# Marina Foïs

Marina Sylvie Foïs (born 21 January 1970) is a French actress.

## Life and career

Born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in a family from Russian, Jewish Egyptian, German and Italian ancestry, Marina Foïs was discovered in 1986 for her comedy work in The School for Wives, at the age of 16. She decided to take classes by correspondence and obtained her high school final exam two years later. She then joined The Royal Imperial Green Rabbit Company, which later became Les Robins des Bois, composed of students from the Cours Florent taught by Isabelle Nanty.
The troupe caught the attention of Dominique Farrugia in 1996 and went on to act and direct in the Comédie+ show La Grosse Émission for two years. During that period, Foïs co-wrote sketches with Pierre-François Martin-Laval, playing a number of various characters, like the dim-witted Sophie Pétoncule and the pedantic director Marie-Mûre. The show continued the next year on Canal+ and had a bigger audience. In June 2001, Foïs and the troupe parted ways to focus on their individual film careers. Marina Foïs became a prolific actress, with two to five films released every year.
On 25 November 2020, it was announced that Foïs would be the host for the 46th César Awards.

## Personal life

Marina Foïs has two sisters. Giulia Foïs is a journalist at Libération and a former columnist in the program Arrêt sur images presented by Daniel Schneidermann on France 5, and a current news anchor on I-Télé. Her second sister Elena is a doctor. Their brother, Fabio, died of an airplane crash while participating in an aerobatic demonstration.
Marina was in a partnership with fellow "Robins des Bois" actor Maurice Barthélemy. She also dated Maxime Lefrançois, Mister Univers 2010.
She started dating the director Éric Lartigau in 1999. On 3 December 2004 she gave birth to a boy, Lazare, at the Hôpital Saint-Antoine in Paris. They had a second son, Georges, born on 25 September 2008. Since 2025, she disclose being in relationship with actress Zaho de Sagazan, twenty years younger than her.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1993 | La perme | Solange | Emmanuel Silvestre & Thibault Staib | Short |
| 1994 | Casque bleu | Julie | Gérard Jugnot | |
| 1997 | Et si on faisait un bébé ? | Marianne | Christiane Spiero | TV movie |
| 1998 | Serial Lover | Mina Schuster | James Huth | |
| 1999 | Trafic d'influence | The firecrackers guest | Dominique Farrugia | |
| 1999 | L'amour déchiré | The girl | Yann Piquer | Short |
| 1999 | Triste à mourir | Noémie | Alexandre Billon | Short |
| 1999 | Rien ne sert de courir | The girl | Patrick Bosso | Short |
| 2000 | Uppercut | The young girl | Patrice Jourdan & Sören Prévost | Short |
| 2000 | L'instant norvégien | Various | Les Robins des Bois | TV series |
| 2000–2001 | La cape et l'épée | La reine Pupute / Petite Moule | Jean-Jacques Amsellem | TV series (24 episodes) |
| 2001 | La Tour Montparnasse Infernale | Stéphanie Lanceval | Charles Nemes | |
| 2002 | The Race | Young nurse | Djamel Bensalah | |
| 2002 | Hypnotized and Hysterical | Natacha | Claude Duty | Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress |
| 2002 | Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra | Sucettalanis | Alain Chabat | |
| 2002 | Jojo la frite | Marie | Nicolas Cuche | |
| 2002 | Restauratec | Lady Service | Nicolas & Bruno | TV Short |
| 2003 | The Car Keys | Herself | Laurent Baffie | |
| 2003 | Bienvenue au gîte | Caroline | Claude Duty | |
| 2003 | Mais qui a tué Pamela Rose ? | The customer of the pharmacy | Éric Lartigau | |
| 2004 | RRRrrrr!!! | Guy | Alain Chabat | |
| 2004 | Un petit jeu sans conséquence | Axelle | Bernard Rapp | |
| 2004 | J'me sens pas belle | Fanny Fontana | Bernard Jeanjean | |
| 2004 | Casablanca Driver | Sandy O'Brian | Maurice Barthélémy | |
| 2005 | À boire | Bénédicte | Marion Vernoux | |
| 2006 | Essaye-moi | Firmin's Mother | Pierre-François Martin-Laval | |
| 2006 | Un ticket pour l'espace | Soizic Le Guilvinec | Éric Lartigau | |
| 2006 | Les hommes s'en souviendront... | Simone Veil | Valérie Müller | Short |
| 2007 | Darling | Catherine Nicolle | Christine Carrière | Nominated - César Award for Best Actress Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Actress |
| 2008 | Me Two | Muriel Perrache | Nicolas & Bruno | |
| 2008 | A Simple Heart | Mathilde Aubain | Marion Laine | |
| 2008 | Le plaisir de chanter | Muriel | Ilan Duran Cohen | |
| 2009 | Change of Plans | Mélanie Carcassonne | Danièle Thompson | |
| 2009 | All About Actresses | Herself | Maïwenn | |
| 2009 | Making Plans for Lena | Frédérique | Christophe Honoré | |
| 2010 | 22 Bullets | Marie Goldman | Richard Berry | |
| 2010 | Happy Few | Rachel | Antony Cordier | |
| 2010 | The Big Picture | Sarah Exben | Éric Lartigau | |
| 2011 | Polisse | Iris | Maïwenn | Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actress Nominated - César Award for Best Actress Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Actress |
| 2011 | Les yeux de sa mère | Maylis Tremazan | Thierry Klifa | |
| 2012 | Maman | Alice | Alexandra Leclère | |
| 2012 | Frank-Étienne vers la béatitude | Glaïeul | Constance Meyer | Short |
| 2012 | Bref | Herself | Kyan Khojandi | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2013 | Vandal | Hélène | Hélier Cisterne | |
| 2013 | Boule & Bill | Maman Boule | Alexandre Charlot & Franck Magnier | |
| 2013 | The Ultimate Accessory | Sophie | Valérie Lemercier | |
| 2013 | Le débarquement | Various | Renaud Le Van Kim | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2014 | Bodybuilder | Léa | Roschdy Zem | |
| 2014 | Paris Follies | Christiane | Marc Fitoussi | |
| 2014 | Tiens-toi droite | Louise | Katia Lewkowicz | |
| 2014 | Tout est permis | The psy | Émilie Deleuze | TV movie |
| 2014 | 3xManon | Monique | Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | TV mini-series |
| 2015 | Orage | Maria | Fabrice Camoin | |
| 2015 | Daddy or Mommy | Florence Leroy | Martin Bourboulon | |
| 2015 | Démons | Catarina | Marcial Di Fonzo Bo | TV movie |
| 2016 | Pericle | Anastasia | Stefano Mordini | |
| 2016 | Faultless (Irréprochable) | Constance Beauvau | Sébastien Marnier | Nominated - César Award for Best Actress |
| 2016 | Daddy or Mommy 2 | Florence Corrigan | Martin Bourboulon | |
| 2016 | La Tour 2 contrôle infernale | Stéphanie Lanceval | Éric Judor | |
| 2016 | Two Snails Set Off | Voice | Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Romain Segaud | Short |
| 2017 | The Workshop | Olivia Dejazet | Laurent Cantet | Nominated - César Award for Best Actress |
| 2017 | Les réfugiés | The mother | Matthieu Tribes | Short |
| 2017 | Manon 20 ans | Monique | Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | TV mini-series |
| 2017 | Calls | Sophie | Timothée Hochet | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2018 | Sink or Swim | Claire | Gilles Lellouche | |
| 2018 | Gaspard va au mariage | Peggy | Antony Cordier | |
| 2019 | Une intime conviction | Nora | Antoine Raimbault | |
| 2019 | Savages | Marion | Rebecca Zlotowski | TV mini-series |
| 2020 | Énorme | Claire Girard | Sophie Letourneur | |
| 2020 | The Players | Wife | Stefano Mordini | |
| 2021 | La Salamandre | Catherine | Alex Carvalho | |
| 2021 | Ils sont vivants | Béatrice | Jérémie Elkaïm | |
| 2021 | Some Like It Rare | Sophie Pascal | Fabrice Eboué | |
| 2021 | La fracture | Julie | Catherine Corsini | |
| 2022 | The Sitting Duck | Anne Lauvergeon | Jean-Paul Salomé | |
| 2023 | Represent | Corinne Douanier | Jean-Pascal Zadi | TV series |
| 2024 | Furies | Selma | | TV series (8 episodes) |

