Isabelle Yasmine Adjani (born 27 June 1955) is a French actress and singer of Algerian and German descent. She has received various accolades, including five

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

and a Lumière Award, along with nominations for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. Adjani was made a Chevalier of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 2010 and a Commandeur of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

in 2014. Adjani has won a record five Césars for Best Actress for '' Possession'' (1981), '' One Deadly Summer'' (1983), '' Camille Claudel'' (1988), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), and '' La Journée de la jupe'' (2009). Her other César-nominated roles were in '' The Story of Adèle H.'' (1975), '' Barocco'' (1976), '' Subway'' (1985), and '' The World Is Yours'' (2018). Other notable films include '' The Slap'' (1974), '' The Tenant'' (1976), ''

The Driver ''The Driver'' is a 1978 American crime film, crime thriller film written and directed by Walter Hill, and starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern and Isabelle Adjani. The film featured only unnamed characters, and follows a getaway driver for robberi ...

'' (1978), '' Nosferatu the Vampyre'' (1979), '' All Fired Up'' (1982), '' Deadly Circuit'' (1983), ''

Ishtar Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...

'' (1987), '' Diabolique'' (1996), ''

Adolphe ''Adolphe'' is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellénore, the Polish mistress of the Comte de P***. Their illici ...

'' (2002), '' Bon voyage'' (2003), '' French Women'' (2014), and '' Peter von Kant'' (2022). Adjani came to international prominence for her portrayal of Adèle Hugo in ''The Story of Adele H.'', for which she was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

at age 20, becoming the youngest nominee in the category at the time. She later collected a second Best Actress nomination for portraying Camille Claudel in ''Camille Claudel'', thus becoming the first French actress to receive two Academy Award nominations for foreign-language films. Adjani also won the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

's Best Actress Award for her performances in ''Possession'' and '' Quartet'' (1981), which makes her the only actress to win a joint award for two films in the same competition slate, and the

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

's Silver Bear for Best Actress for ''Camille Claudel''.

Early life and education

Isabelle Yasmine Adjani was born on 27 June 1955 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, to Mohammed Cherif Adjani, an Algerian

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

from Constantine, and Emma Augusta "Gusti" Schweinberger, a German

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

from

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. Adjani's parents met near the end of World War II, when her father was in the French Army and stationed in Germany. They married and her mother returned with him to Paris, despite not speaking a word of French. She asked him to take Cherif as his first name as she thought it sounded more "American". Isabelle grew up

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

, speaking French and German fluently, in

Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. History On 9 April 1929, ...

, a northwestern suburb of

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 ...

, where her father worked in a garage. After winning a school recitation contest, Adjani began acting by the age of 12 in amateur theater. She successfully passed her

baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

and was auditing classes at the University of Vincennes in 1976. Adjani had a younger brother, Éric, who was a photographer. He died on 25 December 2010, aged 53.

Acting career

At the age of 14, Adjani starred in her first motion picture, ' (1970). She first gained fame as a classical actress at the Comédie-Française, which she joined in 1972. She was praised for her interpretation of Agnès, the main female role in

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's '' L'École des femmes.'' She soon left the theatre to pursue a film career. After minor roles in several films, she enjoyed modest success in the 1974 film ''La Gifle'' (''The Slap''), which

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...

saw. He immediately cast her in her first major role in '' The Story of Adèle H.'' (1975), a project that he had finished writing five years prior but had waited to cast the right actress for the part. Critics unanimously praised her performance, with the American critic

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

describing her acting talents as "prodigious". Only 19 when she made the film, Adjani was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, becoming the youngest Best Actress nominee at the time (a record she held for almost 30 years). She quickly received offers for roles in Hollywood films, such as

Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...

's 1978 crime thriller ''

''. She had previously turned down the chance to star in films like '' The Other Side of Midnight.'' She had described Hollywood as a "city of fiction" and said, "I'm not an American. I didn't grow up with that will to win an award." Truffaut on the other hand said, "France is too small for her. I think Isabelle is made for American cinema." She agreed to make ''The Driver'' because she was an admirer of Hill's first film '' Hard Times''. Adjani said:

I think he is wonderful, very much in the tradition of
Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...
, lean and spare. The story is contemporary but also very stylized, and the roles that Ryan and I play are like Bogart and Bacall. We are both gamblers in our souls and we do not show our emotions or say a lot. For us, talk is cheap. I am really quite a mysterious girl in this film, with no name and no background. And I must say that it is restful not to have a life behind me; this way, I don't have to dig deep to play the part. All I know is that life for me is gambling and I am a loser. I have what people call a poker face.

