Maïwenn

Known for ActingBorn 1976-04-17 (age 50)Les Lilas, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Maïwenn Aurélia Nedjma Le Besco, known mononymously as Maïwenn, is a French actress and filmmaker. Maïwenn starred in several films as a child, then teen, actress—notably as "Elle, as a child" (the child version of the lead role played by Isabelle Adjani) in the 1983 hit film L'été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer). Following her marriage to director Luc Besson and the birth of their daughter in 1993, Maïwenn interrupted her career for several years. During this period, she only appeared in a supporting part in Besson's Léon (1994), in which she was credited as Ouin-Ouin. She also directed the film's making-of. Perhaps Maïwenn's most internationally-seen film role was her appearance as the alien Diva Plavalaguna in Besson's The Fifth Element (1997). After she and Besson divorced, Maïwenn returned to France. She performed as a stand-up comedian in an autobiographical one-woman-show, and reentered the movie business after several filmmakers saw her comedy routine in Paris. She appeared in several notable movies, including the horror film Haute Tension (English title: High Tension), in which she starred opposite Cécile de France. By the time the film came out in 2003, she had decided she wanted to try directing. In 2006, Maïwenn wrote and directed her first feature film, Pardonnez-moi, a drama about a dysfunctional family.[6][10] She also starred in the film which earned her nominations for the César Award for Best First Feature Film and César Award for Most Promising Actress in the 2007. Her second film was Le bal des actrices (2009, All About Actresses), in which she appears as herself making a documentary. She achieved international recognition when her third film, the social drama Polisse (2011), won the Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Maïwenn's 2015 film Mon roi was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2020 film, DNA, an Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival which was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in her first period film, the 2023 film Jeanne du Barry about the life of Madame du Barry with Louis XV portrayed by Johnny Depp, which opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival out of competition and earned the highest French gross for a Cannes opening film since 2013.Read more

Movies & web series

The Other Night

I'm an actrice

Léon: The Professional

The Cranberries - Stars: The Best Videos 1992-2002

Polisse

The Fifth Element

Osmosis

My King

Jeanne du Barry

High Tension

One Deadly Summer

Nox

Our Ties

Perfect Nanny

The Man in the Hat

DNA

Breaking Point

The Elegant Criminal

All About Actresses

Neneh Superstar

Zone interdite

Pardonnez-moi

Le genre humain - 1ère partie: Les Parisiens

Tralala

Love Is the Perfect Crime

L'Oiseau rare

The Price of Success

Quotidien

The Courage to Love

Pirate TV

On n'est pas couché

Sisters

La Gamine

All Inclusive

Paris etc.

State of Grace

Salut les Terriens !

Double Face