SOPHIE MARCEAU
Name: Sophie Marceau
Birth name: Sophie Daniele Sylvie Maupu
Born: 17 November 1966 Paris, France
Sophie Marceau is a French actress. She has worked in
international films such as Braveheart and The World is Not Enough.
Sophie Marceau was born Sophie Daniele Sylvie Maupu on November 17, 1966 in
Paris, France, the second child of Benoît and Simone Maupu. Her father, Benoît,
a veteran of the Algerian War, worked as a truck driver, painter, and bartender;
her mother, Simone, was a demonstrator in department stores. Her brother Sylvain
is three years older.
Marceau started her career at age 14 when Claude Pinoteau cast her in the
starring role of the teenager movie La Boum (1980).
The hardworking family lived a humble working class life that left Marceau with
generally fond memories of childhood. During the week, she was busy helping out
at the restaurant, where she enjoyed the noise and hectic environment. She spent
weekends with her family in La Cabane, a small house in Vert-le-Petit in the
Essonne. While her parents were busy serving customers, Marceau quickly
developed her adventurous and independent spirit, keeping up with her brother
Sylvain and her cousin Jacques. When she was eleven years old, she got in
trouble stealing records from a supermarket something that infuriated her
parents. Another time, after being scolded by her father, she hid all the
giblets in the restaurant.
Marceau also had a shy and reserved side to her, particularly around adults. She
used to hide beneath her bed whenever her parents' friends came by to visit.
Alone, in the darkness of her room, she would dream of one day becoming a
truckdriver like her father. When she was nine years old, her parents were
divorced. Marceau enjoyed her time in school, but not her studies. A bit of a
prankster, she did not enjoy studying very much, although she did like reading
Molière, who made her laugh.
Marceau loved animals and collected stray cats and forsaken animals with her
older brother. She had a dog she named Scotch, and also adopted a German
shepherd at the SPCA. She had a cat she called Bidule, who refused to move with
the family when they left Gentilly.
When Marceau was twelve years old, she experienced her first kiss under a tent.
By then, she was already impatient about her life in Gentilly. She longed to be
free, to live in a large stone house in Normandie, France with her friends. Most
of all, she wanted to escape the boredom of adolescence.
In February 1980, while searching unsuccessfully for a job over the school
holidays, Marceau and her mother came across a model agency advertisement
looking for teenagers. Marceau had photos taken at the agency, but she did not
think anything would come of it. At the same time, Françoise Menidrey, the
casting director for Claude Pinoteau's upcoming film La Boum, sent out a call to
modeling agencies looking for a new teenager for his film. A month after her
photo session, Marceau was invited to audition for the role. She showed up with
her father, nervous and very simply dressed. She was just one of over a thousand
young girls waiting for their chance. Unlike many of the others, however, her
acting was simple and natural with no forced seduction.
Marceau was called back to read for director Claude Pinoteau, who was
immediately won over by her "surprising simplicity" and knew he'd found his new
leading actress. Filming began on July 17 and finished just in time for her
school's fall term. After viewing the rushes, Alain Poiré, the director of the
Gaumont Film Company, signed Marceau to a long-term contract. Before the film
opened, Marceau changed her name following her agency's advice. Given a list of
street names, she chose "Marceau" to retain her initials.
Audiences responded favorably to La Boum and its old-fashioned sensibilities,
becoming a big hit not only in France, where 4.5 million tickets were sold, but
also in Italy, Japan, and around the world. The fourteen year old actress
responded to the instant fame posing for magazine covers, giving interviews,
and doing commercials for the soap Lux Beaute, which made her a big star in
Japan.
In 1981, Marceau made her singing debut with French singer François Valéry on
the record "Dream in Blue," written by Delanoë. In 1985, she recorded her first
and only album Certitude, which contained nine songs writed by Étienne Roda-Gil
and composer Franck Langolff.
Name: Sophie Marceau
Birth name: Sophie Daniele Sylvie Maupu
Born: 17 November 1966 Paris, France
Sophie Marceau is a French actress. She has worked in
international films such as Braveheart and The World is Not Enough.
Sophie Marceau was born Sophie Daniele Sylvie Maupu on November 17, 1966 in
Paris, France, the second child of Benoît and Simone Maupu. Her father, Benoît,
a veteran of the Algerian War, worked as a truck driver, painter, and bartender;
her mother, Simone, was a demonstrator in department stores. Her brother Sylvain
is three years older.
Marceau started her career at age 14 when Claude Pinoteau cast her in the
starring role of the teenager movie La Boum (1980).
The hardworking family lived a humble working class life that left Marceau with
generally fond memories of childhood. During the week, she was busy helping out
at the restaurant, where she enjoyed the noise and hectic environment. She spent
weekends with her family in La Cabane, a small house in Vert-le-Petit in the
Essonne. While her parents were busy serving customers, Marceau quickly
developed her adventurous and independent spirit, keeping up with her brother
Sylvain and her cousin Jacques. When she was eleven years old, she got in
trouble stealing records from a supermarket something that infuriated her
parents. Another time, after being scolded by her father, she hid all the
giblets in the restaurant.
Marceau also had a shy and reserved side to her, particularly around adults. She
used to hide beneath her bed whenever her parents' friends came by to visit.
Alone, in the darkness of her room, she would dream of one day becoming a
truckdriver like her father. When she was nine years old, her parents were
divorced. Marceau enjoyed her time in school, but not her studies. A bit of a
prankster, she did not enjoy studying very much, although she did like reading
Molière, who made her laugh.
Marceau loved animals and collected stray cats and forsaken animals with her
older brother. She had a dog she named Scotch, and also adopted a German
shepherd at the SPCA. She had a cat she called Bidule, who refused to move with
the family when they left Gentilly.
When Marceau was twelve years old, she experienced her first kiss under a tent.
By then, she was already impatient about her life in Gentilly. She longed to be
free, to live in a large stone house in Normandie, France with her friends. Most
of all, she wanted to escape the boredom of adolescence.
In February 1980, while searching unsuccessfully for a job over the school
holidays, Marceau and her mother came across a model agency advertisement
looking for teenagers. Marceau had photos taken at the agency, but she did not
think anything would come of it. At the same time, Françoise Menidrey, the
casting director for Claude Pinoteau's upcoming film La Boum, sent out a call to
modeling agencies looking for a new teenager for his film. A month after her
photo session, Marceau was invited to audition for the role. She showed up with
her father, nervous and very simply dressed. She was just one of over a thousand
young girls waiting for their chance. Unlike many of the others, however, her
acting was simple and natural with no forced seduction.
Marceau was called back to read for director Claude Pinoteau, who was
immediately won over by her "surprising simplicity" and knew he'd found his new
leading actress. Filming began on July 17 and finished just in time for her
school's fall term. After viewing the rushes, Alain Poiré, the director of the
Gaumont Film Company, signed Marceau to a long-term contract. Before the film
opened, Marceau changed her name following her agency's advice. Given a list of
street names, she chose "Marceau" to retain her initials.
Audiences responded favorably to La Boum and its old-fashioned sensibilities,
becoming a big hit not only in France, where 4.5 million tickets were sold, but
also in Italy, Japan, and around the world. The fourteen year old actress
responded to the instant fame posing for magazine covers, giving interviews,
and doing commercials for the soap Lux Beaute, which made her a big star in
Japan.
In 1981, Marceau made her singing debut with French singer François Valéry on
the record "Dream in Blue," written by Delanoë. In 1985, she recorded her first
and only album Certitude, which contained nine songs writed by Étienne Roda-Gil
and composer Franck Langolff.