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Audrey Tautou
Audrey Tautou

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Born on Aug 9, 1978 in Beaumont, Manche, Basse-Normandie, France. Reportedly 5' 3".

It's one thing to see her in pictures — the big eyes, the Mad Magazine ears, the waifish face and body — she’s cute, but not remarkably so. But it’s another thing altogether to see and hear her in movies, and it was probably just a matter of time before even isolated American cinephiles came to know her name. After all, it wasn’t for nothing that Audrey Tautou won the best young actress award at the “Jeune Comedien de Cinema Festival” in 1998 and a Cesar in 1999. And that was before her performance in Amélie.

Yes, Amélie, that film that fascinated audiences around the globe with its artistry, its quirky characters and story, and its uniquely humorous insights — and transformed Audrey from charismatic French actress to international object of veneration and cultural phenomenon (except in the U.S., where almost nothing with subtitles has any impact): There’s the Friends-like imitation of Amélie’s layered bob, the Burkittesville-like tours luring in foreign fans of the film to Montmartre where the film is set, the skyrocketing real estate prices in the area, the political establishment using the film as a reference point in rhetorical calls for a kinder, gentler France, the political opposition using it as an opportunity for attention by denouncing the film as a racist, fascist fantasy, and the effusive faithful who testify that their lives have been profoundly and positively changed by “the most charming film of all time”. Don’t get me wrong — Amélie is not the Star Wars of the new millennium in terms of its place in pop cultural history, but for a low-budget film about the amusing adventures of a French do-gooder, its impact is nothing short of remarkable.

(One wonders how hard British actress Emily Watson was kicking herself after the film came out, as the title role was originally hers, but she later turned it down.)

Happily, the runaway success of Amélie will probably keep Audrey working even if her next few films bomb. On the downside, cautionary tales from Amélie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s experiences in Hollywood (i.e. Alien: Resurrection) seem to have put Audrey off the idea of pursuing a potentially more lucrative career here in the U.S. “I wouldn’t mind being in an American film for a laugh,” she’s explained, “but I certainly don’t want to be in Thingy Blah Blah 3, if you know what I mean.”

Which is just as well. While it’d be nice not having to travel a hundred miles to find a video store that carries some of her less internationally popular films, the odds that an Amélie would have ever been made here are pretty low.

Also sprach Golem.
(More recent commentary below)

So Dull the Con of Man
Friday, May 19, 2006
When I heard that Ron Howard was going to direct The Da Vinci Code, I didn’t give it a second thought — he is, as everyone knows, an award-winning director. But having now seen the film, I have to wonder how it happened that Howard was picked for the job; his résumé, after all, doesn’t have much in the way of thrillers, and boy was that fact evident today.... Read more

Audrey Tautou to Star in The Da Vinci Code
Saturday, January 22, 2005
The film adaptation of Dan Brown’s critically panned but internationally beloved conspiracy thriller novel — starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, and Paul Bettany — opens today.... Read more

AUDREY TAUTOU’S FILMOGRAPHY

* Titles in red feature Audrey in the raw *

Film

  • The Da Vinci Code (2006) .... Sophie Neveu
  • Hors de prix (2006; aka “Priceless”) .... Irène
  • Joe’s Last Chance (2005) .... Princess Sandrine
  • Les Poupées russes (2005; aka “The Russian Dolls”) .... Martine
  • Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004; aka “A Very Long Engagement”) .... Mathilde
  • Les marins perdus (2003; aka “The Lost Seamen”)
  • Nowhere to Go But Up (2003) .... Val Chipzik
  • Pas sur la bouche (2003)
  • Dirty Pretty Things (2002) .... Senay
  • L’Auberge espagnole (2002; aka “The Spanish Apartment”, “The Spanish Inn”) .... Martine
  • À la folie...pas du tout (2002; aka “He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not”) .... Angélique
  • Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite (2001; aka “God Is Great, and I’m Not”) .... Michèle
  • Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001; aka “Amélie”) .... Amélie Poulain
  • Le battement d’ailes du papillon (2000; aka “Happenstance”) .... Irène
  • Épouse-moi (2000; aka “Marry Me”) .... Marie-Ange
  • Le libertin (2000; aka “The Libertine”) .... Julie d’Holbach
  • Voyous voyelles (2000; aka “The Little Grifters”, “Pretty Devils”) .... Anne-Sophie
  • Triste à mourir (1999) .... Caro
  • Vénus beauté (institut) (1999; aka “Venus Beauty Institute”) .... Marie
  • La vieille barrière (1998) .... La jeune fille du quartier
Made for Television Movies/Specials
  • Le boiteux: Baby blues (1999) .... Blandine Piancet
  • Julie Lescaut: “Bal masqué” (Sep 24, 1998)
  • Chaos technique (1998) .... Lisa
  • Bébés boum (1998) .... Elsa
  • Les cordier, juge et flic: “Le Crime d’à côté” (Apr 3, 1997) .... Léa
  • La vérité est un vilain défaut (1997) .... La standardiste
  • Coeur de cible (1996)

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