Juliette Binoche (born 9 March 1964) is a French actress, artist and dancer. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films, been recipient of numerous international awards, and has appeared on stage and in movies across the world. Coming from an artistic background, she began taking acting lessons during adolescence. After performing in several stage productions, she began acting in films by auteur directors Jean-Luc Godard (Hail Mary, 1985), Jacques Doillon (Family Life, 1985) and André Téchiné, who made her a star in France with the leading role in his 1985 drama Rendez-vous. Her sensual performance in her English-language debut The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), directed by Philip Kaufman, launched her international career.

Juliette Binoche Actress - Born March 9, 1964 in Paris, France

Height 5' 6" (1.68 m)

Juliette Binoche was born in Paris, France, to Monique Yvette Stalens, a director, teacher, and actress, and Jean-Marie Binoche, a sculptor, director, and actor. Her mother was born in Czestochowa, Poland, of French, Walloon Belgian, and Polish descent, while her father is French. Juliette was only 23 when she first attracted the attention of international film critics with The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times film critic with an international following of his books on film and TV reviews, wrote that she was "almost ethereal in her beauty and innocence". That innocence was gone by the time Binoche completed Louis Malle's Damage (1992) (aka "Fatale"). In an interview after the film was released, Binoche said: "Malle was trying direct and wanted something more sophisticated". A year later, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Blue (1993) was added to her film credits. After a sabbatical from film-making to become a mother in 1994, Binoche was selected as the heroine of France's most expensive ($35 million) movie ever: The Horseman on the Roof (1995). More recently, she has made The English Patient (1996), for which she won an Oscar for 'Best supporting actress' and Chocolat (2000).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Dale O'Connor

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#48) (1995).

Famously turned down roles in three Steven Spielberg films: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Jurassic Park (1993), and Schindler's List (1993).

Ranked #93 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of "the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World" (1997).

Gave birth to her son Raphaël, whose father is Andre Halle, a professional scuba driver, on 2 September 1993.

In 1996, she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient (1996). Legendary actress Lauren Bacall was roundly expected to win in that category for her performance in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), but Binoche won the Oscar instead, in one of the biggest surprise wins in Oscar history. In her acceptance speech, she said, "I don't have a speech prepared. I thought Lauren would get it."

Her parents divorced when she was four, so she grew up living between each parent and a Catholic boarding school.

Had a daughter, Hana, with French actor Benoît Magimel, born December 16th, 1999.

Companion of Benoît Magimel from 1999 to 2003.

Sister of actress/photographer Marion Stalens and older half-sister of Camille Humeau, born in the late 70's.

Learned to play the violin for Alice and Martin (1998).

Appeared in the 1998 play "Naked" in London.

She is the highest paid French actress in history (2002)

Companion of Leos Carax between 1986 and 1991.

She was the companion of Olivier Martinez between 1994 and 1997.

Joanne Harris, the author of Chocolat (2000), was stunned one weekend when she opened the front door of her small house in Barnsley, Yorkshire. On her doorstep was French actress Juliette Binoche, who had landed the lead role for the Film version of Joanne's book. Juliette loved the book and wanted to meet Joanne and she spent the weekend at the house as they discussed the book and the film to come. Juliette met Joanne's young daughter and she borrowed her bedroom to stay over for the weekend. Juliette returned the favour by inviting her to the States as a guest of Miramax films for the Oscars.

Was the advertising face of Lancome perfume "Poeme" from 1995 to 2000

In Jan 2003 she became the new face for Italian Pret-a-Porter line, Gentryportofino.

She is affectionately known by the French press simply as "La Binoche".

Number 88 on Channel 4 (UK)'s 100 Greatest movie Stars.

She has turned down Hollywood many times.

In 1990, she wrote to the president of France, François Mitterrand, to ask him for funds for her film The Lovers on the Bridge (1991). However he didn't help. In 1993, Mitterand asked Binoche to dinner at the presidential palace in Paris. When asked by the press why he invited her, he said "I dreamt one night that I kissed her, now I hope she will be my mistress". Binoche declined the invitation. Soon after, they bumped into each other in a Paris market and had a long discussion about art, love, books and poetry.

