Hélène Christine Marie Rigoine de Fougerolles (; born 25 February 1973) is a French actress who was twice nominated for the

César Award for Most Promising Actress Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar River, in Colombia * Cesar ...

(known as the French

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

) for

Arthur Joffé Arthur Joffé (born 20 September 1953) is a French film director, the son of the director and screenwriter Alex Joffé.Philippe Rège, ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors'', volume 1, p. 538 He was awarded the Short Film Palme d'Or, Palme d'O ...

's ''Let There Be Light'' (1998) and

Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette (; 1 March 1928 – 29 January 2016) was a French film director and film critic most commonly associated with the French New Wave and the film magazine '' Cahiers du Cinéma''. He made twenty-nine films, including '' L'Amour fo ...

's '' Va savoir'' (2001) for which she was also awarded the

Prix Romy Schneider The Prix Romy Schneider (Romy Schneider Award) is awarded annually to a young and upcoming actress working in the Cinema of France, French film industry. It is named after the actress Romy Schneider (1938–1982). The prize is awarded by a jury ...

. de Fougerolles spent the first phase of her career in auteur cinema appearing in such films as

Jean-Pierre Mocky Jean-Pierre Mocky (6 July 1929 – 8 August 2019), pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Early life and education Mocky was born on 6 July 1929 in Nice, France, to Polish immigra ...

's ''Le Mari de Léon'' (1992),

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; ; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ''I ...

's ''La Reine Margot'' (1994),

Cédric Klapisch Cédric Klapisch ( ; born 4 September 1961) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Klapisch was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to ...

's '' Le Péril jeune'' (1994),

Philippe Harel Philippe Harel (born 22 December 1956) is a French film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors ...

's ''The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed'' alongside

Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress who has appeared in both European and Hollywood productions. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Marion Cotillard, various accolades, including an Ac ...

Mathieu Kassovitz Mathieu Kassovitz () is a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has won three César Awards: Most Promising Actor for '' See How They Fall'' (1994), and Best Film and Best Editing for '' La Haine'' (1995). He also re ...

's '' Assassin(s)'' (1997) or

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson is an Icelandic actor, theatre and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films '' 101 Reykjavík'', '' The Sea'', '' A Little Trip to Heaven'', ''Contraband'', '' 2 Guns'', ''Eve ...

's ''The Sea'' (2002). She played

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

twice, in ''Fanfan la Tulipe'' (2003) alongside

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, a David di Donatello and three Goya Awards. Cru ...

and Robin Davis' ''

Jeanne Poisson Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

'' (2006). As of 2021, she has starred in more than 60 cinema,

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

productions and her book ''T'inquiète pas, maman, ça va aller'' (2021) about her daughter's

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

is published throughout the french-speaking world.

Early life

De Fougerolles was born on 25 February 1973 in

Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...

Morbihan The Morbihan ( , ; ) is a departments of France, department in the administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton ...

, France and spent years of her childhood in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

. The daughter of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

salesman Alain Rigoine de Fougerolles and

breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

publicist Anne Saumay de Laval. Her parents divorced when she was three. She was initially planning to become a beautician, but she began to study acting at age 15. She later attended acting classes in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and briefly attending the

Lee Strasberg Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by the actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Str ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

In 1999, de Fougerolles auditioned for

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

's '' The Beach'' to act alongside

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

but casting directors immediately told her that she was not mysterious enough as she arrived with blond hair in pigtails. She asked them if she could "be an extra or serve coffees there, three months in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, it sounds idyllic!". Although firstly reticent because the actress was already established in the industry, they finally accepted. As journalists were not allowed to come take pictures on set, the only picture the press could have of

Guillaume Canet Guillaume Canet (; born 10 April 1973) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, and Show jumping, show jumper. Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film. He starred in several films like ''Joyeux Noël'', ...

and

Virginie Ledoyen Virginie Fernández (born 15 November 1976), known by her stage name Virginie Ledoyen (), is a French actress. She has appeared in French, English and American films. Life and career Ledoyen was born in Paris and raised in Aubervilliers, the da ...

before shooting started, was their departure at Paris airport with de Fougerolles. They made it the cover of Studio Magazine from which the international press reported her as officially cast. This eventually lended her lines being edited out of the final cut but present in the DVD extras. She made her first ever theatrical stage appearance in ''

Occupe-toi d'Amélie! ''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'' is a three-act farce by Georges Feydeau. It was first produced at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, Paris on 15 March 1908, and ran for 288 performances. After the author's death it was neglected until the 1940s, after whic ...

'' alongside Bruno Putzulu at the

Théâtre de la Michodière The Théâtre de la Michodière () is a theatre building and performing arts venue, located at 4 bis, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Built by in 1925 in Art Deco style, it has a tradition of showing boulevard theatre. History On the ...

in Paris from September 2012 to May 2013.

Personal life

De Fougerolles was married to Éric Hubert in 1997 and they have a daughter, born in 2003. The couple later divorced in 2004. She is

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

Filmography

Theatre

*''Occupe-toi d'Amélie'' (2012) - ''

Awards and nominations

* 2001: Romy Schneider Award * 2002: Nominated –

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

for Most Promising Young Actress

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fougerolles, Helene de 1973 births Living people French film actresses French stage actresses French television actresses People from Vannes Actors from Brittany 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses