Sophie Marceau is a French actress, director, author, and screenwriter. With the intention to earn some money on the side as a model, at the age of 14, she decided to respond to an advertisement that asked teenage girls to take pictures with a casting agency. It was 1980 and Sophie was a fourth-year student at Curie College at that time. A few months later, she was noticed and selected by the casting director from director Claude Pinoteau’s team who was looking to hire a new face for the movie La Boum (1980).
Born Name
Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu
Nick Name
Flatfoosie
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Paris, France
Residence
Paris, France
Nationality
Education
Sophie was a working-class school girl who was hardly diligent about her studies.
Sophie later went to Curie College.
Sophie later trained at the world-renowned Cours École Florent Drama School in Paris.
Occupation
Actress, Author, Director, Screenwriter
Family
- Father – Benoît Maupu (Truck Driver)
- Mother – Simone Morisset (Retail Assistant; expired in 2016)
- Siblings – Sylvain Maupu (Older Brother) (French Actor)
Manager
- Dominique Besnehard (Sophie’s Agent turned Producer)
- Artmédia, France
- Time Art Talent Agency, Paris, France
Genre
Pop
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Pathé Marconi EMI
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 7¾ in or 172 cm
Weight
57 kg or 126 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Sophie has dated –
- Andrzej Zulawski (1984–2001) – Sophie started dating the Polish film director at the age of 18 when she teamed up with him to make the first of 3 films together named, L’Amour Braque (1984). Andrezej was older than Sophie by 24 years but that did not seem to faze the actress. They got married in 1985 and their relationship lasted for 17 years during which she gave birth to Andrzej’s son, Vincent in July 1995. The couple separated in 2001. Andrzej expired in February 2016.
- Jim Lemley (2001–2007) – Jim is an American TV and film producer based in Paris, son of the famous American engineer, Jack Lemley. He met Sophie on the sets of Anna Karenina (1997) in 1996 because he was one of the financiers of the film. They shared a long-term acquaintance before they started dating in 2001. Sophie gave birth to his daughter Juliette in June 2002. The couple separated after nearly 7 years together.
- Christopher Lambert (2007–2014) – Sophie’s agent Dominique Besnehard played matchmaker by introducing her to French-American actor, Christopher Lambert. Sophie cast him in the lead role of her directorial project Trivial / La disparue de Deauville (2007) and the two bonded over their creative sensibilities. The couple got married in 2012 but announced their separation in July 2014.
- Cyril Lignac (2016) – Sophie formally announced on her Twitter account that she was dating the renowned French chef Cyril Lignac who was 11 years younger to her. However, their relationship merely lasted a year. Sophie justified the break-up by explaining that she does not believe in attraction between opposites implying too many opposing differences with Cyril.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Hazel
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Has maintained forehead covering hair bangs throughout her life as a signature style
- Deep set eyes with an intense gaze
- Sharp facial features (sharp nose, sharp chin on a lean, slender face)
Brand Endorsements
It is not possible to list all the brands Sophie Marceau has endorsed in her nearly 4-decade-long career.
Following are some of the high-profile ad campaigns which had Sophie as the lead model.
- Nichi-Spo (1984)
- Debon South Korean Cosmetics (1989)
- Kagome Juice, Japan
- Maxell video cassettes, Japan
- Guerlain’s perfume, Champs-Elysées (1996)
- Chaumet Parisian jewelers (2009)
- Mandarin Oriental group of hotels (2011)
- Morgan bags (2013)
- Villebois Ballet Shoes (2015)
- Bolon Chinese eyewear (2015)
- Citroën / DS Automobiles (2013–2016)
Religion
Her religious beliefs are not confirmed.
Best Known For
Though Sophie’s French films enjoy great popularity in East Asia, globally, she is known for her commercially successful Hollywood projects namely;
- Braveheart (1995)
- Anna Karenina (1997)
- Firelight (1997)
- Her most memorable role was as the villain Elektra King in the James Bond movie The World is Not Enough (1999).
First Album
- She made her singing debut in 1981 by recording a duet with French singer François Valéry called Dream in Blue.
- Her debut album with 9 tracks was titled Certitude (1986).
First Film
In 1980, she was cast as Vic Beretton in the comedy film La Boum (1980).
First TV Show
In 1980, she was a guest on a talk show named Les nouveaux rendez-vous.
Personal Trainer
- Sophie is physically active since her childhood, hence staying lean is not very difficult for her.
- She regularly goes to a gym and focuses on strengthening her hips and abs.
- She also swims and jogs but cannot sustain these activities on a daily basis due to monotony.
- Sophie avoids consuming animal meat and consumes as many vegetables as possible.
- She believes in and eating everything in moderation.
- Occasionally, she enjoys indulging in but does not consume fried food, bread or bananas.
- She has a light breakfast, does not eat lunch and ends her day with a heavy dinner early in the evening.
- Her personal fitness advice: never eat food in a rush or on the go and never go to bed too late at night.
Sophie Marceau Favorite Things
Not available
Sophie Marceau Facts
- Her parents got divorced when she was 9 years old.
- She became a star at the age of 14. Her debut film was a huge commercial success and she was selected for her role from over a thousand candidates.
- When she was 15, Sophie borrowed money and somehow put together one million francs to buy back her contract with Gaumont Film Company because the studio was too controlling of her professional choices and she felt scared and suffocated working for it.
- In 1995, Sophie wrote a semi-autobiographical novel Menteuse. The English translation was published in 2001.
- Sophie switched her last name Maupu to Marceau for professional reasons. She took the last name after the Marceau Avenue that led to her agency, Artmédia’s office.
- Other than working in Hollywood and French cinema, Sophie has also acted in Polish, English and Italian films.
- She was declared an Officer of the Arts and Letters by France in 2003, the second highest civilian honor in the country.
- In 2015, Sophie became one of the jurors of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
- Acutely conscious of her mortality, Sophie was motivated to become a writer & director to leave behind self-created work of art in this world.
- She was adjudged the best director for her directorial debut, Speak to Me of Love (2002) at the Montreal World Film Festival.
- Being an animal lover, she often works with charities related to animal welfare.
- Since many years, Sophie has sponsored the charity Arc en Ciel (Rainbow), an organization devoted to fulfilling the wishes of children with severe maladies / disease.
- Sophie insured her breasts for several million francs justifying she wants to protect the “…most beautiful part of her body.”
- She is notoriously and repeatedly in the news for facing some kind of wardrobe malfunction or the other on the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival.
- To find out more about the actress, follow her on , , and .
Featured Image by Georges Biard / / CC BY-SA 3.0
Facts of Sophie Marceau
- full nameSophie Marceau
- Date of Birth November 17, 1966
- Age 57 years 9 months
- Horoscope Scorpio
- Lucky Number 5
- Lucky Stone Garnet
- Lucky Color Purple
- Best Match for Marriage Capricorn, Cancer, Pisces
- weight57 kg
- height5 ft 7¾ in