Audrey Tautou

Audrey Tautou born Beaumont, the French city of Puy-deDomme on August 9, 1976. She is the oldest child in a family of four. Her parents a dental surgeon and teacher recognized and encouraged her passion for theater and acting at an early age, which overcame her initial ambition to be a primatologist due to her passion for monkeys. Her rise to fame as a young actress was rapid and accompanied by her early successes. Following her studies in 1998 she participated in an French program for scouting talent on TV called Jeunes Premiers that was supported by Canal+ and won Best Young Actress at the Beziers Festival of Young Actors prior to beginning her acting career in earnest. Tautou was educated at Institut Catholique de Paris, was a churchgoer as a young girl and was raised Catholic. But she has since gotten away from her Catholic upbringing. The modeling and acting careers of Tautou were intertwined. She became the face for L'Oreal Mont Blanc Chanel, and is often referred to as the Chanel Muse. A keen photographer, she has recently exhibited in the Arles International Festival entitled Superficial. The work she produces is focused on fame and popularity. The exhibition also includes a series self-portraits and a focus on journalists that have scrutinised Tautou since her meteoric success following Amelie. Audrey Tautou shot to stardom and global fame after her first major role starring as the lead in The Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Pouulain. Amelie was a worldwide box office success, and received accolades at award ceremonies around the globe. It is the most successful French language film to date in the US. The film's success led to a huge increase in production. Tautou was later cast in numerous films, such as British dramas such as Stephen Knight's Dirty Pretty Things and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Long Sunday of fiancailles. She also starred alongside Tom Hanks in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code directed by Dan Brown.