Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single " Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

's highest honours as both a singer and an actress with the

Prix Romy Schneider The Prix Romy Schneider (Romy Schneider Award) is awarded annually to a young and upcoming actress working in the French film industry. It is named after the actress Romy Schneider (1938–1982). The prize is awarded by a jury each year in Paris ...

and the

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 Jean-Claude Brisseau's '' Noce Blanche'', as well as the

Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

for Best Female Singer for her album '' Variations sur le même t'aime''. Her most notable films also include '' Élisa'' (1995) alongside Gérard Depardieu, ''

Witch Way Love ''Witch Way Love'' (original title "Un Amour de Sorcière") is a 1997 French fantasy film written and directed by René Manzor. Plot Morgane descends from a long line of witches. Her son Arthur has an innate gift for witchcraft. Yet Morgane wants ...

'' (1997) opposite

Jean Reno Jean Reno () (born 30 July 1948), is a French actor. He has worked in American, French, English, Japanese, Spanish and Italian movie productions; Reno appeared in films such as '' Crimson Rivers'', ''Godzilla'', '' The Da Vinci Code'', '' Mission ...

, '' Une chance sur deux'' (1998) co-starring with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon, '' Girl on the Bridge'' (1999), ''Heartbreaker'' (2010), ''Café de Flore'' (2011) and

Yoga Hosers ''Yoga Hosers'' is a 2016 American comedy horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is a spin-off of Smith's 2014 horror film '' Tusk'' and stars Smith's daughter Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp, and her father, Johnny Depp. The sec ...

(2016), directed by ''

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...

''. Her tribute to Jeanne Moreau at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival during which they sang in duet "''Le Tourbillon''" became notable in French popular culture. In 2022, she was nominated for the Molière Award for Best Actress for her performance in the play ''Maman''. She has also been the

muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

to numerous musicians and

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

s who each took one of her albums under their aegis, including

Étienne Roda-Gil Étienne Roda-Gil (1 August 1941 in Septfonds, Tarn-et-Garonne, France – 31 May 2004 in Paris) was a songwriter and screenwriter. He was an anarchist and an anarcho-syndicalist. Biography Roda-Gil was born in the Septfonds internment camp to ...

(1988), Serge Gainsbourg (1990), Lenny Kravitz (1992),

Matthieu Chedid Matthieu Chedid (born 21 December 1971), better known by his stage name -M-, is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player. Since 2018, he has been the most awarded artist at the Victoires de la Musique Awards with 13 awards, tied with A ...

(2007), Benjamin Biolay (2013), Samuel Benchetrit and The Bees (2018). As a model, Paradis has appeared on more than 300 magazine covers worldwide including Vogue,

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

, Harper's Bazaar,

Madame Figaro ''Madame Figaro'' is a French magazine supplement to the Saturday edition of the daily newspaper ''Le Figaro'', focusing on and catering to women. History and profile The first edition was published in 1980. ''Madame Figaro'' was spearheaded by ...

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on '' L'Intransigeant ...

, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Premiere or Marie Claire. Since 1991, she has been a spokesmodel for Chanel chosen by Karl Lagerfeld starting with the birdcage commercial "''L'Esprit de Chanel''" directed by

Jean-Paul Goude Jean-Paul Goude (born 8 December 1938 in Montreuil (France)) is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, advertising film director and event designer. He worked as art director at ''Esquire'' magazine in New York City during the 1 ...

. Paradis was made ''Officier'' (Officer) in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011 and was named ''Chevalier'' (Knight) in the '' Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur'' in 2015.

Early life

Paradis was born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, near Paris, to interior designers André and Corinne Paradis. As a child she enrolled in dance lessons, learnt the basics of piano and attended child model casting sessions. At the age of seven, Paradis appeared on the local television program '' L'École des fans'', a talent show for child singers.

Career

1983–1991

Paradis recorded her first single, "La Magie des surprises-parties", in 1983 and performed it in an Italian festival in 1985. Although not a hit, it paved the way for the song with which she became internationally famous, " Joe le taxi", in 1987 when she was 14. It was number one in France for 11 weeks and, unusually for a song sung in French, was released in the United Kingdom, where it reached number three. It was taken from her first album '' M&J'' (for ''Marilyn & John'') which placed 13th in France, but did not enter the British chart. In March 1989, at age 16, she left high school to pursue her singing career. Paradis released the album ''Variations sur le même t'aime'' in 1990, containing a remake of the Lou Reed song " Walk on the Wild Side". The album was written by French composer Serge Gainsbourg, whom she met when she received the best singer award at

, on 4 February 1990. In 1990, she won the

for her role in '' Noce Blanche''. In 1991, Paradis promoted the fragrance '' Coco'' for Chanel. In the advertisement, she was covered in black feathers, portraying a bird swinging in a cage. The advert was shot by

. Paradis spoke of her continued admiration of Chanel in 2010 saying, "The more I know them, the more I love Chanel."

1992–1996

In 1992, Paradis moved to the United States to work with Lenny Kravitz, whom she was dating at the time. Paradis started working on a new album in English, a language she was now fluent in. Written and produced by Kravitz, the album, titled ''Vanessa Paradis'', topped the French chart and briefly made the UK listings (number 45). One of the singles from it was "

Be My Baby "Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in ...

", which made number 5 in France and gave her another Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number six. In March 1993, Paradis started her first international tour, the Natural High Tour; she performed in France, England and Canada. In February 1994, '' Live'' was released in France. In April 1994, Paradis filmed '' Élisa'', under the direction of Jean Becker. ''Elisa'' was a big success in France, and was released internationally.

1997–2006

In 1997, Paradis played in ''Un amour de sorcière'' with Jeanne Moreau and

, before filming '' Une chance sur deux'', with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. In March 1999, '' La fille sur le Pont'', by Patrice Leconte was released. This movie was shot and released in black and white. In 2004, she promoted Chanel's new handbags called ''Ligne Cambon''. In 2005, she modeled for Chanel again for ''The New Mademoiselle'' handbag. In 2008, she modelled for

Miu Miu Miu Miu is an Italian high fashion women's clothing and accessory brand and a fully owned subsidiary of Prada. It is headed by Miuccia Prada and headquartered in Paris, France. History Miu Miu was established in 1992 by Miuccia Prada. The name ...

. Meanwhile, she was included in the French children's album and concert '' Le Soldat Rose'' in 2006. Vanessa Paradis (cropped)

2007–present

Paradis released a new album ('' Divinidylle'') in 2007 which was released in the UK on 11 December (September in France). There are three versions (regular, limited edition, and the Christmas edition). She started the Divinidylle Tour in October. Some concerts were filmed and a DVD/CD of the tour was released. Paradis won two ''Les Victoires de la Musique'' awards for this album in February 2008. Some of her later projects are a greatest hits CD ('' Best of Vanessa Paradis''), which includes the commercial jingle "I love Paris in the Springtime"; she also starred in the animated film '' Un monstre à Paris'', released in 2010. Canadian film director

Jean-Marc Vallée Jean-Marc Vallée (March 9, 1963December 25, 2021) was a Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. After studying film at the Université de Montréal, Vallée went on to make a number of critically acclaimed short films, including '' ...

cast Paradis in a starring role in his film ''

Café de Flore The Café de Flore () is one of the oldest coffeehouses in Paris, celebrated for its famous clientele, which in the past included high-profile writers and philosophers. It is located at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Rue Saint-Beno ...

'', in which she plays the single mother of a child with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

in the 1960s. The film was released in 2011, and Paradis garnered a Genie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2012 Genie Awards."Monsieur Lazhar wins six Genies, including best picture"
. ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', 8 March 2011. Paradis released an acoustic album in November 2010 entitled ''Une nuit à Versailles''. The album was recorded at L'Opéra of the Palace of Versailles during her Vanessa Paradis Concert Acoustique Tour. She also released a set of DVDs in 2010 called ''Anthologie'' which collected rare live performances and interviews from 1987 to 2007. In 2010 she became the face of Chanel's new lipstick, Rouge Coco. She also became the face of their new handbag line, Ranger. Her 2011 international tour included performances in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. In May 2013, Paradis released a new album, ''Love Songs'', a double LP produced by French singer and producer Benjamin Biolay. The first single, ''Love Song'', was also written by Biolay. The second single was ''Les espaces et les sentiments''. The third single, ''Mi Amor'', was written by

BB Brunes BB Brunes is a French rock band, part of the "new French rock scene" (la nouvelle scène rock française).BB Brunes en ...

frontman Adrien Gallo. Other people that have contributed to the songwriting of the album include Mickey 3D frontman Mickaël Furnon, as well as Johnny Depp and Lily-Rose Depp. In 2016, Paradis co-starred in ''

'' with her daughter Lily-Rose, as a history teacher. The same year, she was a member of the main competition jury of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In September 2021, Paradis made her theatre debut in the play ''Maman'', written and directed by her husband, Samuel Benchetrit, at the Edouard VII theatre in Paris. For her performance in the play, she was nominated for the Molière Award for Best Actress in a Private Theatre.

Personal life

At 15, Paradis started dating 26-year-old French singer

Florent Pagny Florent Pagny (born 6 November 1961) is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He records his work in French, as well as in Italian, Spanish and English. His greatest hits include " N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer" and " Ma Liberté de p ...

. They broke up in 1991. From 1991 to 1996, she was in a relationship with Lenny Kravitz, who also produced her 1992 self-titled album. She dated French actor

Stanislas Merhar Stanislas Merhar (born 24 January 1971) is a French actor. He was born in Paris in a family of immigrants from Slovenia. He works in cinema, television and theatre. In 1998 Merhar won the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his role in the ...

from 1997 to 1998. From 1998 to 2012, Paradis was in a relationship with American actor Johnny Depp. They have a daughter,

Lily-Rose Depp Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born 27 May 1999) is a French-American actress and model. Depp began her acting career with a small role in ''Tusk'' (2014), and went on to star in the period drama '' The Dancer'' (2016), in which she played Isadora Dunc ...

(born 1999) and a son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III (Jack Depp), born in 2002. In May 2014, at a Chanel show in Dubai, Vanessa Paradis confirmed her relationship with French singer Benjamin Biolay. They broke up in May 2015. In November 2016, she began dating Samuel Benchetrit, who directed her in his fifth film, ''Dog''. In June 2018, Paradis and Benchetrit married in the town of Saint-Simeon. Vanessa Paradis has a country estate nearby, and her late father owned a small restaurant in the quiet country commune. Paradis's sister, Alysson Paradis, is also an actress.

Philanthropy

Paradis has been a member of the

Les Enfoirés Les Enfoirés (, 'The Tossers' or 'The Bastards') is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur The Restaurants du Cœur (literally ''Restaurants of the Heart'' but meaning ''Restau ...

charity ensemble since 1993.

Popular culture and trivia

* In 1991, Paradis was approached by Calvin Klein to become the face of his new advertising campaign alongside Mark Wahlberg. She declined the offer, which made Klein's second choice, Kate Moss, famous. * In 2001,

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

wrote several songs for Paradis, who found them too personal and encouraged Bruni to record them herself, resulting in the album '' Quelqu'un m'a dit'' released in 2002. * In 2014, her song "Mi amor" was chosen for the TV

advertising campaign An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and conc ...

for the ''Love Story'' fragrance from the house of

Chloé Chloé () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. During the next year of 1953 Aghion joined forces with Jacques Lenoir, formally managing the business side of the brand, allowing Aghion to purely pursue the creative ...

directed by Mélanie Laurent.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' M&J'' (1988) * '' Variations sur le même t'aime'' (1990) * ''

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single "Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's hig ...

'' (1992) * ''

Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...

'' (2000) * '' Divinidylle'' (2007) * ''Love Songs'' (2013) * ''Les Sources'' (2018)

Concert tours

* Natural High Tour (1993) * Bliss Tour (2001) * Divinidylle Tour (2007–08) * Vanessa Paradis Concert Acoustique Tour (2009–10) * International Tour 2011 (2011) * Love Songs Tour (2013) * Tournée les sources (2019)

Filmography

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Vanessa Paradis
at

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paradis, Vanessa 1972 births 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses Best Actress Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Child pop musicians English-language singers from France French child singers French expatriates in the United States French women guitarists French female models French film actresses French women singer-songwriters French voice actresses Living people People from Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Wrasse Records artists French women pop singers Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 20th-century guitarists 21st-century guitarists Most Promising Actress César Award winners 21st-century French women singers Contemporary R&B singers French rock singers 20th-century French women singers Johnny Depp French stage actresses Singers from Paris Actresses from Paris Best Actress Jutra and Iris Award winners 20th-century women guitarists 21st-century women guitarists