Mélanie Laurent is a multifaceted French artist born on February 21, 1983, in Paris to a Jewish family. She began her acting career at the age of sixteen under the guidance of renowned actor Gérard Depardieu, who cast her in a minor role in the 1999 romantic drama The Bridge.
Laurent's early work in French films gained her wider recognition, particularly for her supporting roles in the 2006 comedy Dikkenek, for which she won the Étoiles d'Or award for Best Female Newcomer. Her breakthrough role came in the 2006 drama film Don't Worry, I'm Fine, earning her the César Award for Most Promising Actress and the Prix Romy Schneider.
Laurent made her Hollywood debut in 2009 with a pivotal role in Quentin Tarantino's war film Inglourious Basterds, winning the Online Film Critics Society and the Austin Film Critics Association Best Actress Awards. She continued to work in independent films, including Paris (2008) and Enemy (2013),as well as commercially successful Hollywood films, such as the comedy drama Beginners (2011) and the caper film Now You See Me (2013).
Laurent's notable works include the art-house drama The Round Up (2010),the comedy drama Et soudain, tout le monde me manque (2011),and the mystery thriller Night Train to Lisbon (2013). She has also lent her voice to French dubs of Epic (2013) and Inside Out (2015),voicing Mary Katherine and Disgust, respectively.
In addition to her film career, Laurent has appeared in stage productions in France, making her theatre debut in 2010 in Nicolas Bedos's Promenade de santé. She has also ventured into filmmaking, making her directorial debut with the short film De moins en moins (2008) and her feature film debut with The Adopted (2011). Her second production as a director, Respire (2014),was screened at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
Laurent has also explored her musical talents, releasing her debut studio album En t'attendant in May 2011, featuring twelve songs, five of which were co-written and co-produced by Irish folk musician Damien Rice.
