She dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina, but a serious fall led her to the catwalks and film sets. First as an actress (“Nothing to Say,” “Marry Me,” “It’s Easier for a Camel…”), then as a screenwriter (“A Matter of Honor”) and director (“A Butterfly Kiss,” “Santa Claus”) is African”).
Karine Silla made a name for herself in the world of cinema by walking the red carpets alongside Gérard Depardieu and then Vincent Perez. An environment in which she now makes a few side trips to devote herself to writing.
A childhood in Africa
Karine Silla was born in Senegal and lived in Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso before flying to Canada, the USA and then France at the age of 24. A life shaped by the changes of his father, a diplomat at the United Nations. “And every summer we went to visit our maternal grandparents in Fougères in Brittany. For us, this joyful interlude meant “a shot and a cold”! “, the fifty-year-old recently confided to the columns of the “Journal du Dimanche”.
Karine Silla is Roxanne Depardieu's mother
Karine Silla and Gérard Depardieu remained on very good terms. Here with her daughter Roxanne Depardieu in 2002. BESTIMAGE / © RINDOFF-ARNAL
At the beginning of the 1990s, Karine Silla met Gérard Depardieu in New York. However, the Senegalese-born actress told Elle in 2009 that she discovered “he was a little less separated than he claimed.” In fact, Gérard Depardieu had just ended his affair with Elisabeth Guignot, after 22 years of marriage and two children (Julie Depardieu and Guillaume Depardieu).
“His life was confusing. This return to France was special. With his worries, his frustrations… Gérard was completely overwhelmed by his emotions. He was torn between his wife and me, who was only 25 years old,” explains Karine Silla. But their love gave birth to Roxanne Depardieu in 1992 and despite their separation in 1996, the two always remained very close.
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Karine Silla has been married to Vincent Perez for 25 years
Karine Silla with her husband Vincent Perez and their daughter Iman Perez in January 2024. ABACAPRESS.COM / © Jérôme Domine
Karine Silla has been married to the Swiss actor and director Vincent Perez since December 1998. Together they had three children, Iman Pérez (born May 1999) and twins Tess and Pablo (born January 2003) and share a close love. Last December, Vincent Perez told Paris Match: “She is my partner, we love working together. She has what I don't have: literary qualities and a kind of human intelligence. »
Her daughter Iman Pérez began a modeling career at the age of four. Since then, she has worked with Jean-Paul Gauthier and has been the muse of numerous brands such as Chloé, Hermès and Dior. Like her parents, the young woman also tried her hand at cinema by appearing in several feature films: “A Butterfly Kiss” (2011), “Les Amandiers” (2021) and “Le Petit Blond de la Casbah” (2023).
Sister-in-law of Luc Besson
Karine Silla is also the sister-in-law of the director Luc Besson, as her sister is none other than the director Virginie Besson-Silla and the two women are very close. In the “Journal du Dimanche” they confided that “they live in the same building.” [parisien] for twelve years. “We love this tribal spirit, especially because our children are as close-knit as we are,” said Karine Silla.