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Amira Casar is a British-born actress who grew up in England, Ireland, and France.


Early life

Amira is the daughter of a Kurdish father and a Russian mother. She was born in London and was subsequently raised in England, Ireland, and France. She studied drama at the Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique de Paris between 1991 and 1994. She is fluent in both English and French and has worked in German, Italian, and Spanish.


Career

Casar's first role was in the 1989 film ' (''Error of Youth'') by . She played Sandra Benzakhem in the 1997 film ''
La Vérité si je mens ! ''La Vérité si je mens !'' ( ; English title: ''Would I Lie to You?'') is a 1997 French film, directed by . It was followed by a sequel, ', in 2001, and a third movie ', in 2012. Plot In Paris, Eddie Vuibert (Richard Anconina) is an unemployed ...
'', for which she was nominated for a
César Award for Most Promising Actress The César Award for Most Promising Actress (french: César du meilleur espoir féminin) is one of the César Awards, presented annually by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma to recognize the outstanding breakthrough performance of a ...
. She later appeared in the film's two sequels, in 2001 and 2012. Casar portrayed Myriem in ''
How I Killed My Father ''How I Killed My Father'' (french: Comment j'ai tué mon père) is a 2001 French thriller drama film directed by Anne Fontaine. Plot Jean-Luc, an established gerontologist, has not had any contact with his father, Maurice, for many years and t ...
'' (2001) by
Anne Fontaine Anne Fontaine (born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc; 15 July 1959) is a Luxembourger film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She lives and works in France. Life and career Born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc in Luxembourg, sister of actor ...
;
Assia Wevill Assia Esther Wevill ( Gutmann; 15 May 1927 – 23 March 1969) was a German Jewish woman who escaped the Nazis at the beginning of World War II and emigrated to Palestine, via Italy, then later the United Kingdom, where she had an affair wi ...
in '' Sylvia'' (2003) by
Christine Jeffs Christine Jeffs (born 29 January 1963) is a New Zealand-born director, editor, and screenwriter. She is best known for directing the films ''Rain'', '' Sylvia'', and ''Sunshine Cleaning''. Jeffs is also known for her work on television commercia ...
; the lead role of The Woman in the
Catherine Breillat Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the European Graduate School. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects ...
erotic film ''
Anatomy of Hell ''Anatomy of Hell'' (french: Anatomie de l'enfer) is a 2004 erotic drama film written and directed by Catherine Breillat, based on her 2001 novel ''Pornocratie''. According to Breillat, ''Anatomy of Hell'' is a "sequel" to ''Romance''. Plot Tee ...
'' (2004); and Eva in ''
To Paint or Make Love ''To Paint or Make Love'' (french: Peindre ou faire l'amour) is a 2005 French film directed by Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Plot The story is about a middle- ...
'' (2005) by Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu, which was nominated for the
Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
at the
2005 Cannes Film Festival The 58th Cannes Film Festival started on 11 May and ran until 22 May 2005. Twenty movies from 13 countries were selected to compete. The awards were announced on 21 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Belgian film '' L'Enfant'' by Dardenne brothers ...
. Other roles include Marianne in '' Hypnotized and Hysterical'' (2002), a film by which won the Grand Golden Rail at the
2002 Cannes Film Festival The 55th Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May 2002. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film '' The Pianist'' directed by Roman Polanski. The festival opened with '' Hollywood Ending'', direct ...
; Malvina van Stille in ''
The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes ''The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes'' is a 2005 animated drama film by the Brothers Quay, featuring Amira Casar, Gottfried John, Assumpta Serna and Cesar Sarachu. It was the second feature-length film by the Brothers Quay and their first film in ov ...
'' by the
Brothers Quay Stephen and Timothy Quay ( ; born June 17, 1947) are American identical twin brothers and stop-motion animators who are better known as the Brothers Quay or Quay Brothers. They were also the recipients of the 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstandin ...
(2005); and Marie in
Tony Gatlif Tony Gatlif (born as Michel Dahmani on 10 September 1948 in Algiers) is a French film director of Romani ethnicity who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer. Personal Gatlif was born in Algeria of Pied noir ancestry. A ...
's ''
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
'' in 2006. In 2007, Casar appeared in
installation artist Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...
Sophie Calle Sophie Calle (born 9 October 1953) is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement known as Oulipo. ...
's
Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
piece ''Prenez soin de vous'' (''Take Care of Yourself''). In 2008, she played Dolorès in
Laetitia Masson Lætitia Masson (born 18 August 1966) is a French film director and screenwriter. She has directed twelve films since 1991. Her film '' À vendre'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cann ...
