Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Adjani is a French actress who holds the record of 5 César awards for Best Actress. Her father was Algerian, from a Kabyle family. She was born on 27 June 1955 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.
Isabelle Adjani is a French actress who holds the record of 5 César awards for Best Actress. Her father was Algerian, from a Kabyle family. She was born on 27 June 1955 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.
Adjani grew up in Gennevilliers. Her father, Mohammed Chérif Adjani, served in the French army and met her mother, who came from Bavaria, in Germany during the Second World War.
Acting came early: as a teenager she was already on stage, and in 1972 she joined the Comédie-Française, France's national theatre company. Film roles soon followed, and 2 of them, in The Story of Adèle H. and Camille Claudel, brought Oscar nominations.
In 1981 the Cannes Film Festival gave her its Best Actress prize, and in 1997 she led the Cannes jury. Over her career she won 5 César awards, France's main film prizes, more than any other actress.
France made her a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2010. Adjani has spoken of her father's Algerian roots, and she remains one of the great names of French cinema.
Start the conversation
Add what you know, ask a question or share your view.
Signing in takes one code sent to your email. No password.