The film was seen more than 1.1 million times in Adjani's native France but did not do as well in the US. She played Lucy in the German director

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

's 1979 remake of ''

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...

'' which was well-received critically and performed well at box offices in Europe. Roger Ebert loved the film, calling Herzog's casting of Adjani one of his "masterstrokes" in the film. He wrote that she "is used here not only for her facial perfection but for her curious quality of seeming to exist on an ethereal plane." The cast and the crew filmed both English- and German-language versions simultaneously upon request of

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, the American distributor, as Kinski and Bruno Ganz could act more confidently in their native language. In 1981, she received a double

's Best Actress award for her roles in the Merchant Ivory film '' Quartet,'' based on the novel by

Jean Rhys Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendoline Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she resided mainly in England, where she was sent for her educa ...

, and in the horror film '' Possession'' (1981). The following year, she received her first

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

for ''Possession'', in which she had portrayed a woman having a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. In 1983, she won her second César for her depiction of a vengeful woman in the French blockbuster '' One Deadly Summer'', and starred with Michel Serrault in the black diamond thriller '' Deadly Circuit'' directed by Claude Miller. That same year, Adjani released the French pop album ''Pull marine'', written and produced by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

. She then starred in a music video for the hit title song, ''Pull Marine'', which was directed by

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

. Adjani also drew controversy at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival when she refused to attend a traditional photocall after the press conference for ''One Deadly Summer''. Adjani was annoyed at the time by the intrusion of photographers into her private life. The photographers in Cannes boycotted Adjani upon her arrival on the red carpet for the premiere, at which point they put down their cameras and turned their backs to her. In 1988, she co-produced and starred in a biopic of the sculptor '' Camille Claudel''. She received her third César and second Oscar nomination for her role in the film, becoming the first French actress to receive two Oscar nominations. The film was also nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. She received her fourth César for the 1994 film '' Queen Margot'', an ensemble epic directed by Patrice Chéreau. She received her fifth César for '' Skirt Day'' (2009), the most that any actress has received. The film features her as a middle school teacher in a troubled French suburb who takes her class hostage when she accidentally fires off a gun she found on one of her students. It was premiered on the French Arte channel on 20 March 2009, attaining a record 2.2 million viewers) and then in movie theaters on 25 March 2009. The film was her return to the cinema after eight years of absence. In 2010, she made an appearance in the social comedy '' Mammuth'', from directors Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, and in which she played the phantom of Gérard Depardieu's first love. The same year, she lent her voice to the character of Mother Gothel in the French version of the animated film '' Tangled''. In 2011, she co-starred in ''De Force'', the first film directed by Frank Henry. She embodied the commander Clara Damico, head of the brigade for the repression of banditry. She became the first French actress to star in a

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film, playing the mother of Preity Zinta in the 2013 romantic comedy '' Ishkq in Paris'', directed by Prem Soni and alongside Shekhar Kapur. She joined the comedy '' The World Is Yours'', playing the eccentric Dany, directed by Romain Gavras alongside

Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He has earned a César Awards, César Award and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Awards, European Film Award and a Screen Ac ...

, which entered into the Directors' Fortnight during the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. In 2022, she played the movie star Sidonie von Grassenabb in the comedy drama '' Peter von Kant'', tribute to

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

's '' The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'', directed by François Ozon alongside Denis Ménochet, which entered as the opening film into the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2023, Adjani released her second French pop album ''Bande originale'', written and produced by Pascal Obispo, and arranged by Cécile DeLaurentis. She also joined the Netflix action film ''Wingwomen'', directed by Mélanie Laurent, and then, the Netflix miniseries '' The Perfect Couple'' directed by Susanne Bier, alongside

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

and Liev Schreiber.

