# Hélène de Fougerolles

Hélène Christine Marie Rigoine de Fougerolles (French pronunciation:; 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 (1998) 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 lended 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 | Le Mari de Léon [fr] | Geneviève | Jean-Pierre Mocky | |
| 1994 | Jeanne la Pucelle II - Les prisons | Jeanne de Bar | Jacques Rivette | |
| 1994 | La Cité de la peur | Sandy Brookshield | Alain Berbérian | |
| 1994 | L'Histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse | Kissing girl on the bridge | Philippe Harel | |
| 1994 | La Reine Margot | A courtesan | Patrice Chéreau | |
| 1994 | Le Péril jeune | Christine | Cédric Klapisch | |
| 1992–1995 | Le Collège des cœurs brisés [fr] | Anne-Marie | Olivier AltmanGérard Espinasse | Television series (37 episodes) |
| 1995 | Été brulant | Natacha | Jérôme Foulon | Television film |
| 1996 | When the Cat's Away | A model | Cédric Klapisch (2) | |
| 1996 | Le Cheval de cœur [fr] | Véronique | Charlotte Brändström | Television film |
| 1996 | Long cours | Charlotte | Alain Tasma | Television film |
| 1995–1997 | Avocat d'office [fr] | Marie Moretti | Gabriel AghionBernard Stora | Television series (2 episodes) |
| 1997 | La Divine Poursuite [fr] | Karine | Michel Deville | |
| 1997 | Assassin(s) | Hélène | Mathieu Kassovitz | |
| 1997 | 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 | |
| 1999 | De source sûre | Muriel | Laurent Tirard | Short film |
| 1999 | Un café... l'addition | Julie | Félicie DutertreFrançois Rabes | Short film |
| 2000 | The Beach | Beach Community Member | Danny Boyle | |
| 2000 | Le Prof [fr] | Manon | Alexandre Jardin | |
| 2001 | Mortel Transfert | Olga Kubler | Jean-Jacques Beineix | |
| 2001 | Va savoir | Dominique 'Do' | Jacques Rivette (2) | Nominated — César Award for Most Promising Actress |
| 2002 | The Race | Léonore de Segonzac | Djamel Bensalah | |
| 2002 | The Sea | Françoise | Baltasar Kormákur | |
| 2003 | Fanfan la Tulipe | Madame de Pompadour | Gérard Krawczyk | |
| 2003 | Vertiges | Lisa Weber | Laurent Carcélès | Television series (1 episode) |
| 2003 | Lapin intégral | The girl | Cécilia Rouaud | Short film |
| 2004 | Ne quittez pas ! | Air Hostess | Arthur Joffé (2) | |
| 2004 | Innocence | Mademoiselle Edith | Lucile Hadžihalilović | |
| 2004 | Si j'étais elle [fr] | Alice | Stéphane Clavier | Television film |
| 2004 | Le Plus Beau Jour de ma vie [fr] | Lola | Julie Lipinski | |
| 2004 | Les gens honnêtes vivent en France [fr] | Agnès Leroux | Bob Decout | |
| 2005 | Einstein's Big Idea (E=mc2 - Une biographie de l'équation) | Émilie du Châtelet | Gary Johnstone | Television film |
| 2006 | Incontrôlable [fr] | Marion | Raffy Shart | |
| 2006 | Sable noir | Juliette | Olivier Megaton | Television series (1 episode) |
| 2006 | Les Aristos | Marie-Stéphanie Montcougnet | Charlotte de Turckheim | |
| 2006 | Jeanne Poisson, marquise de Pompadour [fr] | Madame de Pompadour | Robin Davis | Television film |
| 2006 | Des fleurs pour Algernon [fr] | Alice | David Delrieux | Television film |
| 2006 | Pardonnez-moi | Billy | Maïwenn | |
| 2007 | New Délire [fr] | Paula | Éric Le Roch | |
| 2008 | Papillon noir [fr] | Laura | Christian Faure | Television film |
| 2008 | Sans état d'âme [fr] | Jeanne | Vincenzo Marano | |
| 2008 | Les Dents de la nuit [fr] | Jessica Conti | Stephen CafieroVincent Lobelle | |
| 2009 | Mutants | Sonia | David Morley | |
| 2009 | Tricheuse [fr] | Clémence | Jean-François Davy | |
| 2009 | Les Fausses Innocences [fr] | Mathilda Stembert | André Chandelle | Television film |
| 2009 | Sommeil blanc | Camille | Jean-Paul Guyon | |
| 2011 | Maman ! [fr] | Léa | Hélène de Fougerolles | Short film |
| 2011 | Moi et ses ex [fr] | Alice | Vincent Giovanni | Television film |
| 2013 | Le collier du Makoko | | Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi | |
| 2015 | Le Secret d'Élise [fr] | | Alexandre Laurent | TV miniseries |
| 2015 | Accusé [fr] | Claire Brattner | | Television series (1 episode) |
| 2016 | Arrête ton cinéma | Marion | Diane Kurys | |
| 2016 | Les Liens du cœur [fr] | Gaëlle | Régis Musset | Television film |
| 2016 | Meurtres à Strasbourg [fr] | Katel Leguennec | Laurence Katrian | Television film |
| 2017 | La Loi de Julien [fr] | Séverine Delamarche | Christophe Douchand | Television film |
| 2017 | Mention particulière [fr] | 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