Is an avid painter. In 1994, she exhibited work done in collaboration with the designer Christian Fenouillat. She has also designed posters for a number of her movies including The Lovers on the Bridge (1991) and The Children of the Century (1999). Binoche is currently working on a poster for In My Country (2004).

In 2000, during promotion for the film Chocolat (2000), Binoche was invited to the White House by then president Bill Clinton. However, she was unable to make the trip as she was starring in a Broadway re-vamp of Harold Pinter's "Betrayal". Instead, the Clintons came to New York to meet Binoche.

Binoche and Merle Oberon have both played George Sand - in The Children of the Century (1999) and in A Song to Remember (1945) respectively. They have also both played Cathy in "Wuthering Heights"; Binoche in the 1992 version and Oberon in the 1939 version.

Wrote the preface for the French book "Le grand livre de la tendresse", published in 2002.

Appears on the cover of Lauren Lawrence's book, "Private Dreams of Public People".

Last name is pronounced "Bee-nosh".

Was nominated for Broadway's 2001 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for a revival of Harold Pinter's "Betrayal."

Once worked as a cashier in a large department store in Paris while taking theater classes.

Godmother to nine Cambodian children.

Graduated from the CNSAD (National Conservatory of Dramatic Art of Paris)

Juliette's father, Jean-Marie Binoche, is French. Jean-Marie is also of one eighth Portuguese/Brazilian ancestry, from his own great-grandmother, Ursula Rosa de Araujo Mattos. Juliette's father was raised partly in Morocco by his French parents, and Juliette's paternal grandfather died in Agadir, Morocco. Juliette's mother, Monique Yvette Stalens, was born in Czestochowa, Poland. Juliette's maternal grandfather, Andrzej Stalens, was also born in Czestochowa, to French-born parents Henri/Henryka Stalens and Marie Rosalie Houzé, who were both of French and Belgian (Walloon) ancestry. Juliette's maternal grandmother, Julii Heleny Mlynarczyk, was born in Czestochowa as well, and had Polish ancestry; Julii's parents were Pawla Mlynarczyka and Anieli Melon. Juliette's maternal grandparents were active in the theatre.

Companion of actor Mathieu Amalric from 2003 to 2004.

Was offered the role of Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park (1993), but turned it down to make Three Colors: Blue (1993).

Contributed a chapter to the book "Truth: Personas, Need, and Flaws in the Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters" by her friend and acting consultant Susan Batson.

Appeared in her first Playboy spread aged 43 in the November 2007 French edition.

She returned as the face of Lancome perfume "Poeme" in January 2008 after an 8 year break.

Supported José Bové in the 2007 presidential campaign.

Favorite book: "Talking With Angels" by Gitta Mallasz.

Nelson Mandela is the public figure the actress most admires.

Gael García Bernal lists Juliette Binoche as his favorite actress.

Close friends with her The English Patient (1996) co-star Ralph Fiennes.

She is the first actress to win the European 'Triple Crown': Best Actress at Venice, Berlin and Cannes film festivals for Trois Couleurs Bleu, The English Patient and Copie Conforme respectively.

Had a rate of 800 000 euros in 2004.

Is one of 5 French actors to have won an Academy Award. The others in chronological order are: Claudette Colbert for It Happened One Night (1934), Simone Signoret for Room at the Top (1959), Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose (2007) and Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011).

Is one of 13 French actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination. The others in chronological order are: Claudette Colbert, Colette Marchand, Leslie Caron, Simone Signoret, Anouk Aimée, Isabelle Adjani, Marie-Christine Barrault, Catherine Deneuve, Marion Cotillard, Bérénice Bejo, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert.

Was one of France's highest paid actresses during the 1990s, earning up to nearly $1 million per film.

She, Charlotte Rampling and Isabelle Huppert are the only winners of 2 EFAs (European Film Awards) for Best Actress.

Was the 110th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The English Patient (1996) at The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997) on March 24, 1997.

