Whenever France and Paris are talked about, the mind can’t help but wander at the idea of French women and their effortless beauty. Often seen as mysterious, sensual and elevated with their fashion sense, outsiders have always gawked at their elegance. Even since the Roaring twenties people have longed for that certain je ne sais quoi French are famous for and with the rise of cinema, most of us have been provided with that open window to the French culture and their sophisticated women. In order to celebrate their accomplishments and timeless beauty, here is a list of the most beautiful French actresses that have graced our silver screens.
Brigitte Bardot
The beautiful Brigitte Bardot is probably one of the French actresses who is most recognisable to the foreign audience. She debuted in 1952 in French cinema, but a year later she moved on to Hollywood with great success. Men yearned for her and women wanted to be her. She was French obsession brought to life. However, she was not only a sex kitten, as they used to call her. Having had a passion for animals, when she neared her forties she quit her acting career and pursued fighting for animal rights.
Eva Green
Eva Green has a passion for acting in her blood being a daughter of another French actress Marlène Jobert. She started her career in 2001 in theatre, but she had her big breakthrough in a 2003 movie called The Dreamers, starring alongside Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel. In this highly sexual movie, the world was not only introduced to her acting talent but also her nude body.
Michèle Mercier
This strikingly beautiful actress has always wanted to work in show business, initially wanting to be a dancer. However, when she moved to Paris aged 17, she decided to throw away her dancing shoes and get into acting. She was made a star in 1963, taking a main role in a movie Angélique, the Marquise of the Angels. Having this famous of a film in her portfolio may have been a detriment to her further career, because she was never able to get a role that would have overshadowed it.
Léa Seydoux
Starting her career in French cinema, Seydoux is another French actress who has managed to successfully move her career across the pond. She has worked with acclaimed directors like Quentin Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds and Woody Allen in Midnight in Paris. Her career skyrocketed in 2013 when she starred in a critically acclaimed lesbian movie Blue Is the Warmest Colour for which she received a Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. Notably, her beauty and talent has gained international attention in 2015 when she was cast as a Bond girl in Spectre.
Emmanuelle Béart
Emmanuelle had her start in acting when she was only nine years old, appearing in commercials, however her first adult role came to her in 1986 when she was twenty three. This critically acclaimed actress is famous for her beauty. Her nude body which was on the cover, managed to sell 550,000 copies of a 2003 French issue of Elle magazine, making it the best sold issue in the history of the magazine.
Sophie Marceau
Marceau is another one of the Bond girls in our line up. She appeared alongside Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in the 1999 movie The World Is Not Enough. Before that she starred with Mel Gibson in Braveheart and was acclaimed for her roles in many French movies as well. Apart from acting, this charming actress has dipped her toes into directing and writing as well. Both of her out of screen ventures have proved to be very successful.