Ingrid Bisu ( ro, Bișu; born 15 September 1987) is a Romanian actress, producer, and screenwriter, known for her appearance in the dramedy ''

Toni Erdmann Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name. In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni. In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegia ...

'' (2016), which was nominated at The

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

and also for Best Foreign Film at the

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 2017. She is also known for co-writing the horror film ''

Malignant Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse. Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous ''benign'' tumor in that a malignancy is not s ...

'' (2021).

Early life and family

Bisu was born on 15 September 1987 in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

to Romanian-German parents. She grew up in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

community in Romania, attending the German

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

, high school, and college in

. In 2003 at the age of 16, Bisu had her first photoshoot in the teenage magazine "Cool Girl" and then landed her first commercial for

Orange S.A. Orange S.A. (), formerly France Télécom S.A. (stylized as france telecom) is a French multinational telecommunications corporation. It has 266 million customers worldwide and employs 89,000 people in France, and 59,000 elsewhere. In 2015, ...

Mobile, which was broadcast in Israel and Romania.

Career

Early career

Bisu made her debut in a Romanian TV series ''Casatorie de Proba'' (''Marriage of Probation'') Following this, she was featured in a number of Romanian magazines and television interviews. Bisu had a role in the movie ''

BloodRayne ''BloodRayne'' is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series originally developed by Terminal Reality and published by Majesco Entertainment which began with the game of the same name in 2002. The franchise f ...

'' where she acted alongside

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two ...

, and had other smaller roles in sitcoms such as ''La Bloc''(In The Building) and ''Arestat la domiciliu'' (House Arrested) with

Pro TV PRO TV (, often stylized as PRO•TV as of 2017) is a Romanian free-to-air television network, launched on 1 December 1995 as the fourth private TV channel in the country (after TV SOTI, Antena 1, and the now-defunct Tele7ABC). It is owned by CME ...

. In 2006, Bisu played the lead role of Alice in the drama television movie ''O Lume A Durerii'' (A World of Pain), which showed the struggles of teenage women in Romania at the time. Her performance gained the attention of director

Cristian Mungiu Cristian Mungiu (; born 27 April 1968) is a Romanian filmmaker. He won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for his film '' 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days'', which he wrote and directed. He has also won the awards for Best Screenplay and ...

, winner of the

Palme d’Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

in 2007 for his movie ''

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days ''4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days'' ( ro, 4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile) is a 2007 Romanian art film written and directed by Cristian Mungiu and starring Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, and Vlad Ivanov. The film is set in Socialist Republic o ...

''. He cast Bisu as Viviana for his series ''

Tales from the Golden Age ''Tales from the Golden Age'' ( ro, Amintiri din epoca de aur) is a 2009 Romanian omnibus film. It was screened as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The film is composed of six whimsical yet blackly comic ...

''. The series was nominated six times at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2007, Bisu enrolled in the Hyperion Academy of Dramatic Arts in

. During this time she appeared as Naomi in the drama series ''17, Poveste despre destin'' (2008) on

Prima TV Prima TV () is a Romanian commercial TV channel, famous mainly for the '' Cronica Cârcotaşilor'' show and various reality shows aired on this channel. Overview Prima TV was launched as one of the first commercial television stations in Roman ...

, and as Bianca in the comedy series '' Nimeni nu-i perfect'' (Nobody's Perfect),

Further success

After roles in the horror film '' Slaughter'' and the Christmas comedy ''

Ho Ho Ho Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

'', Bisu played the part of Mona/Amie 2 in the movie ''

What War May Bring ''What Love May Bring'' (french: Ces amours-là) is a 2010 French film directed by Claude Lelouch. It is also known as ''What Love May Bring''. Plot Ilva is a woman who falls in love too easily. Unaware and unconcerned about how her passion may ...

'', directed by

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, screenwriter, writer, cinematographer, actor and film producer, producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1 ...

. She then appeared in the film ''

Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man ''Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man'' ( ro, Portretul luptătorului la tinerețe) is a 2010 Romanian drama film directed by Constantin Popescu Jr. It was released at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Plot The film is the first par ...

