Geneviève Bujold | |
|---|---|
 Geneviève Bujold inAnne of the Thousand Days | |
| Born | (1942-07-01)July 1, 1942 (age 82) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Dennis Hastings (1977–2017) |
| Children | 2 |
Geneviève Bujold (French pronunciation:[ʒənvjɛvbyʒo]; born July 1, 1942) is a Canadian actress. For her portrayal ofAnne Boleyn in the period drama filmAnne of the Thousand Days (1969), Bujold received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actress. Her other film credits includeThe Trojan Women (1971),Earthquake (1974),Obsession (1976),Coma (1978),Murder by Decree (1979),Tightrope (1984),Choose Me (1984),Dead Ringers (1988),The House of Yes (1997), andStill Mine (2012).
She was born inMontreal, Quebec, the daughter of Laurette (née Cavanagh), a maid,[1] and Joseph Firmin Bujold, a bus driver.[2] She is ofFrench Canadian descent, with distantIrish ancestry.[3]
Bujold received a strictconvent education for twelve years, which she disliked. She was expelled from the convent for reportedly readingFanny byMarcel Pagnol.[4]She entered theMontreal Conservatory of Dramatic Art,[5][6] where she was trained in the classics of French theatre.
Two months before she was to graduate she made her stage debut as Rosine inLe Barbier de Séville in 1961 withTheâtre de Gesù. She quit the school and was rarely out of work, being in demand for radio, stage, TV and film.[4] Bujold made her TV debut withLe square (1963), a 60-minute TV film based on a play byMarguerite Duras, co-starringGeorges Groulx.She was in episodes ofJeudi-théâtre ("Atout... Meurtre") andLes belles histoires des pays d'en haut ("La terre de Bidou") and guest starred onTi-Jean caribou.Her Canadian feature film debut was inAmanita Pestilens (1963). She was then in an international co productionLa fleur de l'âge, ou Les adolescentes (1964) and had a lead role inThe Earth to Drink (La terre à boire) (1964), the first Quebec feature to be privately financed.[7]Bujold starred in two 30 minute shorts,La fin des étés (1964) andGeneviève (1964). She toured Canada performing plays also worked steadily in radio and was voted actress of the year in Montreal.[4][8][9]
In 1965, she toured Russia and France with the company of theThéâtre du Rideau Vert. While in Paris, Bujold was in a playA House... and a Day when she was seen by renowned French directorAlain Resnais. He selected her for a role in his filmThe War Is Over, oppositeYves Montand andIngrid Thulin.She returned home briefly to appear in "Romeo and Jeannette" by Jean Anouilh alongsideMichael Sarrazin, for a Canadian TV showFestival.[8] Also for that show she did productions ofThe Murderer andA Doll's House. She contributed with vocals inThe Devil's Toy, a documentary about skateboarding in Montreal, directed byClaude Jutra (1966).[10]
She stayed in France to make two more films:Philippe de Broca'sKing of Hearts (1966), withAlan Bates, andLouis Malle'sThe Thief of Paris (1967), withJean-Paul Belmondo. Bujold won the Prix Suzanne as the Discovery of the Year and Elle magazine called her The Girl of the Day. Despite having established herself in France, however, she returned to Canada.[4]
Then-husbandPaul Almond directed her in "The Puppet Caravan" forFestival in 1967. She appeared inMichel Brault's filmBetween Salt and Sweet Water (1967), then went to New York to play the title role in a production ofSaint Joan (1967) forHallmark Hall of Fame on American TV. Although she said she preferred film most and television least out of all the mediums, she received great acclaim for this including an Emmy nomination.[11][12]
In Canada she starred inIsabel (1968), written and directed by Almond. It was one of the first Canadian films to be picked up for distribution by a major Hollywood studio.[13]
International recognition came in 1969, when she starred asAnne Boleyn inCharles Jarrott's filmAnne of the Thousand Days, withRichard Burton. ProducerHal B. Wallis cast her after seeing her inIsabel.[14]
For her performance, she received theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama,[15] and received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actress.[16] It was released by Universal who signed her to a three-picture contract.[4]
Back in Canada, she did a second feature with her husband,The Act of the Heart (1970), co starringDonald Sutherland, which earned her a Best Actress at the Canadian Film Awards. She wrote and starred in a short film,Marie-Christine (1970), directed byClaude Jutra.Wallis and Universal wanted Bujold to star inMary, Queen of Scots (1971) but she refused so they sued her for $450,000.[4]
Instead she played the role ofCassandra, aGreekprophet, inMichael Cacoyannis's film version ofThe Trojan Women (1971), oppositeKatharine Hepburn,Vanessa Redgrave, andIrene Papas. It was shot in Spain.In Canada, she madeJourney (1972) with Almond and co-starringJohn Vernon. Bujold won anotherCanadian Film Award for Best Actress.
