Pure French sophistication!!! Classy Cotillard begins the 41st year of her life today. So, Happy 40th Birthday, to my favourite French, actrice de cinéma, of the 21st century, Marion Cotillard!!!!!
Marion Cotillard turns 40 (a)Marion Cotillard was born in Paris, France, to an aesthetically creative family, of actors and acting coaches. She grew up around Orléans, in Northern France, and appeared on a stage play of her father’s, as a child. In the early 1990’s, after some theatre appearances, she came in cameo’s in television shows, including in a couple of episodes, of the American fantasy TV-series, Highlander (1992-1998), aged 17. By the mid-90’s, she started working in cinema as well; but it was in the television movie, Chloé (1996), she got her first lead role, alongside veteran Anna Karina. Soon fame would catch up with her, and today she’s one of the most sought out actresses in an international scale.

I got to know Marion Cotillard, back in 2007, after watching movies like, Love Me If You Dare (2003), a.k.a. Jeux d’enfants, and the Édith Piaf bio-pic, La Vie en Rose (2007), a.k.a. La Môme. I fell in love with this beautiful acting talent that year itself, after watching the latter, i.e. Cotillard’s impressive performance as Édith Piaf, for which she bagged the ‘Best Actress’ Oscar, the following year, at 80th Annual Academy Awards; making it the very first time an Oscar had been given for a French-language role, and making Cotillard the fifth actor/actress to win for a foreign language performance. Sophia Loren was the first person to win the ‘Best Actress’ Oscar, for a non-English speaking role, in 1962, for the Italian movie, La Ciociara (1960).

Of course prior to 2007, I had seen some movies she starred in, like, Big Fish (2003) and A Very Long Engagement (2004). But I didn’t know Marion Cotillard at the time, and neither of them were lead roles. Post-2007, I’ve seen her in films like Public Enemies (2009), Nine (2009) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). More recently I saw one of her older movies, Toi et Moi (2006), which was pretty good too, though not that great. There are quite a few great roles of hers, am really keen on checking out, including, in movies like, La Belle Verte (1996) – a.k.a. The Green Beautiful, La Guerre dans le Haut Pays (1999) – a.k.a. War in the Highlands, Lisa (2001), Une Affaire Privée (2002) – a.k.a. A Private Affair, Innocence (2004), The Last Flight (2009), Lady Blue Shanghai (2010), Inception (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), Contagion (2011), De Rouille et d’Os (2012) – a.k.a. Rust and Bone, The Immigrant (2013), Deux Jours, Une Nuit (2014) – Two Days, One Night; for which she was nominated for an Oscar, this year; and Macbeth (2015); which was released at the Cannes Film Festival this year, in May 2015, and was among the competitors for the Palme d’Or; to name some. Last year, Cotillard co-wrote, directed and starred in the short film, Snapshot in LA (2014).

Since October 07’, has been in a relationship with, another brilliant French actor, her co-star from Love Me If You Dare, Guillaume Canet. The couple have a four year old child together. In addition to being a film star, Cotillard is also an environmental activist. She’s been a spokesperson for Greenpeace, and in 2013, she caged herself near the Louvre museum, in Paris, demanding to free, 30 Greenpeace activists jailed in Russia, over an Arctic protest. She worked with UNICEF France, to help vaccinate thousands of children in Darfur, Sudan. Her philanthropic work is endless.

Wishing Marion Cotillard, all the best, for a successful & happy life and career, on her 40th Birthday. Hope to see you in more great roles in the future. Kindly avoid films like The Dark Knight Rises.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Marion Cotillard turns 40 (b)P.S. See other Marion related posts on my Blog, including:-
3.3.3.3
Winners & Disappointments – at Cannes 2015
The 68th Cannes Film Festival finalé
Édith Piaf: 50th Death Anniversary
The 87th Annual Academy Awards

Nuwan Sen (nu Sense on Film)
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