's ', and portrayed Irene in
Werner Schroeter Werner Schroeter (7 April 1945 – 12 April 2010) was a German film director, screenwriter, and opera director known for his stylistic excess. Schroeter was cited by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as an influence both on his own work and on German cin ...
's last film, '' Nuit de chien''. Casar played the lead role of Anna Di Baggio in the film ' in 2009. She won the Best Actress award at La Rochelle Television Film Festival for her portrayal of Dora Maar in ' in 2010. In 2011, Casar played Irène in ', and Deniz in ''
Playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
''. In 2013, she appeared in the
Arnaud des Pallières Arnaud des Pallières (born 1 December 1961) is a French film director and screenwriter. His film '' Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas'' was screened in the main competition section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th ...
film ''
Michael Kohlhaas ''Michael Kohlhaas'' is a novella by the German author Heinrich von Kleist, based on a 16th-century story of Hans Kohlhase. Kleist published fragments of the work in volume 6 of his literary journal '' Phöbus'' in June 1808. The complete work ...
'', and portrayed Anne-Marie Munoz in
Bertrand Bonello Bertrand Bonello (; born 11 September 1968) is a French film director, screenwriter, producer and composer. His background is in classical music, and he lives between Paris and Montreal. His work has also been associated with the New French Extre ...
's '' Saint Laurent'' in 2014. In 2015, Casar appeared in'' The Forbidden Room'' by Canadian director
Guy Maddin Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since completing his first film i ...
. and portrayed Béatrice, Madame de Clermont, in the TV series ''
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
''. In 2017, she played Annella Perlman in the film '' Call Me by Your Name''. She also appeared in the 2019
Caroline Fourest Caroline Fourest (; born 19 September 1975), is a French feminist writer, film director, journalist, radio presenter at ''France Culture'', and editor of the magazine ''ProChoix.'' She was also a columnist for ''Charlie Hebdo'', for ''Le Monde'' ...
film '' Sisters in Arms'', about a team of female Kurdish soldiers and volunteers. In 2022, Casar appeared in the film '' The Contractor''. She will next portray Edith Frank, the mother of
Anne Frank Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...
, in the upcoming
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
series '' A Small Light''. On stage, Casar's work includes the
Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...
production of '' Aunt Dan and Lemon''; the title role in ''
Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...
'' at Le Petit Théâtre de Paris; and Olivier Py's 2009 production of '' Les Enfants de Saturne'' at the Theatre National de L'Odéon, Paris. In 2011, she appeared in the title role of Petra in ''
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant ''The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'' (german: Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) is a 1972 West German romantic drama film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, based on his own play. Featuring an all-female cast, the plot tak ...
'', and received critical acclaim in
Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 t ...
's ''
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher ''Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' (''Joan of Arc at the Stake'') is an oratorio by Arthur Honegger, originally commissioned by Ida Rubinstein. It was set to a libretto by Paul Claudel, and the work runs about 70 minutes. It premiered on 12 May 1938 in ...
'' at the
Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...
with the
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
. Casar also appeared in the 1995
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
music video for "
Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" is a song written by Canadian musician Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and recorded by Adams for the 1995 film ''Don Juan DeMarco'', starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Duna ...
".


Filmography


Accolades

* 1998 – Nomination:
César Award for Most Promising Actress The César Award for Most Promising Actress (french: César du meilleur espoir féminin) is one of the César Awards, presented annually by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma to recognize the outstanding breakthrough performance of a ...
for ''
La Vérité si je mens ! ''La Vérité si je mens !'' ( ; English title: ''Would I Lie to You?'') is a 1997 French film, directed by . It was followed by a sequel, ', in 2001, and a third movie ', in 2012. Plot In Paris, Eddie Vuibert (Richard Anconina) is an unemployed ...
'' * 2016 – Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casar, Amira Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Actresses from London Irish emigrants to France British people of Kurdish descent British people of Russian descent French people of Kurdish descent French people of Russian descent French film actresses Irish film actresses Irish female models 21st-century French actresses 20th-century French actresses Cours Florent alumni French National Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 21st-century English women 21st-century English people