Mélanie Laurent

Mélanie Laurent is a French actress, filmmaker, and singer who has earned widespread recognition across international and European cinema. She is the recipient of two César Awards and a Lumière Award. Laurent gained global prominence for her prominent film roles, including portraying Shosanna Dreyfus in Inglourious Basterds, as well as appearing in feature projects such as Now You See Me, Operation Finale, 6 Underground, and the fifth season of Fauda.

Laurent was born on 21 February 1983 in Paris, France, to Annick, a ballerina, and Pierre Laurent, a voiceover actor. She grew up in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Her family background includes Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish lineage on her mother's side, and her grandfather survived deportation from Poland during the Nazi occupation. Laurent entered acting at age 16 after visiting a film set, where actor Gérard Depardieu offered her a role in the romantic drama film The Bridge (1999). Early in her career, she also performed voiceover dubbing for several French animated projects.

In her early career, Laurent appeared in minor roles in feature films such as Summer Things, Rice Rhapsody, and Days of Glory. Her major breakthrough arrived with the 2006 drama Don't Worry, I'm Fine, which earned her the César Award for Most Promising Actress and the Prix Romy Schneider. That same year, she won the Étoiles d'Or for Best Female Newcomer for her performance in the comedy Dikkenek. She went on to receive a Lumière Award nomination for La Chambre des morts and starred in the ensemble comedy drama Paris in 2008.

Laurent made her Hollywood debut in Quentin Tarantino's 2008 war film Inglourious Basterds (2009). Her performance received critical acclaim and earned her Best Actress awards from both the Online Film Critics Society and the Austin Film Critics Association. She subsequently starred in the historical drama The Round Up in 2010 and served as the host for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 64th Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

Laurent continued working across international and French cinema, co-starring in the comedy drama Beginners, the mystery thriller Night Train to Lisbon, Denis Villeneuve's psychological thriller Enemy, and the successful caper film Now You See Me. Her additional screen credits include Aloft, Boomerang, By the Sea, and Chris Weitz's historical drama Operation Finale. Laurent also provided French dubbing for animated films including Epic and Inside Out, and was cast in Joséphine Japy's directorial debut, The Wonderers.

Beyond feature film acting, Laurent has worked as a stage performer, director, and recording artist. She made her theatrical debut in 2010 in Promenade de santé and released her debut studio album, En t'attendant, in 2011. As a director, her short film De moins en moins was nominated for Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival. She subsequently directed feature films including The Adopted and Respire, which screened at Cannes' Critics' Week section, and co-directed the 2015 documentary Tomorrow, which won a César Award.