Agnès Jaoui | |
|---|---|
 Agnès Jaoui at the2017 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | (1964-10-19)19 October 1964 (age 61) Antony, France |
| Alma mater | Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, screenwriter, film director, singer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Partner | Jean-Pierre Bacri (1987–2012) |
| Children | 2 |
Agnès Jaoui (French:[aɲɛsʒawi]; born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer.[1][2]
Jaoui has won sixCésar Awards,[3] threeLumière Awards,[4] and aBest Screenplay Award at theCannes Film Festival.[5] She has received numerous other awards and nominations, including a nomination forAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[6]
Jaoui was born inAntony, Hauts-de-Seine, and is ofTunisian Jewish descent.[7] She is the daughter of Hubert Jaoui and Gyza Jaoui, who are both writers.[7] They moved toParis when she was 8 years old. She started theatre when she was in high school at theLycée Henri-IV in Paris.[7] She entered theCours Florent when she was 15.[7]Patrice Chéreau, director of theThéâtre des Amandiers inNanterre where she began attending drama classes in 1984, gave her a role in the filmHôtel de France in 1987. That same year, she appeared inHarold Pinter'sL'anniversaire withJean-Pierre Bacri, who later became a faithful colleague and companion.[8]
Jaoui and Bacri wrote the playCuisine et dépendances, which Philippe Muyl adapted for the screen in 1992. In 1993, directorAlain Resnais asked them to make an adaptation ofAlan Ayckbourn's eight-part playIntimate Exchanges, which became the two-part filmSmoking/No Smoking. This ironicdiptych aboutfree will anddestiny won theCésar Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation in 1994. In 1996, they gained greater success withCédric Klapisch's adaptation of their playFamily Resemblances (Un air de famille), which showed their ability to observe and depict everyday life, and to criticize the social norms through bitter and corrosive humor. Once again, they won the César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation in 1997, and the same year, they collaborated with Resnais again onSame Old Song (On connaît la chanson), which they wrote and performed. They won their third César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and Jaoui won her firstCésar Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Jaoui directed her first feature film,The Taste of Others (Le Goût des autres, 2000, written with Bacri), which questions social-cultural identities. The film was a huge success in France and attracted 4 million spectators. It also won 4 César Awards in 2001 includingBest Film and César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2004, Jaoui's second film as a director,Look at Me (Comme une image), co-written with Bacri, was selected for theCannes Festival and won the prize forBest Screenplay. She starred in the lastRichard Dembo's film,La maison de Nina (2005) and then focused on music and released her album of Latin songs,Canta (2006). She returned to cinema in 2008 withLet's Talk About the Rain (Parlez-moi de la pluie), with French humoristJamel Debbouze in a different role from what he was used to.
In 2012, Jaoui directedUnder the Rainbow (Au bout du conte), also co-written with Bacri. It revisits severalfairy tales, such asCinderella,Snow White, andLittle Red Riding Hood. It received acclaim from critics and audiences for originality and humor in the writing and dialogue.[9]
Jaoui studied music in theconservatoire when she was 17, but did not start her career as a singer until 2006 when her first albumCanta was released. It mixed severalLatin music genres (such asflamenco,bolero, andbossa) and she sang exclusively inSpanish andPortuguese.[10] In 2007, it won theVictoire de la Musique award for "best traditional music album".
Jaoui's second album,Dans Mon Pays, was released in 2009. It also featured Latinsonorities and songs sang in Spanish and Portuguese, except for two songs in French.[11]
In November 2024, Jaoui directed a rare revival ofBaldassare Galuppi's 1762 operaL'uomo femina at theOpéra de Dijon, which later transferred to theOpéra Royal du Château de Versailles.[12]
Jaoui is the daughter ofGyza Jaoui; a pioneering figure oftransactional analysis, a form ofpsychotherapy initiated byEric Berne. Jaoui has a brother,Laurent Jaoui [fr], who is also a screenwriter and a director.
Jaoui was in a relationship withJean-Pierre Bacri from 1987 to 2012.[8] After their breakup, the two stayed on good terms and continued to work together.[13][14]
Jaoui adopted two children fromBrazil in 2012.[15]
Jaoui is a member of the 50/50 collective, which aims to promote gender equality and diversity in cinema.[16]
Several members of Jaoui's family, on her father's side, were murdered and kidnapped in theHamasOctober 7 attacks.[17].
| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Le Faucon | Sandra | ||
| 1987 | Hôtel de France | Madame Bouguereau | ||
| 1987 | L'Amoureuse | Agathe | ||
| 1990 | Ivanov | Babakina | ||
| 1991 | Canti | |||
| 1993 | Cuisine et Dépendances | Charlotte | ||
| 1996 | Family Resemblances | Un air de famille | Betty Ménard | |
| 1997 | Le Déménagement | Claire | ||
| 1997 | Same Old Song | On connaît la chanson | Camille | |
| 1998 | Le Cousin | Claudine Delvaux | ||
| 1999 | On The Run | Kristin | ||
| 2000 | Une femme d'extérieur | Françoise | ||
| 2000 | The Taste of Others | Le Goût des autres | Mani | |
| 2003 | 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman | 24 heures dans la vie d'une femme | Marie Collins Brown | |
| 2004 | The Role of Her Life | Le Rôle de sa vie | Elisabeth Baker | |
| 2004 | Nina's House | La Maison de Nina | Nina | |
| 2004 | Look at Me | Comme une image | Sylvia Millet | |
| 2008 | Let It Rain | Parlez-moi de la pluie | Agathe Villanova | [18][19] |
| 2012 | The Dandelions | Du vent dans mes mollets | Colette Gladstein | |
| 2013 | Under the Rainbow | Au bout du conte | Marianne | |
| 2014 | The Easy Way Out | L'Art de la fugue | Ariel | |
| 2015 | The Sweet Escape | Comme un avion | Laëtitia | |
| 2015 | I'm All Yours | Je suis à vous tout de suite | Simone Belkacem | |
| 2017 | Aurore | Aurore | [20] | |
| 2018 | Best Intentions | Les Bonnes Intentions | Isabelle | |
| 2021 | À l'ombre des filles | Catherine | ||
| 2021 | Compagnons | Hélène | ||
| 2024 | Kaiser Karl | Gaby Aghion | ||
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Screenwriter | |||
| 1993 | Cuisine et Dépendances | Yes | ||
| 1993 | Smoking/No Smoking | Yes | ||
| 1996 | Family Resemblances | Yes | ||
| 1997 | Same Old Song | Yes | ||
| 2000 | The Taste of Others | Yes | Yes | |
| 2004 | Look at Me | Yes | Yes | |
| 2008 | Let's Talk About the Rain | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Under the Rainbow | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | The Easy Way Out | Yes | Script consultant | |
| 2017 | Place publique | Yes | Yes | starred asHelene[21][22] |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Canta |
| 2009 | Dans Mon Pays |
| 2015 | Nostalgias |
