Mélanie Laurent is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director. She initially rose to prominence for her performance in the 2006 French drama film Don't Worry, I'm Fine for which she later won the César Award for Most Promising Actress and the Prix Romy Schneider. Laurent further became known to international audiences for her starring role as Shosanna Dreyfus in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009), for which she won the Online Film Critics Society and the Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress. She went on star in commercially successful Hollywood films including, the comedy drama Beginners (2011), and the caper film Now You See Me (2013), with the former earning her a nomination at the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Laurent's notable works include Dikkenek (2006), a Franco-Belgian comedy film for which she won Étoiles d'Or for Best Female Newcomer, French war film Days of Glory (2006), Cédric Klapisch's Paris (2008) with an ensemble cast, The Round Up (2010), a French movie depicting the true story of a Jewish boy amidst the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup, comedy drama Et soudain, tout le monde me manque (2011) which won her the Best Actress Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, French-American nature documentary Wings of Life (2011) serving as narrator, Night Train to Lisbon (2013), Canadian-Spanish psycho thriller Enemy (2013; an adaptation of José Saramago's novel The Double), and drama film Aloft (2014). In addition she has acted in numerous other French movies receiving accolades including the Étoiles d'or du cinéma français (Gold Star of French Cinema).
In her first theater appearance Laurent teamed up with French theatre director Nicolas Bedos and shared the stage with actor Jérôme Kircher in 2010 for Promenade de santé. Apart from her acting career, she has also directed several French movies including short-films for X Femmes, a television series, and Respire, an adaptation of Anne-Sophie Brasme's novel of the same name that screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. The latter won the Stockholm International Film Festival - Bronze Horse for Best Film. Laurent also directed the documentary film Demain, which won the César Award for Best Documentary Film and was also nominated for the Lumière Award for Best Documentary.
Film As actress
Year Title Role Notes 1999 The Bridge Lisbeth 2001 Ceci est mon corps Clara 2002 Summer Things Carole 2003 La Faucheuse Isabelle Short film Snowboarder Célia 2004 Une vie à t'attendre The girl at the factory Rice Rhapsody Sabine The Last Day Louise 2005 The Beat That My Heart Skipped Minskov's Girlfriend Les Visages d'Alice Alice Short film 2006 Days of Glory Marguerite Dikkenek Natacha Étoiles d'Or for Best Female Newcomer Don't Worry, I'm Fine Élise "Lili" Tellier César Award for Most Promising ActressLumière Award for Most Promising ActressÉtoiles d'Or for Best Female NewcomerNominated – Globes de Cristal Award for Best ActressNominated – NRJ Ciné Award for Best Young Talent in a Debut Film 2007 Hidden Love Sophie The Killer Stella Beluga Room of Death Lucie Hennebelle Nominated – Lumière Award for Best Actress 2008 Paris Laetitia Voyage d'affaires Hotel receptionist Short film 2009 Jusqu'à toi Chloé Inglourious Basterds Shosanna Dreyfus Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastOnline Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PicturePhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastSan Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an EnsembleNominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best EnsembleNominated – Empire Award for Best ActressNominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated – Saturn Award for Best ActressNominated – St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Le Concert Anne-Marie Jacquet 2010 The Round Up Annette Monod 2011 Beginners Anna Gotham Awards for Best Ensemble CastNominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Pollen Narrator VoiceRequiem for a Killer Lucrèce The Day I Saw Your Heart Justine Dhrey Newport Beach Film Festival for Best Actress The Adopted Lisa Also director and writer 2013 Night Train to Lisbon Young Estefania Now You See Me Alma Dray Epic Mary Katherine Voice, French dub Enemy Mary 2014 Aloft Jannia Ressmore 2015 Inside Out Disgust Voice, French dub Boomerang Agathe Rey By the Sea Lea 2016 Eternity Mathilde Mon nom à Pigalle Mike Dr. Bauer 2017 Mon garçon Marie Blanchard 2018 Operation Finale Hanna Return of the Hero Elisabeth Beaugrand Nominated – Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actress - Comedy Mia and the White Lion Alice Owen 2019 6 Underground Two 2021 Oxygen Elizabeth Hansen The Mad Women's Ball Genevieve Also director and writer2023 Murder Mystery 2 Claudette Wingwomen Carole Also director and writer 2024 The Flood Marie Antoinette 2025 The Wonderers Madeleine Roussier Berta Post-production
As filmmaker Year Title Credited as NotesDirectorScreenwriter 2008 De moins en moins Short filmNominated – 2008 Cannes Film Festival - Short Film Palme d'Or 2012 Surpêche Documentary shortAlso cinematographer, editor and producer 2014 Breathe Nominated – Stockholm International Film Festival - Bronze Horse for Best Film 2015 Tomorrow Documentary filmCésar Award for Best Documentary FilmNominated – Lumière Award for Best Documentary 2017 Plonger 2018 Galveston 2024 Libre
Television
Year Title Role Notes 1998 Les Malheurs de Sophie Young Madeleine de Fleurville Episode: "Retour en France" 2000 Route de nuit FrancescaTelevision film 2003 Jean Moulin, une affaire française Young Alice Arguel 2008 X Femmes Director and writerEpisode: "At Her Feet" 2026 Fauda Anne Zaytoun (née Aubert) 2026 The Hunt Krystel 6 episodes
Theatre Promenade de santé by Nicolas Bedos (2010)"Promenade de santé – Mélanie Laurent" (in French), Artistik Rezo, Mathilde Degorce. 2010-02-22.
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