Agnès Jaoui (; born 19 October 1964) is a French actress, screenwriter, film director and singer.
Jaoui has won six César Awards, three Lumière Awards, and a Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She has received numerous other awards and nominations, including a nomination for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Life and career Jaoui was born in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, and is of Tunisian Jewish descent. She is the daughter of Hubert Jaoui and Gyza Jaoui, who are both writers. They moved to Paris when she was 8 years old. She started theatre when she was in high school at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. She entered the Cours Florent when she was 15. Patrice Chéreau, director of the Théâtre des Amandiers in Nanterre where she began attending drama classes in 1984, gave her a role in the film Hôtel de France in 1987. That same year, she appeared in Harold Pinter's L'anniversaire with Jean-Pierre Bacri, who later became a faithful colleague and companion.
Jaoui and Bacri wrote the play Cuisine et dépendances, which Philippe Muyl adapted for the screen in 1992. In 1993, director Alain Resnais asked them to make an adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's eight-part play Intimate Exchanges, which became the two-part film Smoking/No Smoking. This ironic diptych about free will and destiny won the César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation in 1994. In 1996, they gained greater success with Cédric Klapisch's adaptation of their play Family Resemblances (Un air de famille), which showed their ability to observe and depict everyday life, and to criticize the social norms through bitter and corrosive humor. Once again, they won the César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation in 1997, and the same year, they collaborated with Resnais again on Same Old Song (On connaît la chanson), which they wrote and performed. They won their third César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and Jaoui won her first César Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Jaoui directed her first feature film, The Taste of Others (Le Goût des autres, 2000, written with Bacri), which questions social-cultural identities. The film was a huge success in France and attracted 4 million spectators. It also won 4 César Awards in 2001 including Best Film and César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2004, Jaoui's second film as a director, Look at Me (Comme une image), co-written with Bacri, was selected for the Cannes Festival and won the prize for Best Screenplay. She starred in the last Richard Dembo's film, La maison de Nina (2005) and then focused on music and released her album of Latin songs, Canta (2006). She returned to cinema in 2008 with Let's Talk About the Rain (Parlez-moi de la pluie), with French humorist Jamel Debbouze in a different role from what he was used to.
In 2012, Jaoui directed Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte), also co-written with Bacri. It revisits several fairy tales, such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. It received acclaim from critics and audiences for originality and humor in the writing and dialogue.
Music Jaoui studied music in the conservatoire when she was 17, but did not start her career as a singer until 2006 when her first album Canta was released. It mixed several Latin music genres (such as flamenco, bolero, and bossa) and she sang exclusively in Spanish and Portuguese. In 2007, it won the Victoire de la Musique award for "best traditional music album".
Jaoui's second album, Dans Mon Pays, was released in 2009. It also featured Latin sonorities and songs sang in Spanish and Portuguese, except for two songs in French.
In November 2024, Jaoui directed a rare revival of Baldassare Galuppi's 1762 opera L'uomo femina at the Opéra de Dijon, which later transferred to the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles.Blanmont, Nicolas. Report from Dijon. Opera, March 2025, Vol.76 No.3 p.370-371.
Personal life
Jaoui is the daughter of Gyza Jaoui; a pioneering figure of transactional analysis, a form of psychotherapy initiated by Eric Berne. Jaoui has a brother, , who is also a screenwriter and a director.
Jaoui was in a relationship with Jean-Pierre Bacri from 1987 to 2012. After their breakup, the two stayed on good terms and continued to work together.
Jaoui adopted two children from Brazil in 2012.
Jaoui is a member of the 50/50 collective, which aims to promote gender equality and diversity in cinema.
Several members of Jaoui's family, on her father's side, were murdered and kidnapped in the Hamas October 7 attacks.
Filmography
As filmmaker YearEnglish TitleOriginal TitleNotes 2000 The Taste of OthersLe goût des autresCo-written with Jean-Pierre Bacri 2004 Look at MeComme une image 2008 Let It Rain / Let's Talk About the RainParlez-moi de la pluie 2013 Under the RainbowAu bout du conte 2018 Place publique2026CrescendoL'Objet du Délit
Only writer YearEnglish TitleOriginal TitleNotes 1993 Cuisine et DépendancesSmoking/No SmokingCo-written with Jean-Pierre Bacri1996Family ResemblancesUn air de familleCo-written with Cédric Klapisch and Jean-Pierre Bacri1997Same Old SongOn connaît la chansonCo-written with Jean-Pierre Bacri2014The Easy Way OutL'Art de la fugueCo-written with Brice Cauvin and Raphaëlle Desplechin
As actress Year English title Original title Role Notes 1983 Le Faucon Sandra 1987 Hôtel de France Madame Bouguereau L'Amoureuse Agathe 1990 Ivanov Babakina 1991 Canti 1993 Cuisine et Dépendances Charlotte 1996 Family Resemblances Un air de famille Betty Ménard 1997 Le Déménagement Claire Same Old Song On connaît la chanson Camille 1998 Le Cousin Claudine Delvaux 1999 On The Run Kristin 2000 Une femme d'extérieur Françoise The Taste of Others Le Goût des autres Mani 2003 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman 24 heures dans la vie d'une femme Marie Collins Brown 2004 The Role of Her Life Le Rôle de sa vie Elisabeth Baker Nina's House La Maison de Nina Nina Look at Me Comme une image Sylvia Millet 2008 Let It Rain Parlez-moi de la pluie Agathe Villanova 2012 The Dandelions Du vent dans mes mollets Colette Gladstein 2013 Under the Rainbow Au bout du conte Marianne 2014 The Easy Way Out L'Art de la fugue Ariel 2015 The Sweet Escape Comme un avion Laëtitia I'm All Yours Je suis à vous tout de suite Simone Belkacem 2017 Aurore Aurore 2018Place publiqueHelene 2018 Best Intentions Les Bonnes Intentions Isabelle 2021À l'ombre des fillesCatherineCompagnons Hélène 2024 Kaiser KarlGaby Aghion
Discography Year Title 2006 Canta 2009 Dans Mon Pays 2015 Nostalgias
Awards and nominations Year Award Nominated work Original title Result Notes 1994 César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation Smoking/No Smoking 1997 César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation Family Resemblances Un air de famille 1997 César Award for Best Supporting Actress 1997 Lumière Award for Best Screenplay 1997 César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation Same Old Song On connaît la chanson 1998 César Award for Best Supporting Actress 2000 Lumière Award for Best Film The Taste of Others Le Goût des autres 2000 Lumière Award for Best Director 2000 Lumière Award for Best Screenplay 2000 European Film Award for Best Film 2000 European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2000 Montreal World Film Festival - Grand Prix des Amériques 2001 César Award for Best Film 2001 César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation 2001 César Award for Best Supporting Actress 2001 César Award for Best Director 2001 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film 2001 BIFA for Best Foreign Independent Film 2001 Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film 2001 René Clair Award with Bacri 2004 Cannes Film Festival - Best Screenplay Look at Me Comme une image 2004 European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2004 European Film Award for Best Director 2004 London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year 2005 César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation 2005 Bodil Award for Best Non-American Film 2007 Victoires de la Musique — World music album of the year Canta 2016 César Award for Best Supporting Actress The Sweet Escape Comme un avion 2024Honorary CésarHerself
References
External links
Agnès Jaoui Biography Film Comment interviews Agnes Jaoui (Podcast)