Cécile De France

Cécile de France, born on 17 July 1975, is a highly accomplished Belgian actress. She began gaining recognition in French cinema with her roles in hits such as L'Art (délicat) de la séduction (2001) and Irène (2002), which eventually led to international attention from her lead roles in High Tension (2003) and Hereafter (2010). Born in Namur, Belgium, she decided to relocate to Paris at the age of 17 where she pursued her acting career. She studied theatre for two years with actor Jean Paul Denizon, who was an assistant to British director Peter Brook. Her study in acting continued in the acting academy ENSATT in Paris and Lyon from 1995-1998.

During this time, she was discovered by the agent Dominique Besnehard and landed roles in French hit films. Her international breakthrough came with the horror film High Tension, which caught the attention of Hollywood producers. This opened up more opportunities for her, landing her first major role in a US feature, Around the World in 80 Days (2004), where she shared screen space with Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan. De France is also a recipient of two César Awards for Most Promising Actress in L'Auberge espagnole (2002), and Best Supporting Actress in Les Poupées russes (2005). In addition to her onscreen feats, she hosted the 39th César Awards ceremony in 2014 and served on the jury for the Cinéfondation and short films sections of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, she was cast in Wes Anderson's film The French Dispatch.