## Dubbing

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Gloria |
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Gloria |
| 2012 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Gloria |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Author | Director | Notes |
| 1986 | The School for Wives | Molière | Jean-Marc Brisset | |
| 1987 | L'Occasion | Prosper Mérimée | Fanny Mentre | |
| 1988 | Britannicus | Jean Racine | Olivier Médicus & Jean-Marc Brisset | |
| 1991 | Le Bébé de Monsieur Laurent | Roland Topor | Jean-Christophe Berjon | |
| 1991 | 29 degrés à l'ombre Maman Sabouleux | Eugène Labiche | Isabelle Nanty | |
| 1992 | Zizanie | Julien Vartet | Raymond Acquaviva | |
| 1993 | Reniflard and Co | Marx Brothers | Jean-Christophe Berjon | |
| 1993 | Souffleurs | Dino Buzzati | Jean-Christophe Berjon | |
| 1994 | La Princesse d'Élide | Molière | Jean-Luc Revol | |
| 1995 | L'Heureux Stratagème | Pierre de Marivaux | Jean-Luc Revol | |
| 1996 | Dorothy Parker : Les heures blêmes | Dorothy Parker | Jean-Luc Revol | |
| 1997 | Robin des Bois d'à peu près Alexandre Dumas | Alexandre Dumas | Pierre-François Martin-Laval | |
| 2005–06 | La Tour de la Défense | Copi | Marcial Di Fonzo Bo | Festival d'Avignon |
| 2006 | Les poulets n'ont pas de chaises | Copi | Marcial Di Fonzo Bo & Élise Vigier | Festival d'Avignon |
| 2006 | Viol | Botho Strauß | Luc Bondy | Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe |
| 2008–09 | La Estupidez | Rafael Spregelburd | Marcial Di Fonzo Bo & Élise Vigier | Théâtre national de Chaillot Théâtre National de Bretagne |
| 2010 | A Doll's House | Henrik Ibsen | Jean-Louis Martinelli | Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers |
| 2011 | Harper Regan | Simon Stephens | Lukas Hemleb | Théâtre du Rond-Point |
| 2012 | A Doll's House | Henrik Ibsen | Jean-Louis Martinelli | Théâtre du Gymnase Marie Bell |
| 2018 | The Idols (Les Idoles) | Christophe Honoré | Christophe Honoré | Théâtre National de Bretagne |

## Awards and nominations
### César Award

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2003 | Hypnotized and Hysterical (Hairstylist Wanted) | Most Promising Actress | Nominated |
| 2008 | Darling | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2012 | Polisse | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2017 | Faultless (Irréprochable) | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2018 | The Workshop | Best Actress | Nominated |

### Etoile d'Or

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2008 | Darling | Most Promising Actress | Nominated |

### Globes de Cristal Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2012 | Polisse | Best Actress | Won |

### Lumières Award

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2008 | Darling | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2012 | Polisse | Best Actress | Nominated |

### Feroz Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2023 | The Beasts | Best Actress in a Film | Nominated |

### Goya Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2023 | The Beasts | Best Actress | Nominated |