Sophie Marceau, original name, Sophie Maupu (and nicknamed,
"FlatFoosie") was born on November 17, 1966 in Paris. She is one of
France's major movie stars, having appeared in many well-recognized
French films reaching out to International audiences in Mel Gibson's
"Braveheart" and the James Bond movie, "The World Is Not Enough." The
James Bond vehicles have been the stamp of approval for many
up-and-coming actresses, including the likes of Talisa Soto ("License to
Kill"). She has also appeared in many lighter films such as David
Spade's "Lost and Found." Sophie grew up in the suburbs of Paris and
when she was only fourteen, she learned that French director, Claude
Pinoteau, was casting new talent for his film, "La Boum." As with Laetitia
Casta, a French supermodel discovered in her early teens, Sophie
found success at an early age, by winning a spot in the teenage film.
Released in 1980, the film became such a hit that two years later "La
Boum 2" was filmed.
In 1983, Sophie Marceau was awarded the Cesar (The French version of the
Oscar) as Most Promising Actress. When she was only 16, Sophie paid one
million francs to buy back her contract from her then current movie
studio, Gaumont, in order to achieve contractual freedom. She then
appeared in a multitude of French flicks in more dramatic roles: "Fort
Saganne" and "(Happy Easter)" (1984), "L'Amour Braque" and "Police"
(1985), the former directed by her long-time boyfriend, Andrzej
Zulawski, who would later become her husband, "(Descent Into Hell)"
(1986), "(The Student)" and "Chouans!" (1988), "(My Nights Are More
Beautiful Than Your Days)" (1989). For her role in "Chouans!", she was
proclaimed the "Best Romantic Actress" at the International Festival of
Romantic Movies in 1988. She later took a stab at theatre with
"Eurydice" in 1991 which won her an award as "Most Promising Newcomer,"
and she has also appeared on stage in "Pygmalion" as Eliza Dolittle.
It was as Princess Isabelle in Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" that Sophie won
international recognition. She has since added more American films to
her credit including a role in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", co-starring
with Michelle Pfeiffer and Calista Flockhart. In 1999 Sophie played
Elektra King in the James Bond movie, "The World Is Not Enough," along
with Pierce Brosnan. Like many high-profile actresses, Sophie is an
animal lover, campaigning against animal cruelty sports.
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