French cinema is often criticized for losing its charm and aura. Therefore, some French actors decided to take advantage of the opportunities to break through in Hollywood. But Hollywood is a rather complicated world, and success in this environment is excellent proof of success in the career of an actor or actress. We will tell you about 7 famous French actors who became world stars.
Vincent Cassel
Vincent Cassel made his debut in French cinema, his first film was called “Keys to Paradise”. Then the actor starred in several famous American films: “Ocean’s 12 Friends”, “Jason Bourne”, and “Black Swan”. His colleagues in the shop became Natalie Portman, Brad Pitt, Lily Allen, Tom Hardy, George Clooney, and Monica Bellucci.
Omar Sy
The success of the charming Omar Sy was brought about by the role of the defiant Driss in the film “1 + 1” (Untouchables), which became one of the highest-grossing in the history of French cinema. The film brought him the prestigious César award and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards. Now Omar Sy lives in Los Angeles and starred in many Hollywood films: “Jurassic World”, “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, “Inferno”, “Call of the Ancestors”, “Night Convoy”, and “Pastry”. His latest film is Jurassic World: Power, which was released in 2022, and the third season of the Netflix series Lupine.
Lea Seydoux
The actress conquered the directors with her natural beauty, which does not need styling and makeup. In parallel with cinema, Léa Seydoux successfully developed a modeling career. In Hollywood, her work began with episodic roles, but in famous films: “Inglourious Basterds”, “Midnight in Paris”, “Robin Hood” and “Mission Impossible”. In 2014, the actress played a Bond girl in the continuation of the Bond movie – “007 Spectre” with Daniel Craig.
Jean Reno
Iconic actor Jean Reno has quite a solid American filmography! He played in the first part of Mission Impossible, as well as in Godzilla, released in 1998. Jean Reno also appears in The Da Vinci Code with Tom Hanks, Ronin, The Pink Panther, and Five of the same blood. Well, who among us did not worry about the fate of his character in the movie “Leon”?
Marion Cotillard
Marion Cotillard’s career skyrocketed after she won an Oscar for her role in Life in Pink in 2008. Until that moment, she was known far beyond France for her role in the Taxi film series. Then she starred in such films as “Inception”, “Allies”, and “Midnight in Paris”. We also all remember the death scene of her character Talia al Ghul in the action movie The Dark Knight Rises.
Melanie Laurent
French actress, model, writer, and singer Melanie Laurent showed all her talent in Hollywood, playing a role in “Inglourious Basterds”. After this film, we saw her in Deception and The Beginner. Recently, the actress switched to the directing side and in 2018 released her first film “Galveston” in English. She was also approved as a member of the jury at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
Eva Green
Eva Green became world famous thanks to the role of James Bond’s girlfriend in “Casino Royale”. She can also be seen in the films “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”, “Sin City: A Woman Worth Killing For”, and “Dark Shadows”.
We hope you enjoyed reading our list of top French actors and will watch their masterpieces right away!
