ACTOR
Catherine Deneuve
- Known for
- Belle de jour (1967), Le tout nouveau testament (2015), 8 femmes (2002), The Hunger (1983)
71 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Catherine Deneuve is an actor best known for Belle de jour, Le tout nouveau testament and 8 femmes.
All facts (71)
- #001
Catherine Deneuve never performed on stage because of stage fright.
- #002
Catherine Deneuve was once the muse of fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent, who dressed her for Belle de Jour (1967), Heartbeat (1968), Mississippi Mermaid (1969), A Cop (1972) and The Hunger (1983).
- #003
Catherine Deneuve has a daughter with Marcello Mastroianni: Chiara Mastroianni (born 28 May 1972).
- #004
In 1985 Catherine Deneuve turned to hypnotherapy to quit her habit of smoking three packs a day. She started again in 1996. In 2014 she tried switching to e-cigarettes but failed. She quit again after suffering a stroke in November 2019.
- #005
Catherine Deneuve turned down the role of Bond girl Tracy DiVicenzo in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), which went to Diana Rigg.
- #006
Catherine Deneuve has a son with Roger Vadim: Christian Vadim (born 18 June 1963).
- #007
Catherine Deneuve liked Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996) so much that she wrote him a personal letter asking to appear in one of his films. The result was her role in Dancer in the Dark (2000).
- #008
Catherine Deneuve's image as an archetype of Gallic beauty was used to represent Marianne, the national symbol of France, from 1985 to 1989.
- #009
Catherine Deneuve speaks fluent French, Italian and English, as well as semi-fluent German and Spanish.
- #010
Marilyn Monroe is Catherine Deneuve's favourite actress, and The Misfits (1961) is her favourite of Monroe's films.
- #011
In September 2020, Catherine Deneuve's mother, Renée Simonot, turned 109.
- #012
Catherine Deneuve attended Catholic schools until she was 12, and says that although she does not practise religion, she believes in God.
- #013
Catherine Deneuve is one of 12 French actresses who have been nominated for an Oscar. The others, in chronological order, are Claudette Colbert, Colette Marchand, Leslie Caron, Simone Signoret, Anouk Aimée, Isabelle Adjani, Marie-Christine Barrault, Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Bérénice Bejo and Emmanuelle Riva.
- #014
Catherine Deneuve resigned as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador to protest the nomination of Angolan businessman Pierre Falcone, whose career has been marked by scandals, to the organisation's cultural agency.
- #015
In 1995 Catherine Deneuve sued the San Francisco-based lesbian magazine "Deneuve", alleging, among other things, trademark infringement. The magazine's title was changed to Curve starting in January 1996.
- #016
In 1971 Catherine Deneuve testified about her own illegal abortion to help French women win the right to abortion.
- #017
Catherine Deneuve ranked 59th on Premiere Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Performances of All Time for her role as Séverine Sérizy in Belle de Jour (1967).
- #018
Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni made five films together: One Hundred and One Nights (1995), Liza (1972), Don't Touch the White Woman! (1974), It Only Happens to Others (1971) and A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973).
- #019
On 18 January 2000 Catherine Deneuve was honoured with a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
- #020
Catherine Deneuve became the fourth French actress to be nominated for an Oscar for a French-language performance. The others, in chronological order, are Anouk Aimée, Isabelle Adjani, Marie-Christine Barrault, Marion Cotillard, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert.
- #021
Catherine Deneuve served as an international jury member of the Shanghai Television Festival.
- #022
Catherine Deneuve auditioned for the role of Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County (1995) but lost the part to Meryl Streep.
- #023
Catherine Deneuve had a relationship with the Irish cinematographer Hugh Johnson. They met on the set of The Hunger (1983).
- #024
Catherine Deneuve appeared in ten films with Gérard Depardieu: The Last Metro (1980), I Love You All (1980), Choice of Arms (1981), Fort Saganne (1984), A Strange Place to Meet (1988), One Hundred and One Nights (1995), Changing Times (2004), Potiche (2010), Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia (2012) and Nobody's Perfect! (2017).
- #025
Catherine Deneuve and her daughter Chiara Mastroianni appeared together in My Favorite Season (1993), Marcel Proust's Time Regained (1999), A Christmas Tale (2008), Park Benches (2009), Beloved (2011), Lines of Wellington (2012), 3 Hearts (2014) and Claire Darling (2018).
- #026
In 1986 Catherine Deneuve launched her own fragrance, "Deneuve." It won a FiFi Award in 1987. She has also designed eyewear, shoes, jewelry and greeting cards.
- #027
Empire magazine named Catherine Deneuve one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history (#38).
- #028
Catherine Deneuve and Jacqueline Bisset each appeared opposite the other's boyfriend in two separate instances. Marcello Mastroianni, who was dating Deneuve in real life, played Bisset's love interest in The Sunday Woman (1975), and Vincent Perez, who was dating Bisset in real life, played Deneuve's love interest in Indochine (1992). Bisset also appeared with Deneuve's sister Françoise Dorléac in Cul-de-sac (1966), and she and Deneuve appeared in the same episode of Nip/Tuck (2003) even though they shared no scenes together.
- #029
Catherine Deneuve is a grandmother. She has two grandsons and three granddaughters: Igor Divetain-Vadim (b. September 18, 1987), through her son Christian Vadim and his former girlfriend Hortense Divetain; Milo Thoretton (b. December 31, 1996), through her daughter Chiara Mastroianni and her former boyfriend Pierre Thoretton; Anna Biolay (b. April 22, 2003), through her daughter Chiara Mastroianni and her former husband Benjamin Biolay; and Lou (b. April 4, 2010) and Mona Plemiannikov (b. January 2012), through her son Christian Vadim and his former girlfriend Julia Livage.
