Catherine Deneuve biography, young photos, age, height, daughter, awards 2025

Biography of Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve is a French actress and a global cinema diva. Only a true cinema opponent wouldn't remember the film "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and the brilliant music of Michel Legrand at her name. Admirers of Chanel No. 5 believed in its magical power thanks to an ad featuring Catherine, and fashionistas tried to dress at least approximately like the actress. Deneuve never received an Oscar, but she has two César Awards, a Palme d'Or, and a Golden Bear, and her beauty and talent have enchanted three generations of devoted fans.

Childhood, Youth, Family

Catherine was born in the fall of 1943 into a family of famous Parisian theater actors, Renée Jeanne Simonot and Maurice Dorléac. Her full birth name was Catherine Fabienne Dorléac. The family had four daughters. The eldest, Daniele, was born from Renée's first marriage to actor Aimé Clariond. Françoise and Sylvie, Catherine's older and younger sisters, were Maurice's daughters, just like Catherine.

The girls grew up unspoiled and far from a bohemian lifestyle, as their mother raised them strictly. From an early age, each had their household chores. They attended the prestigious Lycée La Fontaine in Paris.

Unlike her sisters, Catherine did not attend drama school because she had stage fright, but she enjoyed music and singing with her family. The family considered Françoise the future great actress, predicting a bright future for her on stage and in film. She had already appeared in films and insisted that her beautiful sister at least try to appear in front of the camera. Thus, at fourteen, Catherine appeared in André Hunebelle's drama "The Twilight Girls" in 1957. She was credited as Sylvie Dorléac.

Catherine Deneuve in the film 'The Twilight Girls'

The filming process captivated Catherine's young imagination and, after consulting with her family, she continued her film career but took her mother's maiden name as a pseudonym. In subsequent films "L'homme à femmes" and "Les portes claquent," she appeared as Deneuve, while Françoise remained Dorléac. From then on, the sisters occasionally acted together.

Their last joint work was Jacques Demy's musical "The Young Girls of Rochefort" (1967), where they played twin sisters Solange and Delphine.

Françoise Dorléac & Catherine Deneuve - Belgian TV Full Interview (March 1967)

They traveled separately to the London screening of the film. Françoise was driving to Orly Airport in her car. She lost control at high speed. The car crashed into a pole and caught fire. The doors jammed, and she couldn't escape and burned alive.

Catherine Deneuve and her sister Françoise

Many years after the tragedy, Deneuve wrote a book titled "Her Name Was Françoise" and asked the mayor of Rochefort to name the main city square after her sister. Her request was granted. The actress also bred a new variety of camellias, naming it "Françoise Dorléac":

By giving the flower the name of someone I loved so much, I try to comfort myself. Such deep mourning, experienced in youth, stays with you forever. We live together with the departed – not as with the living, but they are still close.

Film Career

The actress's filmography already included masterpieces of French and Italian cinema, such as "Vice and Virtue" (1963) by Roger Vadim, where she starred alongside Annie Girardot and Robert Hossein, and "La costanza della ragione" by Pasquale Festa Campanile, when Jacques Demy invited her to his new musical.

Catherine Deneuve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Catherine recalled that producers doubted whether to take on "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" project. But when the film triumphed at the Cannes Festival and the world sang Michel Legrand's songs with Deneuve, the idea no longer seemed so crazy.

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

At twenty, Catherine, who played the lead role of Geneviève Emery, became a fashion trendsetter. Women worldwide tried to copy the dresses by Jacqueline Moreau that the actress wore on set.

Deneuve was incomparable in the psychological thriller "Repulsion" by Roman Polanski, where she portrayed the mentally ill and dangerous Carol Ledoux.

Then came "The Young Girls of Rochefort" and a family tragedy, after which Catherine accepted Luis Buñuel's offer to star in the drama "Belle de Jour," where she played Dr. Séverine Serizy, leading a double life: a bored, respectable wife by evening and a libertine in a brothel by day. The film's piquancy lay in the fact that the filming took place in a real brothel with all its attributes.

According to the actress, in this film, she bared herself completely, not only physically but in every sense. And although it was monstrously difficult for her, the rough cut convinced Deneuve that the film turned out stunningly beautiful.

The costumes designed by her old friend Yves Saint Laurent for her character Séverine contributed to this. After this film, fashionistas began wearing black vinyl coats and high-necked black dresses with white collars.

Yves Saint Laurent considered Catherine Deneuve his muse

Next, Catherine appeared in Stuart Rosenberg's "The April Fools" and François Truffaut's "Mississippi Mermaid," where her co-star was Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo

The 1970s were creatively rich for the actress. She became the face of Chanel, a model for the symbol of France – the bust of Marianne. She played Tristana in the eponymous drama, Sophia in "The Lost Soul," Lisa in "The Bitch," and Nelly in "The Wild Child," for which she was nominated for a César Award. Her co-star in this film was Marcello Mastroianni.