She starred in Claude Jutra'sKamouraska (1973), based on a novel byAnne Hébert, for which she received her thirdCanadian Film Award for Best Actress.[17]In the US, she appeared in an adaptation ofJean Anouilh'sAntigone forPBS'sGreat Performances in 1974.[1]
In 1973, after her marriage ended, she relocated to Los Angeles.[18] Shortly thereafter, she settled the lawsuit with Universal, agreeing to a three-picture film contract starting withEarthquake (1974), withCharlton Heston.
Bujold went to France to makeIncorrigible (1975) with de Broca and Belmondo. ForHallmark Hall of Fame and the BBC she appeared inCaesar and Cleopatra (1975) alongsideAlec Guinness.
At Universal Studios, she was the lead inSwashbuckler (1976) alongsideRobert Shaw. In an interview she said, "Robert Shaw is a man worth knowing."[18]
In 1976, she appeared inObsession (1976) directed byBrian De Palma[19] co-starringCliff Robertson (1976).Bujold madeAlex & the Gypsy (1976) withJack Lemmon andAnother Man, Another Chance (1977), co-starringJames Caan (1977) forClaude Lelouch.
She was lead withMichael Douglas in the medical thrillerComa (1978), directed byMichael Crichton, which was a box office hit.
Bujold returned to Canada to play a key role in the Sherlock Holmes filmMurder by Decree (1979), which won her a Best Supporting Actress Award at the Canadian Film Awards.
ForWalt Disney she appeared in the fantasy filmThe Last Flight of Noah's Ark (1980) withElliott Gould and Charles Jarrott, director ofAnne of the Thousand Days. She was directed by Almond once more in the CanadianFinal Assignment (1980).
Bujold starred in a TV movieMistress of Paradise (1981), then supportedChristopher Reeve inMonsignor (1982), andClint Eastwood inTightrope (1984).
Bujold starred inChoose Me (1984), directed and written byAlan Rudolph. She promptly made two more films for Rudolph:Trouble in Mind (1985) andThe Moderns (1988), the latter set in Paris in the 1920s. She was part of his informal company of actors that he repeatedly used in his films, includingKeith Carradine.
Bujold starred inDavid Cronenberg'sDead Ringers (1988) oppositeJeremy Irons, then made a TV movieRed Earth, White Earth (1989).[20] She didFalse Identity (1990) withStacy Keach.
After a long absence from Quebec, she returned to appear in two more films by Michel Brault:The Paper Wedding (1989), andMy Friend Max (1994). In between she went to France to makeRue du Bac (1991), and did another film with Almond,The Dance Goes On (1991). She had support roles inOh, What a Night (1993), andAn Ambush of Ghosts (1993).
In 1994, Bujold was chosen to play Captain Nicole Janeway (subsequently renamedKathryn Janeway),[21] lead character in the ensemble cast of the American television seriesStar Trek: Voyager. However, she left the project after just two days of filming.Kate Mulgrew was subsequently cast in the role.[21]
Bujold had supporting roles inThe Adventures of Pinocchio (1995),The House of Yes (1997),Last Night (1998),You Can Thank Me Later (1998),Eye of the Beholder (1999),The Bookfair Murders (2000),Children of My Heart (2001) andAlex in Wonder (2001)
Bujold co-starred withGraham Greene inDead Innocent (1997) and appeared in a shortMatisse & Picasso: A Gentle Rivalry (2001).
Bujold was back in Quebec to star inChaos and Desire (2002), directed byManon Briand. That year she said "I like doing studio films, independent films. I want to step up to the plate and do it. The role doesn't have to be long, but it has to be essential to the film. And it's got to be truthful to me. I defend my characters. They're like my babies."[22]
Bujold's later appearances includeJericho Mansions (2003),Finding Home (2004),Downtown: A Street Tale (2004),By the Pricking of My Thumbs (2005),Disappearances (2006), andDeliver Me (2006).
Bujold was also inThe Trotsky (2009),For the Love of God (2011), andNorthern Borders (2013).
In 2012, Bujold played a woman battling dementia in the sleeper romantic dramaStill Mine.[23]Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times commented: "Ms. Bujold imbues Irene with a starchy tenacity and a sharp sense of humor",[24] whileThe Washington Post called her performance "superb" and "remarkably detailed".[25]
Bujold's later films includeChorus (2015).
In 1967, Bujold married Canadian directorPaul Almond. They had a son, Matthew, in 1968. After a separation of approximately two years, the couple divorced in 1974.[26]
In 1980, she had a second son, Emmanuel, with Dennis Hastings, a Reno-born carpenter whom she met in 1977 when he was contracted to build her Malibu house.[27] They separated quietly without publicity in 2017. Hastings died in 2020.[28]
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Prix Suzanne Bianchetti | Most Promising Young Actress[29] | The Thief of Paris | Won |
| 1968 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama[11] | Saint Joan | Nominated |
| Canadian Film Awards | Best Actress[17] | Isabel | Won | |
| 1970 | Academy Awards | Best Actress[16] | Anne of the Thousand Days | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama[15] | Won | ||
| Canadian Film Awards | Best Actress[17] | The Act of the Heart | Won | |
| 1973 | Kamouraska | Won | ||
| 1980 | Genie Awards | Best Supporting Actress[30] | Murder by Decree | Won |
| 1981 | Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role[30] | Final Assignment | Nominated | |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actress[31] | Dead Ringers &The Moderns | Won |
| Prix Gémeaux | Best Actress[32] | L'Emprise | Nominated | |
| 1989 | Genie Awards | Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role[30] | Dead Ringers | Nominated |
| 1990 | Prix Gémeaux | Best Actress[32] | The Paper Wedding | Won |
| 1994 | Genie Awards | Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role[30] | My Friend Max | Nominated |
| 1998 | Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role[30] | Last Night | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Performance by a Female - Film[16] | The Trotsky | Nominated |
| 2013 | Canadian Screen Awards | Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role[33] | Still Mine | Nominated |
| 2018 | Governor General's Performing Arts Awards | Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Film)[34] | Won |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Amanita Pestilens | Sophie Martin | |
| 1964 | Geneviève | Geneviève | Short subject |
| 1964 | That Tender Age (La fleur de l'âge, ou Les audolescentes) | Genevieve | |
| 1964 | The Earth to Drink (La terre à boire) | Barbara | |
| 1964 | La fin des étés | Marie | Short subject |
| 1966 | The War Is Over (La Guerre est finie) | Nadine Sallanches | |
| 1966 | King of Hearts (Le Roi de cœur) | Poppy | |