Personal life

In 1979, Adjani had a son, Barnabé Saïd-Nuytten, with the cinematographer Bruno Nuytten. She later hired Nuytten to direct her project ''Camille Claudel,'' a biopic of the sculptor who was the lover of

Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

. During the mid-eighties, she had a relationship with

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...

. He convinced her to appear with him in the epic comedy ''

'', directed by Elaine May, co-starring

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...

, and shot in Morocco. From 1989 to 1995, she had a relationship with Daniel Day-Lewis, which ended before the birth of their son, Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, in 1995. Adjani was later engaged to the composer

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...

; they broke up in 2004. On 14 December 2023, Adjani was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax fraud.

Political views

Adjani has been vocal against

anti-immigrant Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in ...

and anti-Algerian sentiments in France. In 2009, she criticized statements by Pope

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

, who claimed that condoms are not an effective method of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

prevention. In September 2009, she signed a petition in support of

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

, calling for his release after he was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his sexual abuse case. In 2017, Adjani was interviewed by on the French public radio station France Inter. During the interview, she expressed her vaccine hesitancy and opposition to mandatory vaccination. In 2018 Adjani signed a letter calling to act "firmly and immediately" for stopping

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and

biodiversity loss Biodiversity loss happens when plant or animal species disappear completely from Earth (extinction) or when there is a decrease or disappearance of species in a specific area. Biodiversity loss means that there is a reduction in Biodiversity, b ...

Performances and works

Film

Television

Stage

Music videos

As lead artist

As featured artist

As guest appearance

Discography

* 1983: ''Pull Marine'' (Mercury/Universal) * 1983: ''Journal'' by Alice James (Audiobook Éditions des Femmes) * 1986: ''Princesse au petit pois'' / ''Léon dit'' (Mercury) * 2003: ''Bon voyage'' (original film soundtrack '' Bon voyage'' by Jean-Paul Rappeneau) * 2004: ''On ne sert à rien'', by and with Pascal Obispo (album ''Sidaction, Ensemble contre le Sida, 10 ans ensemble'') * 2005: ''Je ne peux plus dire je t'aime'', by and with Jacques Higelin (album ''Higelin Entre 2 Gares'') (EMI) * 2008: ''Wo wo wo wo'', by and with Christophe (album ''Aimer ce que nous sommes'') * 2018 : ''Albert Camus et Maria Casarès, Correspondance (1944-1959)'' with Lambert Wilson (Audiobook Gallimard) * 2018: ''D'accord'', by and with Pascal Obispo, with

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

(album ''Obispo'') * 2019: ''Meet me by the Gates'', by and with The Penelopes * 2021: ''Revolution #49'' (album '' Hey Clockface'' / ''La Face de pendule à coucou'' by

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

) * 2021: ''Sous le soleil exactement'' (album ''Les Pianos de Gainsbourg'' by André Manoukian) * 2021: ''Quelques mots'', by and with Malik Djoudi (album ''Troie'') * 2022: ''The Last Goodbye'', with The Penelopes * 2022: ''Jeder tötet was er liebt'' (original film soundtrack '' Peter von Kant'' by François Ozon) * 2023: ''Adjani, Bande Originale'' (Warner Music International)

Bibliography

* 2024: ''Du côté de chez Marilyn'', written with Olivier Steiner (L'Observatoire)

Accolades and honours

Adjani was made a Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 14 July 2010 for her contributions to the arts."Légion d'honneur : Aubrac, Bouygues, Pérol, Adjani, Bolling parmi les promus"
''Le Monde,'' 14 juillet 2010 She was appointed Commander of the

in 2014.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adjani, Isabelle 1955 births Living people People from Gennevilliers Actresses from Île-de-France Actresses from Paris Best Actress César Award winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners David di Donatello winners French women singers French women pop singers French film actresses French people of German descent Best Actress Lumières Award winners Troupe of the Comédie-Française Lounge musicians 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses Silver Bear for Best Actress winners English-language singers from France German-language singers of France Knights of the Legion of Honour French stage actresses Cours Florent alumni Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French people of Kabyle descent French expatriates in Switzerland Actresses of Algerian descent Day-Lewis family