An icon of French cinema, Daniel Auteuil has acted in more than 75 films and no fewer than 25 plays and has won two Césars. An accomplished actor, he enjoyed a prestigious career that was crowned with multiple awards. In his new biography, an official premiere, signed Nathalie Simon, the author tries to demystify his image of a rather shy man who usually gives little access to his private life and who nevertheless agrees to answer the biographer’s questions.
We can say that Daniel Auteuil knew exactly what he wanted to do in life. At only three years old, the size of three apples, he tells his parents that he would like to do theater when he grows up. It must be said that he was practically born on a stage. Like his grandparents, his parents are lyrical opera and operetta singers. As a kid, his playground was the theaters following his parents behind the scenes having fun with whatever costumes he found.
He was born on tour in 1950 when his parents were visiting Algiers, Algeria, but grew up in Avignon, France. At the age of four he got a role in the opera Madame Butterfly.
At the age of 16 he will start his career more officially, where he will play the leading role in the play Chekhov’s Proposal.
At 25 he will be shooting alongside Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
But it was not until 1986, when he starred alongside Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu and Emmanuelle Béart, that he received all the awards for the film Jean de Florette, an adaptation of Marcel Pagnol’s work, which earned the César for best actor.
If Daniel Auteuil has attracted attention in the cinema and in many television series, easily moving from comedy to drama, he has not avoided the theater to respect his childhood dreams.
Throughout his career he said he was more comfortable on the boards than in front of a camera. He was nominated for two Molières in particular for his roles in plays, La Double Inconstance by Marivaux and Les Fourberies de Scapin by Molière. Furthermore, Daniel Auteuil stood out as a director and as a director, in addition to having tried his luck as a singer, making him a chameleon artist.
pitfalls and regrets
If we can say that he had an easy start and a spoiled childhood, we also have to know that his journey is also riddled with pitfalls. We learn that although he took private acting lessons, he never managed to get into the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art despite three attempts. “I was never taken, it’s hopeless,” laments the actor.
One of his greatest professional regrets was his refusal to act in the hit French film Intouchables. It was Alain Delon who offered him the role of the wealthy handicapped Philippe, who was eventually played by François Cluzet. “I said no, but today I regret it,” says the actor. “It’s a missed date. “. He also turned down a role in the film Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis, which he regrets to this day.
Along with the regrets, there are also the many complexes. First his figure, he would have liked to have been prettier. Add to that the lack of self-confidence that dates back to childhood. His difficulties at school and his physique have a lot to do with it.
He would have liked to have dedicated himself more to music. Only later did he start playing the guitar.
devoted father
He is said to be a devoted father too. He had three children by three different women.
Among the women who shared his life there is the actress Anne Jousset, with whom he had a daughter, Aurore. Follows actress Emmanuelle Béart, with whom he had a daughter, Nelly, who was together for 11 years.
After a brief affair with the actress and director Marianne Denicourt, he fell under the spell of the painter Aude Ambrogg, whom he married in 2003. Together they had a son, Zachary.
The 73-year-old actor, who describes himself as a pensive man, lives in Corsica and enjoys watching his olive trees grow. Living quietly with his Corsican wife, 30 years his junior, and his disabled dog, rescued from the SPA, and his parrot, he says it is success that keeps him alive. He still remains open to acting in cinemas or breaking into the boards.
Daniel Auteuil Under the Mask
Natalie Simon
Editions de L’Archipel
277 pages
His many awards and accolades include:
– Daniel Auteuil has been nominated 14 times for the César for Best Actor.
– In 1987 he won the César for best actor for his role in the films Jean de Florette and Manon des sources.
– In 1996 he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the film Le Huitième Jour.
– In 2000 he was crowned best actor and received a César for The Girl on the Bridge.
– In 2005 he became an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters.
– In 2022 he was appointed Commander of the National Order of Merit.