Noémie Merlant (French: [nɔemi mɛʁlɑ̃]; born 27 November 1988) is a French actress and filmmaker. She has been nominated for her performances three times at the César Awards, including a nomination for her breakout role in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and a win for The Innocent (2022).
Noémie Merlant | |
|---|---|
 Merlant in 2017 | |
| Born | 27 November 1988 Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, filmmaker |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Career
Merlant was born on 27 November 1988 in Paris.[1] Both of her parents are real estate agents.[2] She was raised in Rezé near Nantes.[3]
Merlant began her career as a professional model before attending the Cours Florent acting school in Paris.[4]
She had her first breakthrough in the 2016 film Heaven Will Wait for which she was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress.
In 2019 Merlant starred in Portrait of a Lady on Fire. She won the Lumières Award for Best Actress for her performance and was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress alongside her co-star Adèle Haenel.[5]
In 2020 she starred in Zoé Wittock's Jumbo, a film about a woman who falls in love with an amusement park ride.[6] She also starred in Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar's A Good Man.[7]
In 2022, Merlant portrayed Francesca Lentini, a musician and personal assistant to the celebrated composer/conductor Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), in the movie Tár, directed by Todd Field.[8]
In 2023, it was announced that Merlant would play the titular character Emmanuelle in a reboot of the iconic franchise directed by Audrey Diwan.[9] [10]
Directing
Merlant has directed two short films, the 2017 film Je suis #unebiche and the 2019 film Shakira. In 2021, she made her feature directorial debut with Mi Iubita Mon Amour, which premiered at 2021 Cannes Film Festival.[11]Her sophomore directorial effort, The Balconettes, recently premiered at 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Death in Love | Uncredited | |
| 2011 | La Permission de minuit | Mathilde | |
| L'Orpheline avec en plus un bras en moins | Éléonore | ||
| 2014 | La Crème de la crème | The redhead | |
| Des lendemains qui chantent | Sveltana | ||
| Once in a Lifetime | Mélanie | ||
| 2015 | One Wild Moment | Linda | |
| Newcomer | Anja | ||
| 2016 | Dieumerci! | Audrey | |
| The Brother | Claire | ||
| Twisting Fate | Claire | ||
| Heaven Will Wait | Sonia Bouzaria | Nominated—César Award for Most Promising Actress Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Female Revelation | |
| 2017 | Plonger | The young artist | |
| 2018 | Return of the Hero | Pauline Beaugrand | |
| All About Mothers | Coco | ||
| Paper Flags | Charlie | ||
| 2019 | Curiosa | Marie de Régnier | |
| Portrait of a Lady on Fire | Marianne | Lumières Award for Best Actress Nominated - César Award for Best Actress | |
| République | Nora | Interactive film | |
| 2020 | Jumbo | Jeanne Tantois | |
| A Good Man | Benjamin | ||
| 2021 | Mi Iubita Mon Amour | Jeanne | Also director, producer and writer |
| Paris, 13th District | Nora Ligier | ||
| 2022 | One Year, One Night | Céline | Nominated – Gaudí Award for Best Actress |
| The Innocent | Clemence | César Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| Tár | Francesca Lentini | ||
| Baby Ruby | Jo | ||
| 2023 | A Difficult Year | Valentine 'Cactus' | [12] |
| Soul Mates | Jeanne | ||
| Lee | Nusch Éluard | ||
| 2024 | The Balconettes | Élise | Also director and writer |
| Emmanuelle | Emmanuelle | Post-production[13] |
Short films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Parigi | ||
| 2011 | Juste avant l'aube | Laura | |
| 2012 | Les Nerfs fument | ||
| 2013 | Pour le rôle | The secretary | |
| Lapsus | Angie | ||
| Némésis | Ange | ||
| Le Devoir | Agnes | ||
| L'Amour a la clé | |||
| 2017 | Unexpected | Agnès | |
| Je suis #unebiche | Also director and writer | ||
| 2019 | Shakira |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Le Jour où tout a basculé | Annabelle | Episode: "Ma fille est amoureuse de son professeur" |
| 2012 | Julie Lescaut | Lou de Salle | Episode: "Cougar" |
| Enquêtes réservées | Garance Lasarthe | Episode: "Un témoin de trop" | |
| 2013 | Dos au mur | TV series | |
| 2014 | Le Voyage de monsieur Perrichon | Henriette | TV film |
| 2016 | Elles... Les Filles du Plessis | Brigitte | |
| The Law of ... | Katya Valle | Episode: "Christophe's Law: La ligne blanche" | |
| 2021 | H24 | Episode: "17h - PLS" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Adriana Mater | Bertrand Dégremont |
| 2010 | Push Up | Suzanne Marot |
| 2011 | Les Lésions dangereuses | Julia Dunoyer |
Discography
Singles
- "Fate" (2016)[14]
References
External links
