Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival together with Belgian actor Pascal Duquenne. He is also the winner of two César Awards for Best Actor, one in 1987 as Ugolin Soubeyran in "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources" and one for his role in "Girl on the Bridge". For his role in "Jean de Florette" he also won the BAFTA Award  for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Auteuil is considered one of France's most respected actors. Life and career. Daniel Auteuil was born on 24 January 1950 in Algiers, French Algeria, the son of opera singers. He grew up in Avignon and Nancy, France. He began his acting career in musical comedy and made his film debut in 1972. Auteuil's starring role in the historical drama film "Jean de Florette" (1986) and its sequel "Manon des Sources" (1986) brought him international recognition. Auteuil has since become one of the best-known, best-paid and most popular actors in  France. Through his appearances in films including the swashbuckler "Le bossu" (1997), the comedy "The Closet" (2001), the romantic comedy "After You..." (2003), the thriller "Caché" (2005) and the comedy "My Best Friend" (2006), he has since gained greater international recognition. In 2013, Auteuil was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Auteuil has two daughters: Aurore Auteuil with his former partner, Anne Jousset, and Nelly from a ten-year relationship with actress Emmanuelle Béart, his co-star in the films "A Heart in Winter" and "Manon des Sources" (1986). He married  Aude Ambroggi, a Corsican sculptor, on 22 July 2006 in Porto-Vecchio, Corsica. Early life. At age 16, thanks to André Benedetto, who led a company in Avignon, Auteuil began stage acting in Chekhov's "La Demande en mariage". To please his parents he began studies in topography, and he worked in a nightclub cloakroom on Saturday nights to earn money. In 1969, after attending high school in Avignon, he went to Paris with his friend Roger Miremont. He enrolled in a theater course taught by Cours Florent. Despite several attempts, he was never accepted to compete in the Conservatoire  national supérieur d'art dramatique. In 1970, he made his debut in théâtre national populaire in "Early Morning". In 1972 and 1973 he appeared in the American musical "Godspell". Partnered with Edwige Feuillère's theater ("La folle de Chaillot") and Maria Pacôme's theater ("Apprends-moi, Céline"), he co-starred with François Périer in "Coup de chapeau", which earned him the 1979 Gérard-Philipe prize for the best young actor of the year. He then appeared in "Le Garçon d'appartement", which Gérard Lauzier adapted for the cinema in 1982 as "T'empêches tout le monde de dormir". In 1974, Auteuil made his  debut on television under the direction of Marcel Jullian in the series "Les Fargeot" before continuing next to Rellys, Jackie Sardou and Fernand Sardou in "Adieu Amélie" by Jean-Paul Carrère. In 1977, he played the detective Camaret in the six-episode series "Rendez-vous en noir", based on the novel by William Irish. In 1975, Gérard Pirès offered Auteuil the lead role in "L'Agression" with Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Louis Trintignant.