Catherine Deneuve (born 22 October 1943) is a French film actress whose career has spanned more than half a century. She was born into a theatrical family and became one of France's best-known screen performers.
Family and early life
Deneuve is the daughter of two well-known actors. She grew up with two sisters who also worked as actresses: Françoise Dorléac (1942–1967), who died in a car accident, and Sylvie (born 1946). In addition, she has a maternal half-sister, Danielle (born 1937).
Career
She began appearing in films as a teenager, and her first major international success came with Jacques Demy's 1964 musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. Over the following decades she collaborated with many prominent movie directors, building a reputation for versatility and restraint.
- She worked with Roman Polanski in Repulsion (1965).
- She starred for Luis Buñuel in Belle de Jour (1967) and Tristana (1970).
- She appeared under the direction of François Truffaut in Le Dernier Métro (1982).
Outside cinema, Deneuve has taken part in high-profile advertising, including a commercial for the perfume Chanel No 5, and she has long-standing personal and professional ties to the fashion world, notably with designer Yves Saint Laurent.
Personal life
From 1965 until 1972 she was married to British British photographer David Bailey. Earlier she had a relationship with director Roger Vadim; their son, Christian Vadim, was born in 1963. Later she was involved with Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni, with whom she has a daughter, Chiara Mastroianni (born 1972). Both of her children have pursued careers in acting.