'', directed by Constantin Popescu, where she played the real-life figure Matilda Jubleanu. In 2011, Bisu worked with

in '' Outbound''. The film earned 19 awards and nine nominations at international film festivals, including the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

Viennale The Vienna International Film Festival, or Viennale, is a film festival taking place every October since 1960 in Vienna, Austria. The average number of visitors is about 75,000. Traditional cinema venues are ''Gartenbaukino'', ''Urania'', ''Metro ...

. The same year, she became one of the youngest television presenters, for her work as host and producer on the national morning show on

Kanal D Kanal D, also known as Channel D, is a nationwide television channel in Turkey and part of Demirören Group. It was founded by Ayhan Şahenk and Aydın Doğan in 1993. The network also runs an international channel, Euro D which is available o ...

Romania. ''Cafeaua de dimineata'' (Morning Coffee), was a two-hour live morning news program. During every show, she would teach people how to do something themselves or show activities they could try. In 2012, Bisu was featured in Romanian films such as '' Sunt o babă comunistă'', directed by

Stere Gulea Stere Gulea (born 2 August 1943) is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Mihail Kogălniceanu commune, Constanța County, in an Aromanian family that had fled from the Kaliakra region of Southern Dobruja during the 1940 popu ...

, and ''Roxanne'', directed by Vali Hotea. both films with multiple nominations. She played a supporting role as Minerva in the American horror movie '' Dracula: The Dark Prince'' in 2013 starring

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. He came to prominence in the late 1960s with his Academy Award–nominated performance as Joe Buck, a would-be gigolo, in ''Midnight Cowboy'' (1969). During the 1970s, he ...

. The same year, she was featured in the science fiction film ''

The Zero Theorem ''The Zero Theorem'' is a 2013 science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Mélanie Thierry and Lucas Hedges. Written by Pat Rushin, the story is about Qohen Leth (Waltz), a reclusive computer genius ...

'', directed by

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including ''Time Bandits'' (1981), ''B ...

, with

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

and

Christoph Waltz Christoph Waltz (; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian-German actor. Since 2009 he has been primarily active in the United States. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and two Sc ...

. In 2014, she played Brittany White, the host of a five-hour live comedy web series, being broadcast in the United States, called ''The Super Yolo Sho''.

International crossover

In 2016, Bisu appeared in ''

'' as Anca, the assistant of the lead character played by

Sandra Hüller Sandra Hüller (; born 30 April 1978) is a German actress. She gained critical praise for her portrait of Anneliese Michel in Hans-Christian Schmid's drama ''Requiem'' (2006), and is best known internationally for her starring role in Maren Ade' ...

. Directed by

Maren Ade Maren Ade (; born 12 December 1976) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer. Ade lives in Berlin, teaching screenwriting at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg. Together with Janine Jackowski and Jonas Dornbach, she r ...

, the film received over 56 nominations and 33 award wins, including Best Film and Best Screenplay, with Maren Ade named Best Director and actors Sandra Hüller and

Peter Simonischek Peter Simonischek (born 6 August 1946) is an Austrian people, Austrian actor. He is a celebrated stage performer and has been a regular ensemble member of the Burgtheater since 1999. He often appears at the Salzburg Festival and has played the ti ...

Best Actress and Best Actor at the 2016

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

. It was also nominated for the

at the

where it won the

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

award. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the

2017 Golden Globes The 74th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2016, was broadcast live on January 8, 2017 from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST by NBC. T ...

and the 2016 Academy Awards. Bisu's performance was singled out for praise by

A.O. Scott Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis. Early life Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...

in his review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Bisu then co-starred in the horror film '' The Nun'', a spinoff of ''

The Conjuring 2 ''The Conjuring 2'' (known in the United Kingdom as ''The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case'') is a 2016 American supernatural horror film, directed by James Wan. The screenplay is by Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes, Wan, and David Leslie Johnson. It i ...

'', playing Sister Oana: she met future husband James Wan on set. The film was released in September 2018. In 2021 she co-wrote, executive produced and had a supporting role in ''

,'' her first joint creative and behind the scenes project with husband James Wan.

Filmography

Film

Television

Personal life

On June 22, 2019, Bisu became engaged to Australian director

James Wan James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...

. They married in November 2019.James Wan Officially Marries Actress Ingrid Bisu
''NextShark.'' November 4, 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisu, Ingrid 1987 births Living people Actresses from Bucharest Romanian people of German descent Romanian emigrants to the United States