Yolande Moreau (born 27 February 1953) is a Belgian actress, film director, comedian, and screenwriter. Her many accolades include winning three César Awards, two for Best Actress and one for Best First Film, making her the most awarded Belgian actress. Moreau has received a Lumière Award, a Magritte Award, and an LAFCA Award. As well as nominations for two European Film Awards, two Molière Awards, and an additional 12 Magritte Awards.
Moreau's many film credits include Agnès Varda's Vagabond (1985), Séraphine (2008), Amélie (2001), Germinal (1993), The Three Brothers (1995), Happiness is in the Field (1995), The Horseman on the Roof (1995), 9 Month Stretch (2013), Paris, Je T'aime (2006), Micmacs (2009), Incognito (2009), The Brand New Testament (2015), In the House (2012), Louise-Michel (2008), Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010), The Pack (2010), When the Sea Rises (2004), which she also co-wrote and co-directed, and Henri (2013), which she wrote and directed. On television, Moreau was the star of Les Deschiens (1993–2002).
On stage, Moreau has received two Molière Award nominations for her performances in Sale affaire du sexe et du crime and Prévert.
Career After a stage career in Brussels, Moreau studied theatre and clown under Philippe Gaulier at École Philippe Gaulier in France.
She made her cinematic debut with director Agnès Varda in two movies: Sept pièces (1984) and Vagabond (1985).
In 1989, she joined Jérôme Deschamps and Macha Makeieff's troupe, of which she became one of the stars, especially on the TV programme, Les Deschiens.
She played La Levaque in Germinal (1993) directed by Claude Berri, a concierge in the film Amélie (2001) and Mama Chow in Micmacs (2009) (both directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet), a mime in Paris, Je T'aime (2006) and a lovesick woman in Vagabond (1985) directed by Agnès Varda.
She made her directorial debut with the movie When the Sea Rises, which she co-wrote and starred in. The movie was acclaimed by critics, and Yolande Moreau won two César Awards for Best Debut and Best Actress.
Moreau stars in the French horror thriller film The Pack, which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.The Pack Too Crazed for Cannes? Her 2013 film Henri was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Moreau was scheduled to be the guest of honour at the 2017 Brussels Film Festival, but this edition had to be cancelled after subsidies were withdrawn.
Personal life At 18, she met an older man. Together they have two children, Héloïse and Nils, but they separated when Yolande was 21. Alone with her two children, she worked in various trades, including as a housekeeper. She is the grandmother of four grandchildren.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
Awards and honours Moreau has won three César Awards: one for Best First Film (in 2005) and two for Best Actress (in 2005 and 2009) and is the most awarded Belgian actress.
Theater Year Title Author Director 1974 Julien de Bruxelles Josette Marx Marcel Cornelis 1981–86 Sale affaire du sexe et du crime Yolande Moreau Yolande Moreau 1986 Sous-sol Arnold Boiseau Arnold Boiseau 1988 Britannicus Jean Racine Herbert Rolland 1989–91 Lapin chasseur Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 1992–94 Les brigands Jacques Offenbach Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 1992–93 Les pieds dans l'eau Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 1994–96 C'est magnifique Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 1997 Les Précieuses ridicules Molière Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 1999–2001 Les Pensionnaires Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 2000 Les Précieuses ridicules Molière Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeieff 2007 Sale affaire du sexe et du crime Yolande Moreau Yolande Moreau 2018–19 Prévert Jacques Prévert Yolande Moreau & Christian Olivier
Filmography Actress Year Title Role Director Notes 1984 7p., cuis., s. de b., ... à saisir Yolande Agnès Varda Short 1985 Vagabond Yolande Agnès Varda Vivement ce soir A client Patrick Van Antwerpen 1989 Le jour de congé Carole Laganière Short 1991 Navarro The Maid Gérard Marx TV series (1 episode) 1992 My Wife's Girlfriends The Concierge Didier Van Cauwelaert 1993 Germinal La Levaque Claude Berri Son of the Shark The Driver Agnès Merlet Loonies at Large Bus's Driver Marco Pico La lettre inachevée Lydia Chantal Picault TV movie 1993–2002 Les Deschiens Yolande Jérôme Deschamps & Macha Makeïeff TV series1995 The Three Brothers The Shop Owner Didier Bourdon & Bernard Campan Happiness Is in the Field Lucette Étienne Chatiliez The Horseman on the Roof Madame Rigoard Jean-Paul Rappeneau Maigret Madame Popineau Pierre Joassin TV series (1 episode) L'avocate Marie-Jo Philippe Lefebvre TV series (1 episode)1996 The Green Beautiful Nicole Coline Serreau Baloche Jacqueline Van Bersen Dominique Baron TV movie Le cheval de coeur Josiane Charlotte Brandström TV movie1997 An Air So Pure Laure Surville Yves Angelo Tout doit disparaître Irène Millard Philippe Muyl 1998 Full Moon Marie Rochat Fredi M. Murer Let There Be Light Contractual God Arthur Joffé Le choix d'une mère Madame Parmentier Tommy Collins & Jacques Malaterre TV movie1999 L'Ami du jardin Miss Pogut Jean-Louis Bouchaud Merci mon chien Marie-Do Philippe Galland Le Voyage à Paris The Baker Marc-Henri Dufresne Premier Noël The Teacher Kamel Cherif Short2001 Amélie Madeleine Wallace Jean-Pierre Jeunet The Milk of Human Kindness Babette Dominique Cabrera Sa mère, la pute Annie Brigitte Roüan TV movie2002 Step by Step Chantal Bex Philippe Blasband A Piece of Sky Madame Pasquier Bénédicte Liénard Le Champ dolent, le roman de la terre Louise Hervé Baslé TV Mini-Series 2003 Body to Body The Teacher François Hanss Welcome to the Roses Marsanne Francis Palluau Joséphine Joël Vanhoebrouck Short Grand ciel Colette Noël Alpi Short 2004 Folle embellie Hélène Dominique Cabrera When the Sea Rises Irène Yolande Moreau & Gilles Porte La vie est si courte Hervé Baslé TV movie2005 Ze Film The Kodak's Woman Guy Jacques The Axe The Post Clerk Costa-Gavras Bunker Paradise Claire Stefan Liberski 2006 Locked Out Gina Albert Dupontel Paris, je t'aime The Mime Sylvain Chomet Call Me Elisabeth Rose Jean-Pierre Améris Au crépuscule des temps Margoline Ekh Sarah Lévy TV movie Le Cri Marie Hervé Baslé TV Mini-Series 2007 The Last Mistress Countess of Artelles Catherine Breillat Vous êtes de la police ? Christine Léger Romuald Beugnon 2008 Séraphine Séraphine Louis Martin Provost Mia and the Migoo The Sorceress Jacques-Rémy Girerd A Day at the Museum Madame Stenthels Jean-Michel Ribes Louise Hires a Contract Killer Louise Ferrand Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern Villa Marguerite Adèle Grandclément Denis Malleval TV movie2009 Incognito Madame Champenard Éric Lavaine Micmacs Mama Chow Jean-Pierre Jeunet La Véritable Histoire du chat botté The Queen Pascal Hérold, Jérôme Deschamps, ... 2010 Mammuth Catherine Pilardosse Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern The Pack La Spack Franck Richard Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life Fréhel Joann Sfar Ya basta! Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern Short Le grand restaurant A client Gérard Pullicino TV movie 2011 The Long Falling Rose Mayer Martin Provost 2012 Not Dead Punk Girl's Mother Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern In the House Rosalie / Eugénie François Ozon Camille Rewinds Camille's Mother Noémie Lvovsky Cendrillon au Far West Felicity Pascal Hérold Dessine-moi un bouton Rosela Jankovski Gary Lebel Short2013 Henri Aunt Michelle Yolande Moreau 9 Month Stretch Bob's Mother Albert Dupontel 2014 Ablations Wortz's Assistant Arnold de Parscau Brèves de comptoir Madame Lamelle Jean-Michel Ribes 2015 Journey Through China Liliane Rousseau Zoltan Mayer The Brand New Testament God's Wife Jaco Van Dormael Clim Arts Terrae Daniel Schick TV movie2016 Saint-Amour Marie Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern A Woman's Life Adélaïde Le Perthuis des Vauds Stéphane Brizé The Childhood of a Leader Mona Brady Corbet Apollinaire – 13 film-poèmes Voice Charlie Belin, Marjorie Caup, ... Short2017 Crash Test Aglaé Marcelle Éric Gravel De toutes mes forces Madame Cousin Chad Chenouga Two Snails Set Off Voice Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Romain Segaud Short Ceci n'est pas un trou The grandmother Lucie Thocaven Short Capitaine Marleau Catherine Rougemont Josée Dayan TV series (1 episode)2018 I Feel Good Monique Pora Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern Raymonde or the vertical escape Raymonde Sarah Van Den Boom Short2019 Cleo Jet Eva Cools Rebels Nadine Dewulder Allan Mauduit The Summer House Jacqueline Valeria Bruni Tedeschi 2020 How to Be a Good Wife Gilberte Van der Beck Martin Provost 2021 Mum Is Pouring Rain Granny Onion Hugo de Faucompret Short Les enfants de Bohème Manie Judith Chemla Short Le Grand restaurant 3 Christine Romuald Boulanger & Pierre Palmade TV movie2021LupinEtienne Comit's wifeLouis LeterrierTV series (episode 2) uncredited min 48 2022 Les sans-dents Calamity Pascal Rabaté Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï Inspector Jeanne Weber François Desagnat En même temps Madame Bianca Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern 2023 Scarlet The magician Pietro Marcello Le principal Estelle Chad Chenouga La fiancée du poète Mireille Stockaert Yolande Moreau 2024 Captives Camomille Arnaud des Pallières Angelo dans la forêt mystérieuse Mémé Alexis Ducord & Vincent Paronnaud Je ne me laisserai plus faire Rosalie Gustave Kervern TV movie
Filmmaker
Year Title Notes 2004 When the Sea Rises 2013 Henri 2016 Nulle part, en France Documentary 2023 La fiancée du poète
Box-office
Movies starring Yolande Moreau with more than a million of entries in France.
FilmsDirectorYearFrance (entries)1 Amélie Jean-Pierre Jeunet 2001 2 The Three Brothers Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan 1995 3 Germinal Claude Berri 1993 4 Happiness Is in the Field Étienne Chatiliez 1995 5 The Horseman on the Roof Jean-Paul Rappeneau 1995 6 9 Month Stretch Albert Dupontel 2013 7 Micmacs Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2) 2009 8 Incognito Éric Lavaine 2009 9 Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life Joann Sfar 2010 10 In the House François Ozon 2012 11 Vagabond Agnès Varda 1985
Awards and nominations