David W. Thompson

Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne, known as Léa Seydoux, is a French actress. Since the 2010s, she has become one of the most popular actresses in both French cinema and Hollywood. Born in Passy, a district in western Paris, she is the daughter of businessman Henri Seydoux and actress Valérie Schlumberger. Her parents separated when she was three years old. Despite her wealthy and prominent father, Seydoux was a shy child. Initially aspiring to be an opera singer, she attended the Paris Conservatory for a time before leaving. She decided to become an actress at the age of 18, receiving acting training in France and at the Actors Studio in New York. She first gained recognition in French cinema in 2008 with her role as Junie in Christophe Honoré's *La Belle Personne*, earning a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress. She appeared in Quentin Tarantino's *Inglourious Basterds* as Charlotte LaPadite, and further established herself in Hollywood with roles such as the antique dealer Gabrielle in Woody Allen's *Midnight in Paris* and Sabine Moreau in *Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol*. Her performance as Emma in the 2013 film *Blue Is the Warmest Colour* garnered significant praise for both her powerful portrayal and her chemistry with co-star Adèle Exarchopoulos. Nominated for numerous awards, Seydoux and Exarchopoulos received an honorary Palme d'Or. She has also appeared in international productions such as *The Grand Budapest Hotel* and *The Lobster*, and starred as Madeleine Swann in the 2015 James Bond film *Spectre*. In 2016, she appeared as the rebellious daughter Suzanne in Xavier Dolan's *It's Only the End of the World*. Seydoux, who is with André Meyer, has a son, Georges, born in 2017.