Sylvie Testud

Sylvie Testud is a French actress who started landing small film roles in the early 1990s. Born in Lyon and raised in the city's La Croix-Rousse quarter, she took drama classes with Christian Taponard after seeing Claude Miller's L'Effrontée, then moved to Paris in 1989 for three years at the Conservatoire. Early work in films by Philippe Harel and Marion Vernoux was followed by wide notice in Germany for Caroline Link's Beyond Silence, which involved learning German, sign language, and the clarinet. Her first major French role was in Karnaval, and she won the César for most promising actress as Christine Papin in Murderous Maids (2000). For Fear and Trembling she took both the César and a Lumière Award, and her performance in Lourdes (2009) earned the European Film Award for best actress. Testud also played Momone in La Vie en Rose (2007), portrayed Françoise Sagan in Sagan, and appeared in French Women (2014).