BONNAIRE, SANDRINE

(1967- )

Actress. Sandrine Bonnaire first appeared in minor roles inClaude Zidi'sLes Sous-doués en vacances(1982) andClaude Pinoteau'La Boum 2(1982). She rose to acclaim with her leading performance at age sixteen in Maurice Pialat'sA Nos amours(1983), for which she won aCésarfor Most Promising Actress in 1984. In 1986, she won the César for Best Actress for her performance inAgnès Varda'sSans toit ni loi(1985). She played key roles in Pialat'sSous le soleil de Satan(1987),Claude Sautet'sQuelque jours avec moi(1988),Patrice Leconte'sMonsieur Hire(1989), and Raymond Depardon'sLa Captive du désert(1989).She played Joan of Arc inJacques Rivette'sJeanne la Pucelle:les prisons(1994) andJeanne la Pucelle:la bataille(1994), and later acted in Rivette'sSecret Défense(1998). In Venice, Bonnaire won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress inClaude Chabrol'sLa cérémonie(1995). She later played leading roles in Yves Angelo'sVoleur de vie(1998), Chabrol'sAu coeur du mensonge(1999),Régis Wargnier'sEst-Ouest(1999), Philippe Lioret'sMademoiselle(2001), Leconte'sConfidences trop intimes(2003) andL'Equipier(2004), Jean-Pierre Améris'sC'est la vie(2001) andMaman est folle(2005), and Safy Nebbou'sLe Cou de la giraffe(2004). As her performances in Varda'sSans toit ni loi(1985) and Rivette'sJeanne la Pucelle(1994) attest, Bonnaire is an actress known for her ability to play strongwomenwho challenge the rules of society, and for that reason, she is a favorite of severalauteurs.