Béart, Emmanuelle

(1963- )

   Actress. Emmanuelle Béart was born in Saint Tropez, the daughter of the composer and singer Guy Béart. She rose to stardom with her role in Claude Berri's 1986 film Manon des sources, for which she won a César for Best Supporting Actress. It starred her former husband Daniel Auteuil. She has since become one of France's major actresses, working with both auteur and popular directors. Béart received international attention for her work in Jacques Rivette's La Belle noiseuse (1991), Claude Sautet's Un coeur en hiver (1992), Claude Chabrol's L'enfer (1994), and Sautet's Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud (1995). She also played significant roles in Edouard Molinaro's L'amour en douce (1985), André Téchiné's J'embrasse pas (1991), Régis Wargnier's Une femme française (1995), Raoul Ruiz's Le Temps retrouvé (1999), Danièle Thompson's La Bûche (1999), Olivier Assayas's Les destinées sentimentales (2000), Francis Ozon's 8 femmes (2002), Rivette's Histoire de Marie et Julien (2003), and Anne Fontaine's Nathalie (2003). Béart has appeared in a few Anglophone films, including Tom McLoughlin's Date with an Angel (1987), Brian de Palma's Mission: Impossible (1996), and Sam Miller's Elephant Juice (1999). In addition to her work in cinema, Béart works as an ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

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