Catherine Deneuve in a Chanel No. 5 commercial

The actress also worked extensively in the 1980s, but her role as Eliane in Régis Wargnier's war drama "Indochine" (1992) brought her newfound global fame. The film won an Oscar, and Deneuve and her co-star Vincent Perez walked the red carpet at the American film festival.

Elegant Catherine Deneuve in the movie Indochine

Cinema is unforgiving to women's age, but Deneuve is an exception in every way. She was almost sixty when she played Cvalda in Lars von Trier's musical drama "Dancer in the Dark" (2000)

Catherine Deneuve interview on Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour (1995)

Next, viewers saw Catherine's undying beauty in François Ozon's comedy musical "8 Women." The cast was stellar: besides Deneuve, it included Emmanuelle Béart, Fanny Ardant, and Isabelle Huppert. The director chose a unique flower for each actress to emphasize the archetype of each character. Catherine, as the domineering family matriarch named Gaby, incomparable in her leopard coat, was given an orchid.

Next, Deneuve appeared in "In the Name of My Daughter" (Renée Le Roux), "The Brand New Testament" (Martine), and "Standing Tall" (Judge Florence Blaque).

In 2019, the Venice Festival opened with the work of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, "The Truth." Deneuve played a fading French film diva, Fabienne, writing her memoirs in this family drama. The remarkable actress Juliette Binoche played her on-screen daughter, a screenwriter. They had a complex relationship, especially since the daughter had lived in America for a long time. When the mother let her read her work, the daughter rejected what her mother wrote about her, believing it lacked the real truth.

Deneuve commented on her role:

Playing an aging movie star was incredibly interesting for me – she is so unlike me and so far from my current lifestyle. Initially, it was even funny to watch how the Japanese director imagined the daily life of a once-famous French film diva.

Personal Life of Catherine Deneuve

The actress's first youthful love was director Roger Vadim, for whom she ran away from home to live with him. They had a son, Christian, after which Roger proposed to Catherine. But by that time, the passion had faded, and Deneuve declined.

Soon after, she became the official wife of London photographer David Bailey, with whom she lived for just over a year. With her characteristic humor, the actress once stated that the best thing that happened to her in this marriage was the opportunity to learn English.

Catherine Deneuve's husband David Bailey

She didn't divorce her official husband for a long time but considered herself free from family obligations. When she met the brilliant Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni on the set of the film "Liza," they began a whirlwind romance, crowned by the birth of their daughter Chiara (born in 1972).

Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni

The happy father wanted Catherine to be his wife, but she preferred to remain free. Among the subsequent men who had serious relationships with Deneuve were director François Truffaut, actor Gérard Depardieu, and television magnate Pierre Lescure.

Catherine Deneuve and her daughter Chiara (1993)

Although the actress had divorced David Bailey by then, she didn't marry any of her partners. Deneuve now has six grandchildren. Her long-lived mother lived nearby and passed away in the summer of 2021 shortly before her 110th birthday.

Catherine couldn't quit her bad habit of smoking. She also enjoys a glass or two of wine occasionally. However, she still looks much younger than her age. The actress happily shares the habits that help her look so fresh:

getting at least eight hours of sound sleep and eating healthy food;
a glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice every morning—Catherine believes it improves skin tone;
regular facial drainage massages;
frequent walks in the fresh air;
protecting her skin from UV rays even in cold weather;
light makeup in calm tones.

Catherine Deneuve Now

At the end of 2019, Catherine suffered an ischemic stroke. By the summer of 2020, after recovering, she returned to filming Emmanuelle Bercot's project "Peaceful," where she plays a mother whose son, played by Benoît Magimel, has cancer. Catherine also starred in David Caviglioli's adventure comedy "Terrible Jungle" and later worked on the voiceover for a film about Sigmund Freud.

Catherine Deneuve Interview - Beau Geste Sept 24 2023

In September 2022, Catherine Deneuve was an honored guest at the 79th Cannes Film Festival and received the Golden Lion for her contribution to world cinema. Interestingly, she first attended this event presenting Luis Buñuel's "Belle de Jour," which also won this award. In 2006, Deneuve was a member of the festival's jury.

Catherine Deneuve in the movie 'Bernadette'

In October 2023, Deneuve celebrated her 80th birthday. That same year, the biographical comedy "Bernadette" was released, in which she played the lead role of Bernadette Chirac, a French politician and the widow of former President Jacques Chirac.