| 1967 | The Thief of Paris (Le Voleur) | Charlotte Randal | |
| 1967 | Between Salt and Sweet Water (Entre la mer et l'eau douce) | Geneviève | |
| 1968 | Isabel | Isabel | |
| 1969 | Anne of the Thousand Days | Anne Boleyn | |
| 1970 | Marie-Christine | Short subject | |
| 1970 | The Act of the Heart | Martha Hayes | |
| 1971 | The Trojan Women | Cassandra | |
| 1972 | Journey | Saguenay | |
| 1973 | Kamouraska | Élisabeth d'Aulnieres | |
| 1974 | Earthquake | Denise Marshall | |
| 1975 | Incorrigible (L'incorrigible) | Marie-Charlotte Pontalec | |
| 1976 | Swashbuckler | Jane Barnet | |
| 1976 | Obsession | Elizabeth Courtland / Sandra Portinari | |
| 1976 | Alex & the Gypsy | Maritza | |
| 1977 | Another Man, Another Chance (Un autre homme, une autre chance) | Jeanne Leroy née Perriere | |
| 1978 | Coma | Dr. Susan Wheeler | |
| 1979 | Murder by Decree | Annie Crook | |
| 1980 | The Last Flight of Noah's Ark | Bernadette Lafleur | |
| 1980 | Final Assignment | Nicole Thomson | |
| 1982 | Monsignor | Carla | |
| 1984 | Tightrope | Beryl Thibodeaux | |
| 1984 | Choose Me | Nancy | |
| 1985 | Trouble in Mind | Wanda | |
| 1988 | Rough Justice | ||
| 1988 | The Moderns | Libby Valentin | |
| 1988 | Dead Ringers | Claire Niveau | |
| 1990 | False Identity | Rachel Roux | |
| 1991 | Rue du Bac | Marie Aubriac | |
| 1992 | The Dance Goes On | Rick's Mother | |
| 1992 | Oh, What a Night | Eva | |
| 1993 | An Ambush of Ghosts | Irene Betts | |
| 1994 | My Friend Max (Mon amie Max) | Marie-Alexandrine Brabant | |
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Leona | |
| 1997 | The House of Yes | Mrs. Pascal | |
| 1997 | Dead Innocent | Suzanne St. Laurent | |
| 1998 | Last Night | Mrs. Carlton | |
| 1998 | You Can Thank Me Later | Joelle | |
| 1999 | Eye of the Beholder | Dr. Jeanne Brault | |
| 2001 | Alex in Wonder | Natalie | |
| 2002 | Chaos and Desire (La Turbulence des fluides) | Colette Lasalle | |
| 2003 | Jericho Mansions | Lily Melnick | |
| 2003 | Finding Home | Katie | |
| 2004 | Downtown: A Street Tale | Aimee Levesque | |
| 2005 | By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Mon petit doigt m'a dit...) | Rose Evangelista | |
| 2006 | Disappearances | Cordelia Bonhomme | |
| 2006 | Deliver Me (Délivrez-moi) | Irène | |
| 2009 | The Trotsky | Denise Archambault | |
| 2011 | For the Love of God (Pour l'amour de Dieu) | Soeur Cécile 72 ans | |
| 2012 | Still Mine | Irene Morrison | |
| 2013 | The Legend of Sarila (La Légende de Sarila) | Saya (English version, voice) | |
| 2013 | Northern Borders | Abiah Kittredge | |
| 2015 | Chorus | Gabrielle | |
| 2018 | Two Girls | Adult Johanna (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–1963 | Marcus | TV series | |
| 1963 | Le square | Her | TV movie |
| 1963 | Jeudi-théâtre | Elle / La standardiste de l'hôtel | TV series |
| 1963 | Ti-Jean caribou | TV series | |
| 1963–1964 | Les Belles Histoires des pays d'en haut | Julie Fourchu | TV series |
| 1965–1967 | Festival | Jeannette / Nora / Sonia | TV series |
| 1967 | Saint Joan | Joan of Arc | TV movie |
| 1974 | Antigone | Antigone | TV movie |
| 1976 | Caesar and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | TV movie |
| 1981 | Mistress of Paradise | Elizabeth Beaufort | TV movie |
| 1988 | L'Emprise | TV movie | |
| 1989 | Red Earth, White Earth | Madeline | TV movie |
| 1989 | The Paper Wedding | Claire Rocheleau | TV movie |
| 2000 | The Bookfair Murders | Margaret Dourie Cantor | TV movie |
| 2000 | Children of My Heart | Gabrielle Roy | TV movie |
