest
all forms of violence. For me, the toreador who tortures the bull loses his dignity as a
man. One cannot respect life and approve of this game of death." She used to own an
antique farmhouse in Seine-et-marne, but left it for good after her cats were shot by
hunters and one of her dogs, an eleven year old cocker spaniel named Lolita, was stolen.
In addition to her work for animal welfare, Sophie is a patron of Arc-en-Ciel
("Rainbow"), an organization which helps sick children realize their dreams.
Her newest film, Firelight, is now in international release and she has two other English
speaking roles coming up, Lost & Found with David Spade, and A Midsummer Night's Dream
with Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer. Recently, she has joined the cast of "The
World is Not Enough", the 19th installment in the James Bond series. The movie is due
for release in September of 1999.