Bérénice Bejo

Bérénice Bejo
Bejo in 2016
Born (1976-07-07) 7 July 1976 (age 48)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality
  • Argentina
  • France
Years active1993–present
SpouseMichel Hazanavicius
Children2

Bérénice Bejo (French pronunciation: [beʁenis beʒo]; born 7 July 1976) is a French-Argentine actress best known for playing Christiana in A Knight's Tale (2001) and Peppy Miller in The Artist (2011). Her work in the latter earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won her the César Award for Best Actress. For her performance in The Past, she won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 and was nominated for a César.[1]

Personal life

Bejo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is the daughter of Argentine filmmaker Miguel Bejo and his wife Silvia, a lawyer.[2][3] When she was three, her family moved to France, escaping from Argentina's most recent civil-military dictatorship (1976–1983).[4] Her father enrolled her at the school of Les Enfants Terribles theater.

In 2006, she starred in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, where she met director Michel Hazanavicius, whom she later married. They have two children: Lucien and Gloria.[5]

Career

In 2001, Bejo made her American film debut, playing the role of Christiana in A Knight's Tale opposite Heath Ledger. Christiana is a lady-in-waiting to Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon).

In 2002, she toured in France with Marie-France Pisier and Guillaume Depardieu.

Selected cast and crew of The Artist at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival; (left to right) Ludovic Bource (composer), Michel Hazanavicius (director), Missi Pyle (actress), Bérénice Bejo (actress), Jean Dujardin (actor), Guillaume Schiffman (cinematographer), and Thomas Langmann (producer)

In 2003, Bejo starred as Olivia in 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman by Laurent Bouhnik.

Under the direction of Steve Suissa, she seduces Stephane Freiss and Titoff in The Grand Role (2004), a comedy about the world of actors, and Cavalcade (2005), a drama dealing with the theme of disability.

In 2006, she appeared alongside Jean Dujardin in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies by Michel Hazanavicius. This was the first collaboration of the trio.[5]

In 2007, she made an appearance in the short film La Pomme d'Adam.

In 2008, she appeared in two romantic comedies: Modern Love Bouquet and Stéphane Kazandjian. The same year she gave birth to her first child by Hazanavicius.

In 2009, she participated in the documentary by Serge Bromberg [fr], Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno. The documentary reconstructs Clouzot's film, alternating between scenes from the 1964 film and dialogue readings between Jacques Gamblin (for Serge Reggiani) and Béjo (for Romy Schneider).

