Sylvie Testud

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sylvie Testud
Testud in 2018
Born (1971-01-17) 17 January 1971 (age 53)
OccupationActress
Years active1991–present
Children2
HonoursOrdre national du Mérite

Sylvie Testud (born 17 January 1971) is a French actress whose film career began in 1991. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for Murderous Maids (2000), the César Award for Best Actress for Fear and Trembling (2003), and the European Film Award for Best Actress for Lourdes (2009). Her other film roles include Beyond Silence (1996), La Vie en Rose (2007), and French Women (2014).

Life and career[edit]

She grew up in the La Croix-Rousse quarter of Lyon, France. This was an area with many Portuguese, Spanish and Italian immigrants. Her mother immigrated from Italy in the 1960s. Her French father left the family when Sylvie was just two years old.[1]

In 1985, when she was 14, she saw Charlotte Gainsbourg in her role of the complex young girl in L'Effrontée, a film directed by Claude Miller, identified with Gainsbourg, and so took drama classes in Lyon with the actor and director Christian Taponard. In 1989, she moved to Paris and spent three years at the Conservatoire (CNSAD). In the early and mid 1990s, she landed her first small roles in films like L'Histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse, directed by Philippe Harel, and Love, etc., directed by Marion Vernoux. In 1997 she had great success in Germany with Caroline Link's Jenseits der Stille for which she learned German, sign language, and the clarinet. In 1998 she had her first major role in French cinema playing Béa in Thomas Vincent's Karnaval. In 2000 she starred in Chantal Akerman's La Captive, an adaptation of La Prisonière, the fifth part of Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu. In 2001 she won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her portrayal of Christine Papin, one of the Papin sisters, in Les Blessures assassines (English title: Murderous Maids). The story concerned a young servant woman found guilty of the murder, with her sister's help, of her employer's wife and daughter; it had made sensational headlines in France in 1933.[citation needed]

In 2003, she published the autobiographical book Il n'y a pas beaucoup d'étoiles ce soir, with anecdotes of her day-to-day life as an actress. The French edition featured a cover designed by her sister Ghislaine.[citation needed]

One of her most noted performances was as the star of the film Stupeur et tremblements, adapted from the novel by Amélie Nothomb, for which she was awarded a César and a Lumières Award for Best Actress in 2004. She plays a woman struggling with the difference in culture between the Japanese business world and the western, Belgian world, from which she comes. In 2005 or 2006[clarification needed] she returned to her native Lyon (to the Théâtre de la Croix Rousse), where she played the rôle of Edith in Philippe Faure's adaptation of Stefan Zweig's La Pitié dangereuse. She starred in 2007's two-time Academy Award-winning film La Vie en rose, as Momone, Edith Piaf's best friend. In the 2008 film Sagan, she portrayed the writer Françoise Sagan, earning unanimous praise for her hauntingly accurate portrayal and for which she was again nominated for the César for best actress.[citation needed]

She was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite in March 2009.[2]

She has a son, Ruben, born on 15 February 2005, and a daughter Esther, born in January 2011.[3]

In 2012, she participated in Rendez-vous en terre inconnue.

Filmography[edit]

Feature films[edit]

Year Title Role Director Notes
1993 Couples et amants The young girl John Lvoff
1994 The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed Girl at party offering food Philippe Harel
Marie's Song Marie Niko von Glasow
1995 Those Were the Days Sylvie Didier Haudepin
1996 Beyond Silence Lara Caroline Link German Film Awards – Best Actress
1997 Fire in Paradise [fr] Esther Markus Imhoof
1998 Sentimental Education Julia C. S. Leigh
The Misadventures of Margaret Young Nun Brian Skeet
Petit Point & Antoine Laurence Caroline Link
Karnaval Béa Thomas Vincent Nomination César Award Most Promising Actress
1999 Annaluise & Anton Laurence Caroline Link
In Heaven Valeska Michael Bindlechner
2000 La Captive Ariane Chantal Akerman
Sade Renée de Sade Benoît Jacquot
Murderous Maids Christine Papin Jean-Pierre Denis César Award-Most Promising Actress
La Chambre obscure Azalaïs Marie-Christine Questerbert
2001 The Chateau Isabelle Jesse Peretz
Julies Geist Julia Bettina Wilhelm
I'm Going Home Ariel Manoel de Oliveira
2002 Everyman's Feast Sophie Fritz Lehner
Un moment de bonheur The teacher Antoine Santana
Les Femmes... ou les enfants d'abord... Virginie Manuel Poirier
Tangos volés Alice/Paula Eduardo de Gregorio
A Loving Father Virginia Jacob Berger
Vivre me tue Myriam Jean-Pierre Sinapi
2003 Fear and Trembling Amélie Alain Corneau César Award-Best Actress
Lumières Award-Best Actress
Sole Sisters Tina Pierre Jolivet
Dédales Claude René Manzor
2004 Tomorrow We Move Charlotte Chantal Akerman
Tout pour l'oseille Prune Bertrand Van Effenterre
Cause toujours ! Léa Jeanne Labrune
Victoire Victoire Stéphanie Murat
Words in Blue Clara Alain Corneau
2005 It's Our Life! Louise Delhomme Gérard Krawczyk
2006 L'Héritage Patricia Temur Babluani
2007 La Vie en rose Mômone (Simone Berteaut) Olivier Dahan Nomination César Award Best Supporting Actress
La France Camille Serge Bozon
Ce que mes yeux ont vu Lucie Laurent de Bartillat Nomination Lumières Award Best Actress
2008 Sagan Françoise Sagan Diane Kurys Globes de Cristal Awards- Best Actress
Nomination César Award Best Actress
Nomination Lumières Award Best Actress
Mange, ceci est mon corps Madame Michelange Quay
2009 L'Idiot Daria Alexeïevna Pierre Léon
Je ne dis pas non Adèle Iliana Lolic
Lucky Luke Calamity Jane James Huth
Vengeance Irène Thompson Johnnie To
A Happy Man (Le Bonheur de Pierre) Catherine Martin Robert Ménard
Gamines Sibylle Éléonore Faucher
Lourdes Christine Jessica Hausner European Film Awards-Best Actress
2010 The Round Up Bella Zygler Roselyne Bosch
Mumu Mumu Joël Séria
Avant l'aube Sylvie Poncet Raphaël Jacoulot
2011 Rebellion Chantal Legorjus Mathieu Kassovitz
2012 The Scapegoat Bela Charles Sturridge
À votre bon cœur, mesdames Lolita Jean-Pierre Mocky
Les Mains de Roxana Roxana Orlac Philippe Setbon
2013 Max Nina Stéphanie Murat
Une chanson pour ma mère Sylvie Joël Franka
For a Woman Anne Diane Kurys
Je m'appelle Hmmm... Céline's mother agnès b.
2014 96 hours Marion Reynaud Frédéric Schoendoerffer
24 Days Brigitte Farell Alexandre Arcady
French Women Sam Audrey Dana
Papa Was Not a Rolling Stone Nadège Sylvie Ohayon
Géographie du cœur malchanceux Sophie David Allain
Alexandra Billington
2015 Le Talent de mes amis Stéphane Brunge Alex Lutz
Au plus près du Soleil Sophie Picard Yves Angelo
Deux femmes Elisaveta Bogdanovna Vera Glagoleva
2016 Arrête ton cinéma Sybille Teyssier Diane Kurys
The Visitors: Bastille Day Charlotte de Robespierre Jean-Marie Poiré
Le Correspondant Eloïse (Malo's mother) Jean-Michel Ben Soussan
Tamara Amandine (Tamara's mother) Alexandre Castagnetti
2017 Jour J Clarisse Reem Kherici
Final Portrait Annette Arm Stanley Tucci
2018 Suspiria Miss Griffith Luca Guadagnino
Comme des rois Val Xabi Molia
Tamara Vol. 2 Amandine (Tamara's mother) Alexandre Castagnetti
2021 Flashback Olympe de Gouges Caroline Vigneaux

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Director
1995 Lettre ouverte à Lili Virginie Jean-Luc Trotignon
Le Nid tombé de l'oiseau Laurence Alain Schwartzstein
2009 L'une chante, l'autre aussi Herself Olivier Nicklaus
2010 Louise Michel Louise Michel Sólveig Anspach
2011 Le Grand Restaurant A Client Gérard Pullicino
2012 Rendez-vous en terre inconnue Herself
2013 Les Déferlantes Louise Éleonore Faucher
2014 Ceux qui dansent sur la tête Catherine Magaly Richard-Serrano
Fais pas ci, fais pas ça Sylviane Chinsky, the marriage therapist Pascal Chaumeil
2017 Maximilian Charlotte de Savoie Andreas Prochaska
2018 Germanized Odile Denis Dercourt

Director[edit]

Year Title Notes
1998 Je veux descendre Short
2012 Another Woman's Life

Decorations[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Testud in 2013

Deutscher Filmpreis[edit]

Year Nominated work Category Result
1997 Beyond Silence Best Actress Won

César Awards[edit]

Year Nominated work Category Result
2000 Karnaval Most Promising Actress Nominated
2001 Murderous Maids Most Promising Actress Won
2004 Fear and Trembling Best Actress Won
2008 La Vie en rose Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2009 Sagan Best Actress Nominated

Lumières Award[edit]

Year Nominated work Category Result
2004 Fear and Trembling Best Actress Won
2008 Ce que mes yeux ont vu Best Actress Nominated
2009 Sagan Best Actress Nominated

Globes de Cristal Awards[edit]

Year Nominated work Category Result
2009 Sagan Best Actress Won

European Film Awards[edit]

Year Nominated work Category Result
2010 Lourdes Best Actress Won

References[edit]

  1. ^ Paris Match No. 2834, September 2003
  2. ^ "Décret du 14 novembre 2008 portant promotion et nomination". JORF (in French). 2008 (266): 17476. 15 November 2008. PREX0823631D. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  3. ^ "Paris Match, 26 January 2011".
  4. ^ "Flux". Culturecommunication.gouv.fr. Retrieved 8 May 2019.

External links[edit]

  • Sylvie Testud at IMDb
  • Sylvie Testud at AlloCiné (in French)
  • Sylvie Testud at Actricesdefrance.org
  • CSOJ – Alain Badiou Sylvie Testud appears on French television's program Ce Soir (En direct, channel 3) in conversation with militant philosopher Alain Badiou. The topic of this episode is "Faut-il réinventer l'amour?". Ms. Testud appears 46:18 minutes into the program and is in conversation with Badiou and the program host for about 24 minutes (no commercials, this show is in French).