The French actress Audrey Tautou shot to global fame in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Amelie. She captivated and entranced the public imagination with her quirky performance. Her instantly recognizable hairstyle even powered a new trend for full fringes. Director Jeunet chose Tautou for Amelie after seeing her in a poster for the film Venus Beauty Institute. Originally the role had been earmarked for British actress Emily Watson. Tautou made the role her own with an iconic performance. Now it's impossible to think Amelie could have been played by anyone else.
Jeunet found another perfect role for Audrey in his next film A Very Long Engagement. The two films remain the most widely acclaimed of all her performances to date.
From Amelie to The Da Vinci Code
Tautou has also worked with other much admired directors such as Alan Resnais (Pas sur le Bouche) and Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things), although neither film was hailed as one of it's directors greatest. In 2006 she took the role of Sophie Neveu in Ron Howard's film of The Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately the best seller was poorly adapted for the screen, and critics were unenthusiastic. The eminently likable Miss Tautou has not suffered unduly from the bad press, and now benefits from being in a strong position to experiment with her future choice of roles.
Born on 9th August 1976 in Beaumont, France, Audrey Tautou's first taste of acting success came in French TV dramas and comedies. Her feature films, to date, are listed below.
Filmography
- Venus Beauty Institute (Venus Beaute Institut), 1999. Director: Tonie Marshall
- Marry Me (Epouse-Moi), 2000. Director: Harriet Marrin
- Pretty Devils (Voyous Voyelles), 2000. Director: Serge Meynard
- The Libertine (Le Libertin), 2000. Director: Gabriel Aghion
- Happenstance (aka) The Beating of a Butterfly's Wing (Le Battement d'ailes du Papillon), 2000. Director: Laurent Firode
- Amelie (aka) The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain), 2001. Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- God is Great and I'm Not (Dieu est Grand, Je Suis Toute Petite), 2001. Director: Pascalle Bailly
- He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not ( A la Folie, Pas du Tout) 2002. Director: Laetitia Colombani
- The Spanish Apartment (aka) Pot Luck (aka) Euro Pudding (L'Auberge Espagnole), 2002. Director: Cedric Klapisch
- Dirty Pretty Things, 2002. Director: Stephen Frears
- Lost Seamen (Les Marins Perdus), 2003. Director: Claire Devers
- Not on the Lips (Pas sur la Bouche), 2003. Director: Alain Resnais
- Nowhere to Go But Up, 2003. Director: Amos Kollek
- A Very Long Engagement (Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles), 2004. Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- The Russian Dolls (Les Poupees Russes), 2005. Director: Cedric Klapisch
- The Da Vinci Code, 2006. Director: Ron Howard
- Priceless (Hors de Prix), 2006. Director: Pierre Salvadori
- Hunting and Gathering (Ensemble c'est Tout), 2007. Director: Claude Berri
What's Next for Audrey Tautou?
The actress is committed to a new project, Coco avant Chanel. Directed by Anne Fontaine, the film is a biopic of fashion designer Coco Channel. Tautou will play the lead in this film, slated for a 2008 release.
Further reading: This article about Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Amelie and A Very Long Engagement, may be of interest.
Sources: IMDb accessed 29/5/08
