Ludivine Sagnier

Ludivine Sagnier (born 3 July 1979) is a French actress, known to international audiences for the films Swimming Pool and Peter Pan (both 2003), and the Netflix series Lupin (2021–present). She has also appeared in the English-language series The Young Pope and The Serpent Queen (2022–2024).

Sagnier has been nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress three times, for her performances in 8 Women (2002), Swimming Pool (2003), and A Secret (2007).

Early life Sagnier was born on 3 July 1979 Her mother is a retired secretary and her father is a professor of English at the University of Paris. She has one sister, Delphine. Following this surgery, she also fell ill with meningitis, from which she recovered. she would later express disappointment that this led directors in the United States to attempt to typecast her in sexually explicit roles. She subsequently appeared in French films including Love Songs (2007), A Secret (2007), which garnered her another César nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and Mesrine (2008). 2011 saw her return to international work with a role in the biographical drama The Devil's Double. In 2016, she appeared alongside Jude Law in the Paolo Sorrentino-directed miniseries The Young Pope, later reprising her role in the follow-up series The New Pope (2020).

2021–present Since 2021 Sagnier has starred in the Netflix-produced crime thriller series Lupin as Claire Laurent, the estranged wife of protagonist Assane Diop (Omar Sy) and the mother to their son Raoul, whom she is raising alone. Loosely based on the Arsène Lupin stories written by Maurice Leblanc, the show became an international hit, and has been regarded as one of Netflix' most successful series in a language other than English. Sagnier's performance as Claire has received praise from critics, with Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times writing that "like Sy, [she] brings a lot of soul to her part ... and the two actors have great chemistry."

Following the success of Lupin, Sagnier was cast in several English-language historical dramas. In the STARZ series The Serpent Queen (2022–2024), about the life and rise to power of Catherine de' Medici, she portrayed Catherine's rival Diane de Poitiers. Sagnier said that she was drawn to the role of Diane because she was interested in playing an antagonist, something she had seldom done in her career prior to then. She also made an appearance as Thérésa Tallien in Ridley Scott's biopic Napoleon (2023), though her performance was cut from the theatrical version of the film, and played composer Anne Louise Brillon de Jouy in the Apple TV+ miniseries Franklin (2024), about Benjamin Franklin's expedition to France during the time of the American Revolutionary War.

In 2024, Sagnier featured in the film adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu's novel And Their Children After Them, and reunited with François Ozon after a two-decade hiatus in their creative relationship for When Fall Is Coming. That same year she was nominated for a Molière Award for her performance in Le Consentement, a one-woman play based on the memoir of the same name by Vanessa Springora.

Personal life Sagnier gave birth to a daughter in 2005, with her then boyfriend, actor Nicolas Duvauchelle. She is in a relationship with her partner, director Kim Chapiron, with whom she has two daughters.

In a 2019 podcast interview with journalist Frédéric Taddeï, Sagnier stated that the politician she admired most was left-wing former Minister of Justice of France Christiane Taubira. In 2024, she was one of 230 artists who signed a petition calling on president Emmanuel Macron to officially recognize the state of Palestine.

Since 2020, Sagnier has developed and taught an acting course at the École Kourtrajmé. The school, founded in 2018 by director Ladj Ly in his native Montfermeil, provides training to students from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds who are interested in pursuing careers in the dramatic arts and the film industry.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre Year Title Role Author Director Notes 2022; 2024 Le Consentement multiple Vanessa Springora Sébastien Davis

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result 1999 Acteurs à l'Écran awards Best actress Acide animé 2002 Berlin International Film Festival Outstanding artistic achievement (shared with ensemble cast) 8 Women European Film Awards Best Actress (shared with ensemble cast) Trophée Chopard 2003 Prix Romy Schneider César Awards Most Promising Actress 8 Women Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Swimming Pool Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress European Film Awards Best Actress Hugo Awards Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress Little Lili 2004 César Awards Best Supporting Actress Swimming Pool Chlotrudis Awards Best Supporting Actress Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male or Female Actor in an Effects Film Peter Pan 2008 Globes de Cristal Awards Best Actress Love Songs César Awards Best Supporting Actress A Secret Lumière Awards Best Actress A Girl Cut in Two 2022 Kinéo Awards Best Actress Lupin 2024 Molière Awards Best solo show Le Consentement