Fanny Ardant

22 Mar, 1949 | Saumur, Maine-et-Loire

Actress

Biography

Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant is a French actress. She has appeared in more than fifty motion pictures. Ardant was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France to a military attaché father. She grew up in Monaco until age 17 when she moved to Aix-en-Provence to study at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence. In her early twenties, her interest turned to acting and in 1974, she made her first appearance on stage. By the early 1980s, she was a major motion picture star, gaining international recognition for her role opposite Gérard Depardieu in La Femme d'à côté (The Woman Next Door). The film, directed by François Truffaut, brought Ardant her first Cesar Award nomination for best actress in 1982 and in 1984, she was nominated again for Vivement dimanche! Eventually, she became Truffaut's companion, giving birth to their daughter, Joséphine Truffaut, on 28 September 1983. Initially, her youthful beauty brought popularity, but over time her sophistication and acting skills made her one of France's most admired actresses. She proved her versatility, playing a comedic role in Pédale douce, for which she won the 1997 Cesar Award for Best Actress. Fluent in English and Italian, Ardant has starred in several Hollywood and British films. One of her English-language films was the Franco Zeffirelli production Callas Forever, in which she portrayed opera diva Maria Callas. It opened the 14th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival on 9 January 2003. In 2003, Ardant received the Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival (for outstanding achievement in the career of acting and devotion to the principles of Stanislavsky's school). Admiration For Red Brigades She once expressed admiration for these veterans of Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse) residing in France. She said that it was good of them to remain to their principles. She later discovered that it would be difficult to attend a film festival in Venice, as her declaration had created much scandal in Italy. The Governour of Veneto said that he would prefer Ardant not to visit his region. She then pleaded for forgiveness from the victims of terrorism.