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Photo of Nolwenn Leroy

Nolwenn Leroy

Actor
Born September 28, 1982 (42 years)
Nolwenn Le Magueresse (born 28 September 1982), known by her stage name Nolwenn Leroy, is a French singer-songwriter, musician and Actor.

Originally classically trained (violin and opera singing), she rose to fame after winning the second season of the French television music competition Star Academy in 2002. She has since recorded eight studio albums and scored two number one singles, "Cassé" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!", on the French charts. In 2012, her album Bretonne was certified two times diamond for sales exceeding one million copies.

Leroy is fluent in English, having spent a year in the US as an exchange student. She sings in many languages, including French, Breton, English and Irish.

Leroy has received numerous awards and nominations. In January 2015, she was ranked 17th on Le Journal du Dimanche's 50 Most Loved Celebrities in France, making her the top female singer on the list since December 2012. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2021.

Leroy was born in Saint-Renan in 1982. Leroy's parents left Saint-Renan (Finistère) when she was four years old. After living in Paris, Lille, and Guingamp, her mother, Muriel Leroy, and her younger sister, Kay, settled with Leroy's grandparents in Saint-Yorre. Her mother divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1993.

Nolwenn studied at the "Collège des Célestins" in Vichy. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin. At the age of thirteen she won "Les écoles du désert", a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain, which allowed her to travel with a humanitarian mission from Gao to Timbuktu, Mali; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her.

In July 1998, Leroy was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to Hamilton, Ohio, United States, as an exchange student. While attending Hamilton High School, she took music lessons at the Performing Arts School and became fluent in English. When she returned to France, she began classical singing classes at the Vichy music conservatory. In 2001, she enrolled in the University of Clermont-Ferrand to study law for a potential alternative career to music.

After watching the first season of Star Academy broadcast on TF1 in 2001, Leroy was impressed by Armande Altaï, a singing teacher and one of the show's judges. She subsequently joined Altaï's singing classes in Paris for over six months. In 2002, Nolwenn was selected for the second season of Star Academy, but she was also given the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the French stage musical Autant en emporte le vent (Gone with the Wind) by Gérard Presgurvic. Leroy ended up choosing Star Academy over the musical. As a contestant on the show, Leroy spent four months in a castle located in Dammarie-lès-Lys, and followed acting, dancing and singing classes. On 21 December 2002, she was declared the winner ahead of fellow finalist, Houcine Camara. ...

Source: Article "Nolwenn Leroy" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
  • Brocéliande

Filmography

2018
The Secret Song (TV Series) · as Self
2017
2016
Quotidien (TV Series) · as Self - Guest
2014
Monday in Stories (TV Series) · as Self
2012
The Voice (FR) (TV Series) · as Self - Coach
2010
It's Only TV (TV Series) · as Self
2009
C à Vous (TV Series) · as Self
2007
Don't Forget the Lyrics! (FR) (TV Series) · as Self
2006
Salut les Terriens (TV Series) · as Self (guest)
2006
On n'est pas couché (TV Series) · as Self
2005
La fête de la chanson française (TV Series) · as Self
2004
Le Grand Journal (TV Series) · as Self
2003
La méthode Cauet (TV Series) · as Self
2001
Star Academy (TV Series) · as Self
2000
L'invité (TV Series) · as Self
2000
Qui veut gagner des millions ? (TV Series) · as Self
1998
Le plus grand Cabaret du monde (TV Series) · as Self
1998
Roll on Sunday (TV Series) · as Self
1998
We Can't Wait for Next Sunday (TV Series) · as Self
1998
Tout le monde en parle (TV Series) · as Self
1994
Les enfants de la télé (TV Series) · as Self
1993
Taratata 100% Live (TV Series) · as Self
1982
Champs-Elysees (TV Series) · as Self

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