Biography
An international star of extraordinary, almost otherworldly beauty, French actress Juliette Binoche was born March 9, 1964, in Paris. The daughter of a sculptor/theater director and an actress, Binoche studied acting at the National School of Dramatic Art of Paris. After graduation, she followed in her mother's footsteps and became a stage actress, occasionally taking small parts in French feature films. Binoche first earned recognition in 1985 for playing a modernized, teenaged version of the Virgin Mary in
Jean-Luc Godard's controversial Je Vous Salue, Marie (
Hail Mary). The actress became a bona fide French star the same year with an acclaimed performance in
André Téchiné's
Rendez-Vous. Though she was the darling of the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, Binoche did not gain true international acclaim until she played Tereza in
Philip Kaufman's
The Unbearable Lightness of Being in 1988.
In the meantime, Binoche become involved with
Leos Carax, a then-hot young filmmaker who cast her in a lead role in his chilling
Mauvais Sang (
Bad Blood). While involved with Carax, Binoche appeared in his Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (
Lovers on the Bridge), a film they began in 1988 but did not finish until 1991 due to financial difficulties. She and Carax parted ways two years later after Binoche's great success starring opposite
Jeremy Irons in
Louis Malle's
Damage (1992). The same year, the actress appeared with future
English Patient co-star
Ralph Fiennes in a new film version of
Wuthering Heights, and followed that with the lead role in
Krzysztof Kieslowski's
Blue (1993). (She also appeared briefly in the trilogy's other installments,
Red and
White.)
Following her work in that acclaimed film, Binoche took time off to have a son and did not return to her career until 1995 with Le Hussard sur le Toit (
The Horseman on the Roof). In 1996, Binoche earned further international recognition with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (as well as a host of other awards) for her role in
The English Patient. Returning to her native France amidst a golden haze of critical acclaim, Binoche appeared in the same year's Un Divan à New York (
A Couch in New York), a romantic comedy in which she starred opposite
William Hurt. In 1998, she again collaborated with director Téchiné, this time on the romantic drama
Alice et Martin.
Revered as near royalty by the French press (who often simply refer to her as "La Binoche") and a beloved star worldwide, Binoche's remarkable second wind found her popularity soaring and her screen presence more powerful than ever. Binoche's daring and intense performance as 19th-century literary icon George Sand in the misguided drama The Children of the Century (1999) indeed impressed audiences and critics, though the film itself failed to live up to expectations. Of course, it wouldn't take long before Binoche was cast in a film whose quality would match her ample talent, and
The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) would serve as just that cinematic endeavor. Not only did the redemption-themed drama perform smashingly at the international box office, but it also found its star honored with a César nomination for Best Actress.
A collaboration with notorious feel-bad filmmaker
Michael Haneke resulted in the intersecting lives drama
Code Unknown (2000), though that role was ultimately overshadowed by Binoche's captivating performance in that same year's arthouse hit
Chocolat. Cast opposite
Johnny Depp as the free-spirited owner of a chocolate shop located in a small French town, the dedicated actress actually prepared for the role by learning to make chocolate at a popular Paris sweetshop. The film was an international runaway hit, and the beloved starlet was nominated for best actress awards across the globe. Following a lighthearted performance opposite French icon
Jean Reno in the romantic comedy
Jet Lag (2002), Binoche appeared with American star Samuel L. Jackson in director
John Boorman's politically oriented drama Country of My Skull in 2004. Binoche maintained her status as one of the most respected actresses in the world by appearing in the well-regarded thriller
Cache. She also co-starred with
Richard Gere in the drama
Bee Season. In 2006 she would appear alongside other stars as
Jude Law, Robin Wirght Penn, and
Ray Winstone in Anthony Minghella's drama Breaking & Entering. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide