Bérangère McNeese (born March 15, 1989) is a Belgian-

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

actress, screenwriter, and filmmaker. Bérangère McNeese was born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

to a Belgian mother and an American father. As she says in interviews, she spent half of her childhood in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and absorbed both cultures. She studied acting in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and journalism both in Paris and Brussels. She started acting as a child, some of her early roles include Danny Boon's daughter in '' Eyjafjallajokull'' and

Zabou Breitman Zabou Breitman (born Isabelle Breitman; 30 October 1959), or simply Zabou, is a French actress and director. She is the daughter of actors Jean-Claude Deret and . At the age of four, she appeared in her first movie. Since 1981, Zabou has acted ...

’s daughter in ''Belle comme la femme d’un autre''. She then starts appearing onscreen more and more, starring in Alain Tasma's TV series ''The Rape'' and played in various TV projects such as ''Le roi de la vanne'' (Canal+), or ''Like Moi'' (

France Televisions France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

). In 2022, she undertook the lead role of Linda in TV series, '' Good People'' (''Des gens bien'') on

Arte Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European Union, European public service Television channel, channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based Europea ...

, which wins the Grand Prix of Best series at the Festival TV de Luchon in 2023. She stars in the show Ganglands, on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, and is also one of the lead characters in the

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

series

Terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...

in 2024. She is the current voice of

Smurfette Smurfette ( French: La Schtroumpfette) is the main protagonist from the comic strip '' The Smurfs''. Smurfette was created by the evil wizard Gargamel, the Smurfs' archenemy, in order to spy on them and sow jealousy. However, she decides that s ...

in the 2021 rebooted series, ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

'', and plays Daphné Forestier in the hit series HPI, which has broken audience records in France and been adapted in numerous countries since its first season launch in 2020. In 2024, she is nominated for a

Magritte Award A Magritte Award (, ) is an accolade presented by the Académie André Delvaux of Belgium to recognize cinematic achievement in the film industry. Modelled after the French César Award, the formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is on ...

for Best Promising actress, for her role in '' Ailleurs si j'y suis'', directed by Francois Pirot. Her first directing experience, a short film ' (''The sleep of the amazons''), was shot and released in 2015. It was followed by ''Pure Bodies'', co-created with Guillaume de Ginestel. In 2019, she released her third short, ''Matriochkas''. The movie was well received by critics and won numerous awards, including the Best Fiction Short Award at the 10th

Magritte Awards A Magritte Award (, ) is an accolade presented by the Académie André Delvaux of Belgium to recognize cinematic achievement in the film industry. Modelled after the French César Award, the formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is on ...

. three prizes at the Brussels Short Film Festival, the Grand Prix in

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, best director at

Rhode Island International Film Festival Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newpor ...

, etc. It was broadcast by

TV5Monde TV5Monde (), formerly known as TV5, is a French public television network, broadcasting several channels of French-language programming. It is an approved participant member of the European Broadcasting Union. The network is available across ...

and

RTBF The ("Belgian Radio-television of the French Community"), shortened to RTBF (branded as rtbf.be), is a public broadcasting, public service broadcaster for the French Community of Belgium, French-speaking Community of Belgium. Its counterpart i ...

. Her upcoming feature film , ''Les filles du ciel'', is scheduled for release in 2025. The feature is produced by Paprika Films and Kwassa Films with the support of

Creative Europe Media The MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe or simply Creative Europe MEDIA (formerly The MEDIA Programme of the European Union) is designed to support the European film and audiovisual industries. Administration MEDIA is an abbreviation from Fre ...

References

Living people Belgian actresses Belgian film actresses Belgian television actresses Belgian voice actresses 21st-century Belgian actresses 1989 births Actresses from Brussels Belgian people of American descent {{Belgium-actor-stub