Marion Cotillard is one of the most celebrated French actresses of our time. She has had quite an illustrious career thus far. She has earned a number of 'firsts' (and 'seconds') along the way since beginning her film career as a teenager back in 1993.
Cotillard has been acting since she was a child though due to the fact that she is the daughter of two actors - her father Jean-Claude Cotillard is an actor, teacher, former mime and 2006 Molière Award-winning director and her mother Léontine Cotillard an actress and drama teacher.
Marion comes from a line of artistically talented family. She has two twin brothers one of whom is a sculptor and the other is a writer. Marion does not only act (on stage, screen and television) but she is also a singer who can hold her own as proven in her on-stage performances as well as in the movie La Môme (La Vie En Rose).
Her performance as Edith Piaf in this film made her the first person to win an Academy Award in the French language. Theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn described Cotillard's performance in this film as being "one of the greatest performances on film ever."
Her performance in A Very Long Engagement (2004) earned her a César Award for Best Supporting Actress for. What makes the win even more significant is that Cotillard appeared in the filmed for merely just about 10 minutes. That's a hell of an accomplishment if you ask me!
And her list of 'firsts' does not stop there. Marion is the first actress to win a Golden Globe for a foreign language performance since 1972. With this same win she scored another first by winning it in the category of Comedy or Musical.
On February 10, 2008 Cotillard earned another first by becoming the first French actress to be awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She is also the first actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for a French language performance. On February 22, 2008 she was awarded the César Award for Best Actress making her the first woman and second person to win both a César and an Oscar for the same performance.
She is the second actress to win for a non-English language performance (the first being Sophia Loren) and is also the second French actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. Her list of award wins includes BAFTA, Golden Globe, two Cesar Awards (the France's equivalent of the Oscars) and Czech Lion.
Cotillard has had 25 award wins with an additional 7 nominations. Almost all of her wins fall into the category of Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Actress of the Year, Best Leading Actress and Outstanding Performance.
She is set to play the role of Billie Frechette in Public Enemies alongside the likes of Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum and Leelee Sobieski. This Crime Drama is due to be released on July 1, 2009. She is also a member of a wonderful ensemble cast including Penélope Cruz, Dame Judi Dench and Sophia Loren who will take part in drama Nine which is set for release on December 11, 2009.
When I think of Marion Cotillard, I think of a nice little house in the country with a white picket fence. I picture her coming home to me after a hard day's work and I would have her bathwater drawn with scented candles lit around the tub and her favorite scents in the water. I'd sit her down on the couch and remove her shoes then I'd massage her feet and have her tell me how her day went.
After which I'd escort her to the tub where... wait... just hold on... there's no way I'm telling what comes next! Hey, what can I say? I don't kiss
Marion Cotillard is a woman I would definitely take home
