Mélanie Laurent

Acting

Mélanie Laurent (French pronunciation: [melani loʁɑ̃]; born 21 February 1983) is a French actress and filmmaker. She is an accomplished actress in the French film industry and the recipient of two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Internationally, Laurent is best known for her roles in Inglourious Basterds (2009), Now You See Me (2013), Operation Finale (2018) and 6 Underground (2019).

Laurent began acting at age sixteen, cast by Gérard Depardieu in a small role in the romantic drama The Bridge (1999). She gained wider recognition for supporting work in several French films, including the comedy Dikkenek (2006), for which she won Étoiles d'Or for Best Female Newcomer. Her breakthrough role came in the 2006 drama film Don't Worry, I'm Fine, for which she won the César Award for Most Promising Actress and the Prix Romy Schneider. Laurent made her Hollywood debut in 2009 with the role of Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster war film Inglourious Basterds. Her performance won the Online Film Critics Society and the Austin Film Critics Association Best Actress Awards.