Accepted the role in Godzilla (2014) for two reasons: First of all, her son was a major fan of the original franchise and second of all, she was sent a charming letter from director Gareth Edwards in which he claimed that she was "The Queen of Acting".

Says Quentin Tarantino told her that her last scene in Godzilla (2014) made him cry. "Well, [Quentin] Tarantino said to me, 'That was the first time I've ever cried during a 3D blockbuster. I had to take off my glasses to wipe away my tears'.".

Lists Gena Rowlands, Liv Ullmann, and Anna Magnani as her favorite actresses.

Is one of 13 actresses who won their Best Supporting Actress Oscars in a movie that also won the Best Picture Oscar (she won for The English Patient (1996)). The others are Hattie McDaniel for Gone with the Wind (1939), Teresa Wright for Mrs. Miniver (1942), Celeste Holm for Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Mercedes McCambridge for All the King's Men (1949), Donna Reed for From Here to Eternity (1953), Eva Marie Saint for On the Waterfront (1954), Rita Moreno for West Side Story (1961), Meryl Streep for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Judi Dench for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Jennifer Connelly for A Beautiful Mind (2001), Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago (2002) and Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave (2013).

One of four people to have achieved the rare feat of winning the top acting prizes at the three major film festivals: Venice Film Festivel, Cannes Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival. The others to do so are Julianne Moore, Sean Penn and Jack Lemmon. Additionally, all four actors have won acting Oscars.

Graced the official poster of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in 2010.

Was featured on the poster of the 41st César Awards in 2016.

As of 2017, she has been nominated 9 times for the César Awards and won once, for Three Colors: Blue (1993).

Movies are open doors, and at every door, I change character and life...I live for the present always. I accept this risk. I don't deny the past, but it's a page to turn.

When I returned to France after winning the Oscar, I was treated like royalty, or like a football hero!

Giving birth is like a vase of beautiful flowers. Only you're just the vase, and only for a very short moment. The flowers are beautiful, but they belong to themselves, not to the vase.

"I am not a great French woman. George Sand, Marguerite Duras and Simone de Beauvoir are great French women".

"I knew I had become a star when I shook hands with Simone Signoret at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. She died four months later".

Acting is like peeling an onion. You have to peel away each layer to reveal another.

I want to make films that are political and social. Films with a message or an idea. Films that dare to ask.

If a star is someone who gives light, then I can be a star. But if a star is someone who goes after money and magazine covers then it's sick and I don't want it!

French women bloom at 40! I can't wait!

My earliest memory is loneliness. That's a hard thing to live with

I have been proposed to four times. Twice at the beginning of a relationship and twice at the end of a relationship. I've never said no. I just didn't give an answer!

"Going to South Africa (In My Country (2004)) has changed me utterly. I have seen and heard about acts of cruelty and hatred which are hard to comprehend. But I've also seen peace and tranquility like nowhere else on earth".

My real excitement comes when a movie transforms me. When you love the movie you've played in, you can make that bridge back to your own life.

[on working with a secret agent for A Few Days in September (2006)] Of course he could not reveal everything to me, but he said a lot. Some things I forgot because it was just too much. Certain things I was very amazed by and when I told people close to me about them they just wouldn't believe it. Everything in there is true.

The only way for me to stay young is to let go of youth. You cannot hang on to the past. You cannot try to be young when you're not young anymore. But the youth is within yourself. How do you renew yourself, how do you go to a new layer of yourself? That is the real youth. That is the renewance of yourself.

Alice et Martin (1998) €686,000

Les enfants du siècle (1999) €910,000

La veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000) €825,602

Chocolat (2000) €820,000

Décalage horaire (2002) €820,000

Caché (2005) €150,000

Bee Season (2005) $6,000,000

Bee Season (2005) €150,000

Mary (2005) €150,000

Quelques jours en septembre (2006) $600,000

Le voyage du ballon rouge (2007) $75,000

Dan in Real Life (2007) $800,000

Paris (2008) $500,000

Copie conforme (2010) $350,000