Brigitte Florence Fossey (; born 15 June 1946) is a French actress.

Early years

The daughter of a schoolteacher, Fossey was five years old when she was cast by director

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...

to star in his film, ''

Forbidden Games ''Forbidden Games'' (french: Jeux interdits) is a 1952 French war drama film directed by René Clément and based on François Boyer's novel ''Jeux Interdits''. While not initially successful in France, the film was a hit elsewhere. It won the ...

''.Brigitte Fossey
Fossey played the role of an innocent child orphaned by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The film won numerous awards worldwide, including the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, and Fossey was hired by American actor/director

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

for his 1957 film, ''

The Happy Road ''The Happy Road'' is a 1957 French-American comedy film starring Gene Kelly, Barbara Laage, Michael Redgrave and Bobby Clark. Its plot involves two students (a boy and girl) who escape from their Swiss private school and make for Paris. Their ...

''. When Fossey was ten years old her parents took her out of the film business so she could receive proper schooling. While completing her education, Fossey studied piano and dance and then went on to work in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

as an interpreter/

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

Career

In 1967, at age twenty, after studying acting at Yves Furet "Studio d'Entrainement de l'Acteur" in Paris, Fossey was offered the female lead by director

Jean-Gabriel Albicocco Jean-Gabriel Albicocco (15 February 1936, Cannes – 10 April 2001, Rio de Janeiro) was a French film director. In 1960 he married French actress and singer Marie Laforêt. He is considered a figure of the French New Wave cinema or ''Nouvel ...

for his film ''Le Grand Meaulnes''. As an adult Fossey acted both on stage and in film, working with French directors such as

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

and

Bertrand Blier Bertrand Blier (; born 14 March 1939) is a French film director and writer. His 1978 film ''Get Out Your Handkerchiefs'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 51st Academy Awards. He is the son of famous French actor Bernard ...

. Fluent in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Fossey has appeared in several

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

motion pictures, including a 1979 role as the wife of

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

in the

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

-directed film, ''

Quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

''. In 1982, she was a member of the jury at the

32nd Berlin International Film Festival The 32nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 12–23 February 1982. The Golden Bear was awarded to the West German film ''Veronika Voss'' directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The Honorary Golden Bear (''Goldener Ehrenbär'' ...

. During the 1990s, she began performing in television productions.

Personal life

Brigitte Fossey has a daughter from her marriage to director

Jean-François Adam Jean-François Adam ( 14 October 1980) was a French actor and director. Career Adam was an assistant to French filmmakers François Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Melville. He is known for having played the small role of Colette's lover in the Anto ...

, whom she met while making his 1970 film '.

Awards and recognition

* 1977: Nominated for a

César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ce ...

for ''

Le bon et les méchants ''Le Bon et les Méchants'' is a French film directed by Claude Lelouch and released in 1976. Synopsis From 1935 to 1945, the happiness of a couple turns to sadness when their Traction Avant is used by the gang des Tractions Avant. Details *Dir ...

'' * 1978: Nominated for a

César Award for Best Actress The César Award for Best Actress (french: César de la meilleure actrice, link=no) is one of the César Awards, presented annually by the ''Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma'' to recognize the outstanding performance in a leading role ...

for ''

Les Enfants du placard ''Closet Children'' (original title: ''Les Enfants du Placard'') is a 1977 French drama film directed by Benoît Jacquot. Cast * Brigitte Fossey as Juliette * Lou Castel as Nicola * Jean Sorel as Berlu * Georges Marchal Georges Marchal (10 ...

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fossey, Brigitte French film actresses French stage actresses French child actresses 1946 births Living people People from Tourcoing