Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model and actress. Paradis became a 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 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 ...

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

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

for

Jean-Claude Brisseau Jean-Claude Brisseau (; 17 July 1944 – 11 May 2019) was a French filmmaker best known for his 2002 film ''Secret Things'' ("Choses Secrètes") and his 2006 film ''Les Anges Exterminateurs, The Exterminating Angels'' ("Les Anges exterminateurs"). ...

's '' Noce Blanche'', as well as the Victoires de la Musique 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'' (1997) opposite

Jean Reno Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno (), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a Leading actor, leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has w ...

, '' Une chance sur deux'' (1998) co-starring with Jean-Paul Belmondo and

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

, '' Girl on the Bridge'' (1999), ''Heartbreaker'' (2010) and ''Café de Flore'' (2011). Her tribute to

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

at the

1995 Cannes Film Festival The 48th Cannes Film Festival took place from 17 to 28 May 1995. French actress Jeanne Moreau served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Carole Bouquet hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. Serbian filmmaker Emir Kust ...

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 been a

muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

to numerous musicians and

lyricist A lyricist is a writer 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 income derives ...

s who each took one of her albums under their aegis, including Étienne Roda-Gil (1988),

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 ...

(1990), Lenny Kravitz (1992), Matthieu Chedid (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 may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'', '' Madame Figaro'', ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', '' Glamour'', ''

Premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

'', and ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

''. 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. Paradis was made ''Officier'' (Officer) in 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 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 Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a Communes of France, commune in Val-de-Marne, the southeastern suburbs of Paris, suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. History Abbey Saint-Maur-des-Fossés owes its name to Saint-Maur A ...

, 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 at 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," composed by Franck Langolff 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 Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

song " Walk on the Wild Side". The album was written by French composer

, whom she met when she received the best singer award at Victoires de la Musique, 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 Jean-Paul Goude. 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", 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 Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

'' 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

and

, before filming '' Une chance sur deux'', with

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. Meanwhile, she was included in the French children's album and concert '' Le soldat rose'' in 2006.

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 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 cast Paradis in a starring role in his film ''

Café de Flore Café de Flore () is one of the oldest coffeehouses in Paris, known for its emblematic shopfront and celebrated for its famous clientele, which in the past included influential writers, philosophers, and members of Parisian high society (tout-Par ...

'', in which she plays the single mother of a child with Down syndrome in the 1960s. The film was released in 2011, and Paradis garnered a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

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 Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', 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, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. 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 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 John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

and Lily-Rose Depp. In 2016, Paradis co-starred in '' Yoga Hosers'' 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 The 69th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian filmmaker George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and ...

. 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. The relationship ended 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 from 1997 to 1998. From 1998 to 2012, Paradis was in a relationship with American actor

. They have a daughter, Lily-Rose Depp (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-Siméon. 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 charity ensemble since 1993.

Other activities

* In 1991, Paradis was approached by Calvin Klein to become the face of his new advertising campaign alongside

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...

. She declined the offer, which made Klein's second choice,

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...

, famous. * In 2001, Carla Bruni 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 or marketing 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 ide ...

for the ''Love Story'' fragrance from the house of Chloé directed by Mélanie Laurent.

Discography

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

'' (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 Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

* * {{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 expatriate actresses in the United States French female models French film actresses French women singer-songwriters French singer-songwriters French voice actresses Living people People from Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Actresses from Île-de-France Wrasse Records artists French women pop singers Knights of the Legion of Honour Most Promising Actress César Award winners 21st-century French women singers Contemporary R&B singers French rock singers French women rock singers 20th-century French women singers French stage actresses Singers from Paris Actresses from Paris Best Actress Jutra and Iris Award winners Muses (persons)