Clotilde Courau

Clotilde Courau, born Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau on 3 April 1969 in Levallois‑Perret, Hauts‑de‑Seine, France, is a French actress who has built a distinguished career across cinema, television and stage. The eldest daughter of engineer Jean‑Claude Courau and school‑teacher Catherine du Pontavice des Renardières, she grew up in a culturally diverse environment, spending her childhood between Paris, Egypt and Benin, and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith alongside her three sisters, Christine, Camille and Capucine. Courau made an early impact on the French film scene, receiving a César nomination for Most Promising Actress for Le petit criminel (1990) and winning the European Film Award for Best Actress the same year, then continued to garner critical acclaim with roles in Élisa (1995) and Map of the Human Heart (1993). In 1995 she was honoured with the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti, was named a European “Shooting Star” in 1998, and received the Prix Romy Schneider in 2000, culminating in her appointment as a Dame of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2007. Beyond her artistic achievements, Courau entered the Italian aristocracy when she married Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Prince of Venice, on 25 September 2003 in Rome; the couple have two daughters, Princess Vittoria (born 28 December 2003) and Princess Luisa (born 16 August 2006). Although the marriage ended in separation in 2021, she remains a public figure noted for her left‑wing political activism, having signed a 2023 open letter calling for a cease‑fire in Gaza, and for cultural contributions such as the eponymous “Clotilde Courau” rose introduced in 2009. Her filmography spans more than three decades, with recent appearances in Benedetta (2021) and The Lake (2025), confirming her enduring presence in European cinema.