Marie-Christine Barrault
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1944-03-21 (81 years old)
Place of Birth
Paris, France
Marie-Christine Barrault
Biography
Marie-Christine Barrault (born 21 March 1944) is a French actress. She is best known for her performance in Cousin Cousine (1975) for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2010, she released her autobiography, titled This Long Way To Get To You.
Marie-Christine Barrault was born in Paris, France, the daughter of Martha (née Valmier) and Max-Henri Barrault. Her parents later divorced. Barrault's father, who worked in the theatre, died while she was a teenager. With no support, her mother was unable to care for her and her brother, Alain. Barrault was raised by her grandmother, Felicite. She was mentored in acting by her aunt and uncle, French performers Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud. They initially did not support her dreams of becoming an actress. She performed in plays in secondary school and then enrolled in an acting conservatory.
Barrault got her start on television in L'oeuvre (1967). She made her feature film debut in Éric Rohmer's My Night at Maud's (1969). In 1970 Barrault was featured along with Pierre Richard in the comedy film Le Distrait. In 1975 Barrault starred in Cousin Cousine, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She worked with Rohmer once again in 1978, in the role of Guinevere in Perceval le Gallois and she also has a cameo in his Chloe in the Afternoon.
Barrault is not fluent in English and therefore has generally turned down offers to appear in English-language films. However, in 1980 she accepted an offer from Woody Allen to appear in his film Stardust Memories. In 1988 she was nominated for a Genie Award for her performance in No Blame. In 1991 she portrayed Marie Curie in a television mini-series. In her later career, she has preferred acting on the stage in France. In 2015, she came to Los Angeles on tour to perform in the play Les Yeux Ouverts, in which she portrays French author Marguerite Yourcenar.
Barrault's first husband was producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, whom she married in 1965. With him, she had two children, David and Ariane. Barrault was married to director Roger Vadim from 1990 until his death from cancer in 2000. She herself is a breast cancer survivor.
Source: Article "Marie-Christine Barrault" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
Acting
L'empreinte de l'ange
as La mère suprême
(2025)
The Ties That Bind Us
as La mère de Sandra et Marianne
(2025)
La maman du bourreau
as Gabrielle de Miremont
(2024)
Oldies But Goodies
as Mme. Courtillet
(2024)
(2023)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
as Komura's Mother (voice)
(2023)
Tout sauf l’ennui
as Marie-Christine Barrault
(2023)
Et doucement rallumer les étoiles
as Geneviève
(2020)
George et Sarah
as George Sand
(2019)
Zénon the Rebel
as Self - Narrator
(2018)
All About Mothers
as Jacqueline
(2018)
Deux gouttes d'eau
as Elisabeth Davout
(2017)
À la recherche de... Pierre Richard
as Self - Actress (archive footage)
(2017)
Les brumes du souvenir
as Alice Blondel
(2016)
Twisting Fate
as Jeanne
(2016)
(2015)
The Easy Way Out
as Nelly
(2014)
Toi que j'aimais tant
as Hélène Maupin
(2014)
Sleight of Hand
as Sophie Marescot
(2013)
The Big Bad Wolf
as La mère
(2013)
My Name Is Hmmm...
as La grand-mère
(2013)
Domestic Life
as Nicole
(2010)
Memories of a Disturbed Young Lady
as The Gynecologist
(2009)
Making Plans for Lena
as Annie
(2007)
Trivial
as Mélanie Bérangère
(2006)
Passés troubles
as Béatrice
(2005)
(2005)
(2004)
Parlez-moi d'amour
as Élisa
(2003)
Saint-Germain ou La négociation
as Chaterine de Médicis
(2000)
Azzurro
as Elizabeth Broyer
(1999)
La Dilettante
as Thérèse Rambert
(1997)
Love, Math and Sex
as La prof de maths
(1997)
Obsession
as Ella Beckmann
(1997)
Un coup de baguette magique
as Jeanne
(1997)
Le grand Batre
as Thérèse
(1996)
Tendre piège
as Françoise
(1996)
Mon père avait raison
as Germaine Bellanger
(1994)
Bonsoir
as Marie Wileska
(1993)
Crazy Love
as Louise
(1993)
Jenny Marx, la femme du diable
as Jenny Marx
(1993)
Next Time the Fire
as Elena
(1991)
(1991)
(1990)
Gallant Ladies
as Jacquette de Bourdeille
(1989)
The Silent Woman
as Marianne
(1989)
Stormy Summer
as Anne
(1988)
The Student
as Self (uncredited)
(1988)
Women in Prison
as La surveillante chef
(1988)
The Abyss
as Hilzonde
(1988)
Sanguines
as Nedie
(1988)
(1988)
Daniya, the emir's garden
as Almodís
(1988)
The Lizard King
as Beatrice Aumond
(1988)
Adieu, je t'aime
as Nicole Dupré
(1987)
Manuela's Loves
as Manuela
(1986)
The Satin Slipper
as La lune
(1986)
Vaudeville
as Madeleine
(1986)
L'été 36
as Lise
(1985)
A Better Life
as Véronique's mother
(1985)
Pianoforte
as La mère de Maria
(1985)
Pianoforte
as Andrea
(1985)
Power Of Evil
as Sylvie
(1985)
Louise... l'insoumise
as Mme Royer
(1984)
Swann in Love
as Madame Verdurin
(1983)
Table for Five
as Marie
(1983)
A Love in Germany
as Maria Wyler
(1983)
Après tout ce qu'on a fait pour toi
as Jeanne
(1983)
Les mots pour le dire
as Eliane Saint-Jean
(1983)
Mir reicht's - ich steig aus
as Jane
(1981)
L'amour trop fort
as Rose-Marie de Boisel
(1980)
Stardust Memories
as Isobel
(1980)
(1980)
My Dearest
as Jeanne Rivière
(1979)
Woman Between Wolf and Dog
as Lieve
(1979)
(1978)
The Medusa Touch
as Patricia
(1978)
Perceval
as La Reine Guenevievre
(1978)
The Savage State
as Laurence Laurençon
(1978)
Histoire vraie
as Rose
(1977)
Le Chandelier
as Jacqueline
(1975)
Cousin, Cousine
as Marthe
(1975)
John Glückstadt
as Hanna Hansen
(1974)
Le tour d'écrou
as Miss Jessel
(1972)
Love in the Afternoon
as Dream Sequence
(1972)
Menace
as Francoise
(1972)
Figaro-ci, Figaro-là
as Julie
(1972)
Le sagouin
as Léone
(1972)
An Ideal Husband
as Lady Chiltern
(1971)
Les Cent livres : A la recherche du temps perdu
as The mother
(1971)
Le Misanthrope
as Célimène
(1970)
Distracted
as Lisa Gastier
(1970)
Lancelot of the Lake
as Reine Guinevere
(1970)
« Allô police » Retour à l'envoyeur
as La sœur
(1969)
My Night at Maud's
as Françoise