Balasko, Josiane

(1950- )

   Actress and director. Josiane Balasko started her career in café-théâtres with the Troupe du Splendid along-side Michel Blanc, Thierry Lhermitte, Gérard Jugnot, and Christian Clavier. She would collaborate with this team of well-known comedians in several films. Her feature films as director are generally comedies, including Sac de noeuds (1985), Les keufs (1987),Ma vie est un enfer (1991), the popular Gazon Maudit (1995), and Un grand cri d'amour (1998). Gazon Maudit, a social comedy that portrays the lesbian affair of a married woman, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Balasko has acted in several films by Jean-Marie Poiré, including Les petits calins (1978), Retour en force (1980), Les hommes préfèrent les grosses (1981), and Le père Noël est une ordure (1982). She challenged more typical depictions of sexual attraction in Bertrand Blier's Trop Belle pour toi (1988), where Gérard Depardieu's character leaves the lovely Carole Bouquet in favor of the plainer, yet more interesting Balasko. Balasko also acted in Patrice Leconte's Les bronzés (1978) and Les bronzés font du ski (1979), Claude Berri's Le Maître d'école (1981), Jean-Loup Hubert's La Smala (1984) and Les Acteurs (2000), Jean-Jacques Zilberman's Tout le monde n'a pas eu la chance d'avoir des parents communistes (1993), Claude Zidi's Arlette (1997), Gérard Lauzier's Le Fils du français (1999), Jean Becker's Un crime au paradis (2000), Gabriel Aghion's Le libertin (2000) and Absolument fabuleux (2001), Djamel Bensalah's Le raid (2002), and Guillaume Nicloux's Cette femme-là (2003).

   Historical Dictionary of French Cinema by Dayna Oscherwitz & Mary Ellen Higgins