Agnès Jaoui (; born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer.
Jaoui has won six
César Awards
The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...
,
three
Lumière Awards
The Lumière Awards (), officially the Lumières de la presse internationale, are French film awards presented by the to honor the best in the French-speaking cinema of the previous year. The awards ceremony is organized by the Académie des ...
,
and a
Best Screenplay Award at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
.
She has received numerous other awards and nominations, including a nomination for
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 ...
.
Life and career
Jaoui was born in
Antony, Hauts-de-Seine
Antony () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Antony is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and the seat of the arrondissement o ...
, and is of
Tunisian Jewish descent.
She is the daughter of Hubert Jaoui and Gyza Jaoui, who are both writers.
They moved to
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 ...
when she was 8 years old. She started theatre when she was in high school at the
Lycée Henri-IV
The Lycée Henri-IV () is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and demanding sixth-form colleges ('' lycées'') in France.
The school educates more ...
in Paris.
She entered the
Cours Florent when she was 15.
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 ...
, director of the
Théâtre des Amandiers in
Nanterre
Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807.
The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...
where she began attending drama classes in 1984, gave her a role in the film ''
Hôtel de France'' in 1987. That same year, she appeared in
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
's ''
L'anniversaire'' with
Jean-Pierre Bacri
Jean-Pierre Bacri (24 May 1951 – 18 January 2021) was a French actor and screenwriter.
He frequently worked in collaboration with Agnès Jaoui.
Life and career
One of Bacri's earliest film appearances was '' Subway''. He co-wrote with Jaou ...
, who later became a faithful colleague and companion.
Jaoui and Bacri wrote the play ''Cuisine et dépendances'', which Philippe Muyl adapted for the screen in 1992. In 1993, director
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct short films including '' Night and Fog ...
asked them to make an adaptation of
Alan Ayckbourn's eight-part play ''
Intimate Exchanges'', which became the two-part film ''
Smoking/No Smoking''. This ironic
diptych
A diptych (, ) is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by a hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world was a diptych consisting of a pair of such plates that contained a ...
about
free will
Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...
and
destiny
Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
won the
César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation in 1994. In 1996, they gained greater success with
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 adaptation of their play ''
Family Resemblances'' (''Un air de famille''), which showed their ability to observe and depict everyday life, and to criticize the social norms through bitter and corrosive humor. Once again, they won the César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation in 1997, and the same year, they collaborated with Resnais again on ''
Same Old Song'' (''On connaît la chanson''), which they wrote and performed. They won their third César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and Jaoui won her first
César Award for Best Supporting Actress
The César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (French: ''César de la meilleure actrice dans un second rôle'') is one of the César Awards, presented annually by the ''Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma'' to recognize the outst ...
.
Jaoui directed her first feature film, ''
The Taste of Others'' (''Le Goût des autres'', 2000, written with Bacri), which questions social-cultural identities. The film was a huge success in France and attracted 4 million spectators. It also won 4 César Awards in 2001 including
Best Film and César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and was nominated for 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 ...
. In 2004, Jaoui's second film as a director, ''
Look at Me'' (''Comme une image''), co-written with Bacri, was selected for the
Cannes Festival and won the prize for
Best Screenplay. She starred in the last
Richard Dembo's film, ''
La maison de Nina'' (2005) and then focused on music and released her album of Latin songs, ''
Canta
Canta is a town in the Lima Region, in western Peru. The town is located on the Chillón River and is the capital of the Canta Province. With a population of 2,385 ( 2017 census), it is also the capital of Canta District. It is frequently visit ...
'' (2006). She returned to cinema in 2008 with ''
Let's Talk About the Rain'' (''Parlez-moi de la pluie''), with French humorist
Jamel Debbouze
Jamel Debbouze (; ; born 18 June 1975) is a Moroccan-French actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer and director. Best known for his stand-up comedy sketches, he also worked with director Alain Chabat in several films and other notable Fren ...
in a different role from what he was used to.
In 2012, Jaoui directed ''
Under the Rainbow'' (''Au bout du conte''), also co-written with Bacri. It revisits several
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s, such as
Cinderella
"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
,
Snow White
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
, and
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...
. It received acclaim from critics and audiences for originality and humor in the writing and dialogue.
Music
Jaoui studied music in the
conservatoire
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...
when she was 17, but did not start her career as a singer until 2006 when her first album ''Canta'' was released. It mixed several
Latin music
Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
genres (such as
flamenco
Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
,
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
, and
bossa) and she sang exclusively in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
and
Portuguese.
In 2007, it won the
Victoire de la Musique award for "best traditional music album".
Jaoui's second album, ''
Dans Mon Pays'', was released in 2009. It also featured Latin
sonorities and songs sang in Spanish and Portuguese, except for two songs in French.
In November 2024, Jaoui directed a rare revival of
Baldassare Galuppi
Baldassare Galuppi (18 October 17063 January 1785) was a Venetian composer, born on the island of Burano in the Venetian Republic. He belonged to a generation of composers, including Johann Adolph Hasse, Giovanni Battista Sammartini, and C.&nbs ...
's 1762 opera ''L'uomo femina'' at the
Opéra de Dijon
The Opéra de Dijon is an opera company and arts organization in Dijon, France. It administers both the Grand Théâtre de Dijon and the Auditorium de Dijon which are its main performance venues. In addition to operas, the organization also stages ...
, which later transferred to the
Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles.
Personal life

Jaoui is the daughter of
Gyza Jaoui; a pioneering figure of
transactional analysis
Transactional analysis is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social interactions (or "transactions") are analyzed to determine the id, ego, and superego, ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult- ...
, a form of
psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
initiated by
Eric Berne
Eric Berne (May 10, 1910 – July 15, 1970) was a Canadian-born psychiatrist who created the theory of transactional analysis as a way of explaining human behavior.
Berne's theory of transactional analysis was based on the ideas of Freud an ...
. Jaoui has a brother, , who is also a screenwriter and a director.
Jaoui was in a relationship with
Jean-Pierre Bacri
Jean-Pierre Bacri (24 May 1951 – 18 January 2021) was a French actor and screenwriter.
He frequently worked in collaboration with Agnès Jaoui.
Life and career
One of Bacri's earliest film appearances was '' Subway''. He co-wrote with Jaou ...
from 1987 to 2012.
After their breakup, the two stayed on good terms and continued to work together.
Jaoui adopted two children from
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
in 2012.
Jaoui is a member of the 50/50 collective, which aims to promote gender equality and diversity in cinema.
Filmography
As actress
As filmmaker
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
Agnès Jaoui Biography(Podcast)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaoui, Agnes
1964 births
Living people
20th-century French actresses
21st-century French actresses
Cours Florent alumni
Best Supporting Actress César Award winners
Best Director Lumières Award winners
European Film Award for Best Screenwriter winners
French women singers
French film actresses
French people of Tunisian-Jewish descent
20th-century French screenwriters
French stage actresses
French women film directors
French women screenwriters
Jewish French actresses
20th-century French women writers
21st-century French screenwriters
21st-century French women writers
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay winners
César Honorary Award recipients