Jeanne Moreau

1928 -
French born Paris

When people gave Louis Malle credit for making a star of Jeanne Moreau in Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958) immediately followed by Amants, Les (1958), he would point out that Moreau by that time had already been "recognized as the prime stage actress of her generation." She had made it to the Comédie Française in her 20s. She had appeared in B-movie thrillers with Jean Gabin and Ascenseur was in that genre. The technicians at the film lab went to the producer after seeing the first week of dailies for Ascenseur and said: "You must not let Malle destroy Jeanne Moreau". Malle explained: "She was lit only by the windows of the Champs Elysées. That had never been done. Cameramen would have forced her to wear a lot of make-up and they would put a lot of light on her, because, supposedly, her face was not photogenic". This lack of artifice revealed Moreau's "essential qualities: she could be almost ugly and then ten seconds later she would turn her face and would be incredibly attractive. But she would be herself".Moreau has told interviewers that the characters she played were not her. But even the most famous film critic of his generation, Roger Ebert, thinks that she is a lot like her most enduring role, Catherine in François Truffaut's Jules et Jim (1962). Behind those eyes and that enigmatic smile is a woman with a mind. In a review of Clothes in the Wardrobe (1992) (TV) Ebert wrote: "Jeanne Moreau has been a treasure of the movies for 35 years... Here, playing a flamboyant woman who nevertheless keeps her real thoughts closely guarded, she brings about a final scene of poetic justice as perfect as it is unexpected".Moreau made her debut as a director in Lumière (1976) -- also writing the script and playing Sarah, an actress the same age as Moreau whose romances are often with directors for the duration of making a film. She made several films with Malle.Still active in international cinema, Moreau presided over the jury of the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Spouse William Friedkin (1977 - 1979) (divorced), Teodoro Rubanis (1966 - ?) (divorced), Jean-Louis Richard (1949 - 1951) (divorced) 1 child.

Sous les vents de Neptune (2007) , Roméo et Juliette (2006) , Contessa di Castiglione, La (2006) , Sortie de clown (2006) , Go West (2005) , "Rois maudits, Les" (2005) , Temps qui reste, Le (2005) , Akoibon (2005) , Parents terribles, Les (2003/I) , The Will to Resist (2002) , Cet amour-là (2001) , Zaïde, un petit air de vengeance (2001) , Lisa (2001) , Genesys (2001) , "Misérables, Les" (2000) , Manoscritto del principe, Il (2000) , Balzac (1999) , Ever After (1998) , Un amour de sorcière (1997) , Amour et confusions (1997) , The Proprietor (1996) , I Love You, I Love You Not (1996) , "Belle Époque" (1995) , Al di là delle nuvole (1995) , Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma, Les (1995) , Catherine the Great (1995) , A Foreign Field (1993), Je m'appelle Victor (1993) , Map of the Human Heart (1993) , Absence, L' (1993) , À demain (1992) , Nuit de l'océan, La (1992) , Amant, L' (1992) , Clothes in the Wardrobe (1992) , Meteoro vima tou pelargou, To (1991) , Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991) , Vieille qui marchait dans la mer, La (1991) , Anna Karamazova (1991), Femme fardée, La (1990) , Alberto Express (1990) , Ami Giono: Ennemonde, L' (1990) , Nikita (1990) , Jour après jour (1989) , "Muy personal" (1988) , Miraculé, Le (1987) , "Tiroir secret, Le" (1986) , The Last Seance (1986) , Sauve-toi, Lola (1986) , Paltoquet, Le (1986) , Vicious Circle (1985) , Intoxe, L' (1983) , Truite, La (1982) , Querelle (1982) , Mille milliards de dollars (1982) , Arbre, L' (1982) , Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid (1981) , Plein sud (1981) , Chansons souvenirs (1980) , The Last Tycoon (1976) , Monsieur Klein (1976) , Lumière (1976) , Souvenirs d'en France (1975) , Saint, martyr et poète (1975) ,
Joanna Francesa (1975) , Hu-Man (1975) , Race des 'seigneurs', La (1974) , Valseuses, Les (1974) , Je t'aime (1974) , Jardin qui bascule, Le (1974) , Nathalie Granger (1972) , Chère Louise (1972) , Humeur vagabonde, L' (1972) , Comptes à rebours (1971) , Côté cour, côté champs (1971) , Petit théâtre de Jean Renoir, Le (1970) , Monte Walsh (1970) , The Deep (1970) , Corps de Diane, Le (1969) , Great Catherine (1968) , The Immortal Story (1968) , Mariée était en noir, La (1968) , The Sailor from Gibraltar (1967) , Plus vieux métier du monde, Le (1967) , Mademoiselle (1966) , Campanadas a medianoche (1965) , Viva Maria! (1965) , The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) , Mata-Hari (1964) , The Train (1964) , Journal d'une femme de chambre, Le (1964) , The Victors (1963) , Feu follet, Le (1963) , Peau de banane (1963) , Baie des anges, La (1963) , Procès, Le (1962) , Eva (1962) , Jules et Jim (1962) , Une femme est une femme (1961) , Notte, La (1961) , Dialogue des Carmélites, Le (1960) , Moderato cantabile (1960) , 5 Branded Women (1960) , Liaisons dangereuses, Les (1959) , Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) , Amants, Les (1958) , Dos au mur, Le (1958) , Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958) , Échec au porteur (1958) , Trois jours à vivre (1957) , Étrange Monsieur Steve, L' (1957) , Louves, Les (1957) , Jusqu'au dernier (1957) , Salaire du péché, Le (1956) , Gas-Oil (1955) , Hommes en blanc, Les (1955) , M'sieur la Caille (1955) , Reine Margot, La (1954), Secrets d'alcove (1954), Intrigantes, Les (1954) , Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) , Julietta (1953) , Dortoir des grandes (1953) , Il est minuit, docteur Schweitzer (1952) , Homme de ma vie, L' (1952) , Pigalle-Saint-Germain-des-Prés (1950) , Meurtres (1950) , Dernier amour (1949)