In the 2011 film, The Artist, which is directed by Hazanavicius and stars Dujardin, Bejo plays Peppy Miller, a 1920s film actress. Her performance received critical acclaim, the César Award for Best Actress,[6] and several award nominations: the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role,[7] the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture award,[8] BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[9] In 2012, she was announced as the host of the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[10] She dubbed the role of Mérida in the French dub of the Disney/Pixar film Brave.[11] In June 2012, Bejo was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[12] The same month, she received the Prix Romy Schneider.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Pain perdu Short
1996 Les sœurs Hamlet Karine
Histoires d'hommes Laurence TV movie
L'amour est à réinventer The girl TV series (1 Episode)
1997 Julie Lescaut Lila TV series (1 Episode)
Le juge est une femme Raphaëlle Fauvet-Colombin TV series (1 Episode)
Un et un font six Sophie TV series (6 Episodes)
1999 Sapajou contre Sapajou Emma Verdier TV movie
2000 Most Promising Young Actress Laetitia Rance Nominated – César Award for Most Promising Actress
La Captive Sarah
Passionnément Faustine
Les redoutables TV series (1 Episode)
Sauvetage Valentine TV series (6 Episodes)
2001 A Knight's Tale Christiana
2002 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman Olivia
Comme un avion Lola
Une petite fée The young woman Short
Vertiges Margo TV series (1 Episode)
2003 Dans le rouge du couchant The girl on the boat
Dissonances Margo
Sem Ela Fanfan Vieira
Jeux de plage Marthe Short
2004 Le grand rôle Perla Kurtz
Ciao bambino Liccia Short
Sans douleur Short
2005 Cavalcade Manon
2006 OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Larmina El Akmar Betouche
Nuages Cécile Marsac TV movie
2007 La maison Cloé
13 m² Sophie
Un homme peut en cacher un autre Inès / Adèle Short
2008 Modern Love Elsa
Bouquet final Claire
Le courrier du parc The young woman Short
Sa raison d'être Fabienne TV movie
2009 La pomme d'Adam Girl on the metro Short
2010 La Traque Claire
Love Me Baby Marie Short
2011 The Artist Peppy Miller César Award for Best Actress
Capri Actress Award
Hollywood Film Festival Spotlight Award
Phoenix Film Critics Soc. Award: Best Supporting Actress
Santa Barbara International Film Festival – Cinema Vanguard Award
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Women Film Critics Cicle Award for Best Screen Couple (with Jean Dujardin)
Lumières Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – BAFTA Award: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actress - Comedy/Musical
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated – Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
2012 Populaire Marie Taylor
Aujourd'hui Louise Short
Brave Mérida's voice European French Version
2013 The Past Marie Brisson Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress of the Year in a Foreign-Language Film
Nominated – César Award for Best Actress
Nominated – CinEuphoria Award for Best Actress
Nominated – CinEuphoria Award for Best Ensemble
Au bonheur des ogres Aunt Julia
2014 The Search Carole
Le Dernier Diamant Julia
Frères d'armes Voice TV Mini-Series
2016 The Childhood of a Leader The Mother
After Love Marie
Sweet Dreams Elisa
Eternity Gabrielle
2017 Redoubtable Michèle Rosier
Three Peaks Lea
2018 The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Nelly Marnay
Funan Chou (voice)
La Quietud Eugenia
Le Jeu Marie
2020 Le Prince oublié La voisine / La femme à la porte
Le Bonheur des uns... Léa Monteil
2021 Il materiale emotivo Yolande
Shake Your Cares Away Alma
L'Homme de la cave Hélène Sandberg
2022 Final Cut Nadia
The Hummingbird Luisa Lattes
2023 The Movie Teller María Magnolia[13]
2024 Another End Ebe
Under Paris Sophia Netflix Original[14]

Theatre

Year Title Author Director Theater
1999 The Threepenny Opera Bertolt Brecht Steve Kalfa Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
2016 Tout ce que vous voulez Matthieu Delaporte [fr],
Alexandre de La Patellière [fr]
Bernard Murat [fr] Théâtre Édouard VII

References

  1. ^ "Cannes Film Festival: Awards 2013". Cannes. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  2. ^ Diego Lerer (13 March 2003). "Estaba peleado con el país". Clarin (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  3. ^ Gabriel de Lerma (17 February 2012). "Bérénice Bejo, en la cima de la popularidad". El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Bérénice Bejo se sent 'aussi Argentine que Française'". La Dépêche (in French). Agence France-Presse. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b Scott Feinberg (8 February 2012). "Bérénice Bejo, Silent Star of The Artist, Talks About the Two Leading Men in Her Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  6. ^ "The Artist wins six César awards". The Telegraph. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  7. ^ SAG awards list Archived 19 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine, sagawards.org.
  8. ^ Golden Globes list Archived 29 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, goldenglobes.org.
  9. ^ BBC Oscars coverage 2012
  10. ^ "The Artist star to host Cannes film ceremonies". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  11. ^ "Bérénice Bejo, la voix de Merida dans Rebelle", Le Figaro (in French)
  12. ^ "Academy Invites 176 to Membership" (Press release). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  13. ^ Yossman, K.J. (17 January 2022). "Daniel Brühl Boards Lone Scherfig's 'The Movie Teller' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  14. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (28 April 2023). "Netflix Sets Xavier Gens' Genre Movie Set in Paris' Seine, Starring Berenice Bejo as Next French Film Original (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 April 2024.