Audrey Tautou

Audrey Tautou, the oldest of her four siblings, was born on August 8, 1976 in Beaumont Puy-de Domme. Her parents, who were a dentist as well as a teacher at school were supportive and encouraged by her early love for drama and theatre. Her initial dream of becoming a specialist in monkeys was surpassed by her desire to pursue a degree in theater and drama. The rise of her as an actress in her early years was swift and marked by her early successes. Following her graduation, she participated in the French talent-spotting TV show Jeunes Premiers that was sponsored by Canal+. She won the Most Outstanding Young Actress prize at the Beziers Festival of Young Actors in the year 2000. She then began a acting career. Tautou was born into a Catholic home, and was a member of the church, even though she attended school within the Institut Catholique de Paris. Alongside her acting profession, she has also pursued modelling. She modelled for L'Oreal Mont Blanc, Chanel and has been referred as "The Chanel Muse". Recently, at the Arles Arts Festival, she displayed a collection of photographs under the title Superficial. Her photography largely focuses on fame and celebrity and focuses the camera on the media who sat on her shoulders when she exploded to fame as Amelie and self-portraits. Audrey Tautou's first big part, playing Amelie Poulain's lead actor in the film Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie poulain, earned her fame to the world. Amelie gained international attention because of its box-office success. It was also praised at awards ceremonies across the world. The film is still the top-grossing French language film to date in the US. The following year, she starred in British dramas, including Stephen Knight's Dirty Pretty Things as well as Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Un long dimanche de fiancailles. In the following year, she moved to Hollywood where Ron Howard directed the Dan Brown bestseller The Da Vinci Code.