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Photo of Agnès Jaoui

Agnès Jaoui

Actor, Writer, Director, Additional CreditsBorn October 19, 1964 (60 years)
Agnès Jaoui (born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer.

Jaoui has won six César Awards, three Lumières Awards, and a Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She has received numerous other awards and nominations, including a nomination for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Jaoui was born in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, and is of Tunisian Jewish descent. She is the daughter of Hubert Jaoui and Gyza Jaoui, who are both writers. They moved to Paris when she was 8 years old. She started theatre when she was in high school at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. She entered the Cours Florent when she was 15. Patrice Chéreau, director of the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre where she began attending drama classes in 1984, gave her a role in the film Hôtel de France in 1987. That same year, she appeared in Harold Pinter's L'anniversaire with Jean-Pierre Bacri, who later became a faithful colleague and companion.

Jaoui and Bacri wrote the play Cuisine et dépendances, which was adapted onscreen in 1992 by Philippe Muyl. In 1993, director Alain Resnais asked them to write an adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's 8-part play Intimate Exchanges, which became the 2-part film Smoking/No Smoking. This ironic diptych about free will and destiny won the César Award for Best Writing in 1994. In 1996, they came to know greater success with Cédric Klapisch's adaptation of their play Family Resemblances (Un air de famille), which showed their ability to observe and depict everyday life, and to criticize the social norms through bitter and corrosive humor. Once again, they won the César Award for Best Writing in 1997 and the same year collaborated again with Resnais on Same Old Song (On connaît la chanson), which they wrote but also interpreted: together, they won their third César Award for Best Writing, and Jaoui her first César Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Jaoui directed her first feature film, The Taste of Others (Le Goût des autres, 2000, written with Bacri), which questions social-cultural identities. The film was a huge success in France and attracted 4 million spectators. It also won 4 César Awards in 2001 including Best Film and Best Writing, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2004, Jaoui's second film as a director, Look at Me (Comme une image), co-written with Bacri, was selected for the Cannes Festival and won the prize for Best Screenplay. She starred in the last Richard Dembo's film, La maison de Nina (2005) and then focused on music and released her album of Latin songs, Canta (2006). She returned to cinema in 2008 with Let's Talk About the Rain (Parlez-moi de la pluie), with French humorist Jamel Debbouze in a different role from what he was used to.

In 2012, Jaoui directed her latest film to date, Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte), also co-written with Bacri. She revisits several fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. It received acclaim from critics and audiences for originality and humor in the writing and dialogue. ...

Source: Article "Agnès Jaoui" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
  • The Taste of Others
  • Look at Me
  • Family Resemblances
  • Same Old Song
  • Kitchen with Apartment
  • Let it Rain
  • Under the Rainbow
  • I Got Life!
  • Place Publique
  • The Dandelions
  • Smoking/No Smoking
  • Foodie Love
  • The Role of Her Life
  • The Sweet Escape
  • In Therapy (FR)
  • Becoming Karl Lagerfeld
  • 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman
  • Best Intentions
  • This Is My Mother
  • Nina's House
  • I'm All Yours
  • The Easy Way Out
  • Le cours de la vie
  • An Outgoing Woman

Filmography

2024
This Life of Mine · as Barberie Bichette
2024
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (TV Series) · as Gaby Aghion
2024
A Nice Jewish Boy · as Giselle
2023
This Is My Mother · as Judith
2023
A Wonderful Girl · as Claire Bloch
2023
Wahou! · as Josépha
2023
Le cours de la vie · as Noémie Capdenac
2022
Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas · as La Renarde (voice)
2021
The Companions · as Hélène
2021
Singing Jailbirds · as Catherine
2021
In Therapy (FR) (TV Series) · as Rebecca
2019
Foodie Love (TV Series)
2018
Best Intentions · as Isabelle
2018
Place Publique · as Hélène
2017
I Got Life! · as Aurore Tabort
2015
I'm All Yours · as Simone Belkacem
2015
The Sweet Escape · as Laëtitia
2014
The Easy Way Out · as Ariel
2014
The Scent of Carrots · as (voice)
2013
Under the Rainbow · as Marianne
2012
The Dandelions · as Colette Gladstein
2008
Let it Rain · as Agathe Villanova
2005
Nina's House · as Nina
2004
Look at Me · as Sylvia Millet
2004
The Role of Her Life · as Elisabeth Becker
2002
24 Hours in the Life of a Woman · as Marie Collins Brown
2000
2000
An Outgoing Woman · as Françoise
1999
On the Run · as Kirstin
1997
Le cousin · as Claudine Delvaux
1997
Same Old Song · as Camille Lalande
1997
Moving House · as Claire
1996
Family Resemblances · as Betty Ménard
1993
Kitchen with Apartment · as Charlotte
1989
Navarro (TV Series) · as Elsa
1987
Women in Love · as Agathe
1987
Hotel de France · as Mme Bouguereau
1983
The Hawk · as Sandra
1975
Cinéma 16 (TV Series) · as Agathe

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