Noémie Merlant (; born 27 November 1988) is a French actress and filmmaker. She has been nominated for her performances three times at the

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 ...

, including a nomination for her breakout role in ''

Portrait of a Lady on Fire ''Portrait of a Lady on Fire'' () is a 2019 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. Set in France in the late 18th century, the film tells the story of a brief ...

'' (2019) and a win for '' The Innocent'' (2022).

Career

Merlant was born on 27 November 1988 in Paris. Both of her parents are real estate agents. She was raised in

Rezé Rezé (; , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Rezae'') is a Communes of France, commune (municipality) and former bishopric in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in the Pays de la Loire region of western France. It is a southern suburb ...

near

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

. Merlant began her career as a professional model before attending the

Cours Florent The Cours Florent is a private drama school in Paris, France, established in 1967 by French theater actor François Florent. The school's facilities are located on three sites in the 19th arrondissement of Paris: Rue Archereau, Rue Mathis, and ...

acting school in Paris. She had her first breakthrough in the 2016 film '' Heaven Will Wait'' for which she was 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 ...

. In 2019, Merlant starred in ''

''. She won the

Lumière Award for Best Actress The Lumière Award for Best Actress () is an annual award presented by the Académie des Lumières since 1996. Winners and nominees Winners are listed first with a blue background, followed by the other nominees. 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s ...

for her performance and was nominated for the

César Award for Best 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 * Cesa ...

alongside her co-star

Adèle Haenel Adèle Haenel (; born 11 February 1989) is a French actress and far-left political activist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two César Awards from seven nominations and one Lumière Award from two nominations. Haenel bega ...

. In 2020, Merlant starred in Zoé Wittock's ''

Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...

'', a film about a woman who falls in love with an amusement park ride. She also starred in Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar's '' A Good Man''. In 2022, Merlant portrayed Francesca Lentini, a musician and personal assistant to the celebrated composer/conductor Lydia Tár (

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

), in the movie ''

Tár ''Tár'' is a 2022 psychological drama film written and directed by Todd Field. Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár, a world-renowned conductor, whose life unravels after she is accused of misconduct. The supporting cast includes Nina Hoss, No� ...

'', directed by

Todd Field William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing '' In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and '' Tár'' (2022), which were nominated for a combined fourteen Academy Award ...

. In 2023, it was announced that Merlant would play the titular character

Emmanuelle Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French erotic films based on the protagonist in the novel of the same name, by Emmanuelle Arsan, written in 1959 and published in 1967. Emmanuelle originated as the pen name ''Emmanuelle Arsan' ...

in a reboot of the iconic franchise directed by

Audrey Diwan Audrey Diwan (; born 1980) is a French film director of Lebanese origin. Prior to becoming a film director, she worked as a journalist and a screenwriter. In 2021, her film ''Happening'' won the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice International Fi ...

. In June 2023, Merlant was invited to become a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

. In April 2025, she joined the cast of Bertrand Mandico's upcoming film '' Roma elastica''.

Directing

Merlant has directed two short films, the 2017 film ''Je suis #unebiche'' and the 2019 film ''Shakira.'' In 2021, she made her feature directorial debut with '' Mi Iubita Mon Amour'', which premiered at the

2021 Cannes Film Festival The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021, after having been originally scheduled from 11 to 22 May 2021. American filmmaker Spike Lee was invited to be the president of the jury for the main competition for the fes ...

. Her sophomore directorial effort, '' The Balconettes'', premiered at the

2024 Cannes Film Festival The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the ...

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Television

Theatre

Discography

Singles

* "Fate" (2016)

References

External links

*
Interview with Noémie Merlant
on

Eurochannel Eurochannel is a world television channel focused on European culture and lifestyle through movies, series and other programs dedicated to European culture. Eurochannel broadcasts in original audio with subtitles in English, French, German, Ital ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merlant, Noemie 1988 births Living people French film actresses French television actresses French stage actresses 21st-century French actresses Cours Florent alumni Actresses from Paris Best Actress Lumières Award winners Best Supporting Actress César Award winners