Hélène de Fougerolles

Hélène Christine Marie Rigoine de Fougerolles (; born 25 February 1973) is a French actress who was twice nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress (known as the French Oscar) for Arthur Joffé's Let There Be Light and Jacques Rivette's Va savoir (2001) for which she was also awarded the Prix Romy Schneider. de Fougerolles spent the first phase of her career in auteur cinema appearing in such films as Jean-Pierre Mocky's Le Mari de Léon (1992), Patrice Chéreau's La Reine Margot (1994), Cédric Klapisch's Le Péril jeune (1994), Philippe Harel's The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be Kissed alongside Marion Cotillard, Mathieu Kassovitz's Assassin(s) (1997) or Baltasar Kormákur's The Sea (2002). She played Madame de Pompadour twice, in Fanfan la Tulipe (2003) alongside Penélope Cruz and Robin Davis' Jeanne Poisson (2006). As of 2021, she has starred in more than 60 cinema, television and stage productions and her book T'inquiète pas, maman, ça va aller (2021) about her daughter's autism is published throughout the French-speaking world.

Early life

De Fougerolles was born on 25 February 1973 in Vannes, Morbihan, France and spent years of her childhood in Guadeloupe. The daughter of wine salesman Alain Rigoine de Fougerolles and breton sailing publicist Anne Saumay de Laval. Her parents divorced when she was three. She was initially planning to become a beautician, but she began to study acting at age 15. She later attended acting classes in Paris and briefly attending the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City.

Career

In 1999, de Fougerolles auditioned for Danny Boyle's The Beach to act alongside Leonardo DiCaprio but casting directors immediately told her that she was not mysterious enough as she arrived with blond hair in pigtails. She asked them if she could "be an extra or serve coffees there, three months in Thailand, it sounds idyllic!". Although firstly reticent because the actress was already established in the industry, they finally accepted. As journalists were not allowed to come take pictures on set, the only picture the press could have of Guillaume Canet and Virginie Ledoyen before shooting started, was their departure at Paris airport with de Fougerolles. They made it the cover of Studio Magazine from which the international press reported her as officially cast. This eventually led to her lines being edited out of the final cut but present in the DVD extras.

She made her first ever theatrical stage appearance in Occupe-toi d'Amélie! alongside Bruno Putzulu at the Théâtre de la Michodière in Paris from September 2012 to May 2013.

Personal life De Fougerolles was married to Éric Hubert in 1997 and they have a daughter, born in 2003. The couple later divorced in 2004. She is vegan.

Filmography

Year Title Role Director Notes 1993 Geneviève Jean-Pierre Mocky 1994 Jeanne la Pucelle II - Les prisons Jeanne de Bar Jacques Rivette La Cité de la peur Sandy Brookshield Alain Berbérian L'Histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse Kissing girl on the bridge Philippe Harel La Reine Margot A courtesan Patrice Chéreau Le Péril jeune Christine Cédric Klapisch 1992–1995 Anne-Marie Television series (37 episodes) 1995 Été brulant Natacha Jérôme Foulon Television film 1996 When the Cat's Away A model Cédric Klapisch (2) Véronique Charlotte Brändström Television film Long cours Charlotte Alain Tasma Television film 1995–1997 Marie Moretti Television series (2 episodes) 1997 Karine Michel Deville Assassin(s) Hélène Mathieu Kassovitz La Leçon de Monsieur Paillasson Michel Fessler Short film 1998 Que la lumière soit Jeanne Arthur Joffé Nominated — César Award for Most Promising Actress 1999 The Fall Márta Kiss Andrew Piddington De source sûre Muriel Laurent Tirard Short film Un café... l'addition Julie Short film 2000 The Beach Beach Community Member Danny Boyle Manon Alexandre Jardin 2001 Mortel Transfert Olga Kubler Jean-Jacques Beineix Va savoir Dominique 'Do' Jacques Rivette (2) Nominated — César Award for Most Promising Actress 2002 The Race Léonore de Segonzac Djamel Bensalah The Sea Françoise Baltasar Kormákur 2003 Fanfan la Tulipe Madame de Pompadour Gérard Krawczyk Vertiges Lisa Weber Laurent Carcélès Television series (1 episode) Lapin intégral The girl Cécilia Rouaud Short film 2004 Ne quittez pas ! Air Hostess Arthur Joffé (2) Innocence Mademoiselle Edith Lucile Hadžihalilović Alice Stéphane Clavier Television film Lola Julie Lipinski Agnès Leroux Bob Decout 2005 Einstein's Big Idea (E=mc2 - Une biographie de l'équation) Émilie du Châtelet Gary Johnstone Television film 2006 Marion Raffy Shart Sable noir Juliette Olivier Megaton Television series (1 episode) Les Aristos Marie-Stéphanie Montcougnet Charlotte de Turckheim Madame de Pompadour Robin Davis Television film Alice David Delrieux Television film Pardonnez-moi Billy Maïwenn 2007 Paula Éric Le Roch 2008 Laura Christian Faure Television film Jeanne Vincenzo Marano Jessica Conti 2009 Mutants Sonia David Morley Clémence Jean-François Davy Mathilda Stembert André Chandelle Television film Sommeil blanc Camille Jean-Paul Guyon 2011 Léa Hélène de Fougerolles Short film Alice Vincent Giovanni Television film 2013 Le collier du Makoko Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi 2015 Alexandre Laurent TV miniseries Claire Brattner Television series (1 episode) 2016 Arrête ton cinéma Marion Diane Kurys Gaëlle Régis Musset Television film Katel Leguennec Laurence Katrian Television film 2017 Séverine Delamarche Christophe Douchand Television film 2017 Fanny Christophe Campos Television film 2018 Balthazar Hélène Bach Television series

Theatre

Occupe-toi d'Amélie (2012) - Théâtre de la Michodière

Awards and nominations 2001: Romy Schneider Award 2002: Nominated – César Award for Most Promising Young Actress