Valérie Lemercier

Valérie Lemercier — Biography

Raised in Gonzeville as the daughter of farmers, Valérie Lemercier (born 9 March 1964, Dieppe) trained in dance, music and drama at the Rouen Conservatoire, making her screen debut in a 1988 television series. She became widely known for her 1993 performance in Les Visiteurs, and went on to work with directors including Jean-Marie Poiré, Alain Chabat, Claire Denis, Danièle Thompson, Laurent Tirard, Valérie Donzelli and Woody Allen, as well as appearing in popular comedies such as the Astérix et Obélix films, the Little Nicholas series, Neuilly sa mère! and Agathe Cléry. Among the six films she has written and directed are Quadrille (1997), Le Derrière (1999), Palais Royal! (2005), 100% Cachemire (2013), Marie-Francine (2017) and Aline (2021), a fictionalized story inspired by Céline Dion's life, which won her the 2022 César for Best Actress. Over her career she has won three César Awards (Best Supporting Actress in 1994 and 2007, Best Actress in 2022) and three Molière Awards for her solo stage shows, appearing at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 1989, the Théâtre de Paris in 1995-96 and the Folies Bergère in 2000. She released her first album in 1996, recorded duets with The Divine Comedy and Christophe Willem among others, and narrated Peter and the Wolf in 2007. She is married to musician Bertrand Burgalat.