- #030
From 1984 to 1991 Catherine Deneuve lived with Pierre Lescure, the founder of the French television channel Canal+.
- #031
Isabelle Huppert replaced Catherine Deneuve in the role of Caterine Vauban in I Heart Huckabees (2004). No explanation was given for her departure.
- #032
Catherine Deneuve has been parodied on Saturday Night Live (1975) at different times by Nora Dunn and Cecily Strong.
- #033
Sharon Stone wanted Catherine Deneuve to play Milena Gardosh in Basic Instinct 2 (2006). Deneuve turned down the offer, and Charlotte Rampling was cast in the role.
- #034
Catherine Deneuve enjoys watching Mad Men (2007). Don Draper (Jon Hamm) mentions her in one episode.
- #035
Catherine Deneuve's interests include gardening, drawing, photography, reading, music, cinema, fashion, antiques and decoration.
- #036
Catherine Deneuve visited Argentina to receive an honorary award at the San Luis Cine International Festival.
- #037
The overuse of the word "still" by journalists to describe Catherine Deneuve since her late thirties has been called into question.
- #038
Catherine Deneuve takes part in Amnesty International's program for the abolition of the death penalty.
- #039
Catherine Deneuve was hospitalized in Paris after a minor stroke.
- #040
The role Catherine Deneuve played in Mississippi Mermaid (1969) was played by Angelina Jolie in the American version of the film, Original Sin (2001).
- #041
Juan Antonio Canta sings a song titled "Catherine Deneuve."
- #042
Catherine Deneuve is a fan of Barbra Streisand, whom she has praised as a "Genius." She is also a fan of actresses such as Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, Kristen Stewart and Kate Winslet.
- #043
Catherine Deneuve is a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.
- #044
Catherine Deneuve appeared in eight films by André Téchiné: Hotel America (1981), Scene of the Crime (1986), My Favorite Season (1993), Thieves (1996), Changing Times (2004), The Girl on the Train (2009), In the Name of My Daughter (2014) and Farewell to the Night (2019).
- #045
In 2012, Catherine Deneuve received the Chaplin Award from the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
- #046
As of 2017, Catherine Deneuve had 14 César Award nominations: 13 for Best Actress and one for Best Supporting Actress. She has won twice, in 1981 and 1993. With 16 nominations, Isabelle Huppert is the only actress with more nominations.
- #047
Catherine Deneuve is a former model and spokesperson for Chanel No. 5 and MAC.
- #048
As of 2022, Catherine Deneuve had appeared in 11 films shown in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, and in 30 films at the festival overall. Her last film in the main competition was A Christmas Tale (2008).
- #049
In the pages and on the website of the newspaper Le Monde, Catherine Deneuve joined more than 100 French women in the entertainment, publishing and academic fields in arguing that the #MeToo movement and its French counterpart #Balancetonporc ("Expose Your Pig") had gone too far by publicly prosecuting private experiences, with men and women using social media as a forum to disclose sexual harassment, and had created a totalitarian climate.
- #050
Catherine Deneuve duetted with Bernadette Lafont (1975), Gérard Depardieu (1980), Malcolm McLaren (1993), Joe Cocker (1995) and Alain Souchon (1997). In 1981 she released an album of songs by Serge Gainsbourg.
- #051
Catherine is the second of the three daughters of the French actors Maurice Dorléac and Renée Simonot (who uses her maiden name). She is the middle sister of Françoise Dorléac and Sylvie Dorléac; the latter worked as Catherine's secretary for nearly forty years. Daniele Clariond Tappou is their maternal half-sister.
- #052
Catherine Deneuve was a guest of the Belgrade Film Festival - FEST 2005.
- #053
In 1994, Catherine Deneuve was Vice President of the Official Competition jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
- #054
Catherine Deneuve has been involved in various charities in the fight against AIDS and cancer.
- #055
Catherine Deneuve was considered for the role of Madame Maxime in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), which went to Frances de la Tour.
- #056
On 7 December 2013, Catherine Deneuve will receive the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in Berlin.
- #057
Catherine Deneuve and Pierre Lescure have remained very close since their separation in 1991. Lescure told the French media in 2020 that they speak to each other every day.
- #058
Catherine Deneuve was the head of the main jury at the 2006 Venice Film Festival.
- #059
Catherine Deneuve is the former mother-in-law of singer Benjamin Biolay and stylist Caroline Bufalini.
- #060
Catherine Deneuve is the unmarried stepmother of Barbara Mastroianni.
- #061
Catherine Deneuve put her rural property in Normandy, the Château de Primard, up for sale at a price of £3,990,000.
- #062
Catherine Deneuve lobbied intensively for the female lead in Bobby Deerfield (1977), in which she was to star alongside Al Pacino, but the role went instead to Pacino's real-life girlfriend, Marthe Keller.
- #063
Catherine Deneuve is best known to American audiences for her role as Miriam Blaylock in The Hunger (1983).
- #064
Catherine Deneuve is a close friend of the artist Nall and owns some of his works.
- #065
Catherine Deneuve was honoured at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
- #066
Christophe Robin has long been Catherine Deneuve's colourist.
- #067
Catherine Deneuve is the aunt of Delphine Cantelli.
- #068
Catherine Deneuve was considered for the lead role in The Pyx (1973), which went to Karen Black.
- #069
Catherine Deneuve won the César Award in 1981 for The Last Metro.
- #070
Catherine Deneuve is good friends with Dominique Lavanant.
- #071
Catherine Deneuve was born on exactly the same date as Jan de Bont, the director of Speed (1994).
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