Vanessa Paradis
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
An enormously successful French singer and actress, Vanessa Paradis came of age in her native country as a best-selling pop artist who made a stunning debut with the hit single, "Joe le Taxi" (1987), that was later included on her chart-topping album, M&J (1988). But American audiences knew her better from her long-committed relationship to film star, Johnny Depp, with whom she had a high-profile romance that resulted in two children and numerous tabloid stories. Prior to Depp, Paradis elevated her status in France and beyond with controversial ads for Coco Chanel in 1991-92, which featured her dressed as a bird inside a gilded cage, while delivering impressive turns in features like "Noce Blanche" (1989), "Elisa" (1995) and "La Fille du pont" ("Girl on the Bridge") (1999). After a number of feature roles, Paradis recorded what many considered her best album, Divinidylle (2007), and followed with starring turns in "Heartbreaker" (2010) and "Café de flore" (2011). All throughout she kept up appearances of a blissful romance with Depp, even amidst widespread rumors of a split, while managing to find international success both in film and in music outside of her movie star beau's considerable shadow.
Born on Dec. 22, 1972 in Saint Maur-des-Fosses, France, Paradis was raised by her parents, André and Corinne, in the Paris suburb of Villiers-sur-Marne. Attracted to movies at an early age, she studied dance and piano as a child, and later entered the French television amateur talent show, "L'Ecole des fans" (1976-1998), where she performed "Emilie Jolie." The move was set up by her uncle, Didier Pain, a record producer who began managing her career. Assisted by Pain, Paradis recorded a demo, Les magie des surprises parties in 1985. Though unreleased, the demo did capture the attention of composer Franck Langolff and led to recording her breakout single, "Joe le taxi" (1987) when she was just 14 years old. The song was a big hit in France, where it topped the charts for 11 weeks. It crossed the channel to England and peaked at No. 3 on the British charts, which was rare for a French-language song, and was later featured on her first pop album, M&J (1988). Paradis followed up with her second album, Variations sur le meme t'aime (1990), which contained a cover version of Lou Reed's "Take a Walk on the Wild Side."
Capitalizing on her popularity as a singer, Paradis segued into acting with a role as a troubled student whose teacher (Bruno Cremer) rejects her after a passionate love affair in "Noce Blanche" (1989). Her performance as a Lolita-like nymph earned Paradis considerable acclaim and a César Award for Most Promising Newcomer. She soon attracted the attention of advertising executives, who were quick to use her young, fresh face for a 1992 campaign for Coco Chanel perfume. Critics scoffed at the ads, which featured Paradis dressed as a bird whistling and swinging from a trapeze in a gilded cage while a fluffy white cat looked on. Meanwhile, Paradis recorded her third album, the English-language Vanessa Paradis (1992), which had more of a 1970s disco sound and featured collaborations with Lenny Kravitz, whom she was dating at the time. After the success of her third recording, Paradis launched a European tour, playing 70 concerts before returning to France to star in "Elisa" (1995), in which she portrayed a moody girl placed in an orphanage after her mother committed suicide. Once again, Paradis delivered a performance that earned raves from the critics.
Instead of playing yet another brooding teen, however, Paradis opted to show audiences her playful side as a witch in the romantic comedy "Un Amour de sorciere" (1997), and followed that up with the action comedy "1 Chance sur 2" (1998). By this point, Paradis was finished with Kravitz and moved on to a relationship with French actor, Stanislas Merhar, staying with him until 1998. It was then that she met American star Johnny Depp - who was in France making "The Ninth Gate" (1999) with Roman Polanski - and began a long-term relationship that resembled a marriage and later resulted in two children, daughter Lily-Rose and son Jack. The pair continued to work, of course, and split their time between Los Angeles and a home in France's Le Plan-de-la-Tour on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Paradis delivered one of the best performances of her career, playing a heartbroken women who meets a knife thrower when she is about to leap to her death from a bridge in "La Fille du pont" ("Girl on the Bridge") (1999). Back in the recording studio, Paradis made her fourth album, Bliss (2000), which featured tracks with Depp and predictably topped the French charts while spawning minor hit singles with "Pourtant" and "Commando."
Following her second live album, Au Zénith (2001), Paradis returned to acting with the French-made comedy "Atomik Circus, le Retour de James Bataille" (2004) and "Mon Ange" ("My Angel") (2004). She provided the voice of Margote in the animated "Doogal" (2005) and appeared on French television in the small screen movie "Le soldat Rose" (2006). Paradis recorded what many fans and critics considered to be her best album then to date, Divinidylle (2007), which once again reached No. 1 on the French album charts. A third live album, Divinidylle Tour (2008), was released the following year, while Paradis deftly balanced music and acting with a starring turn in the French romantic comedy "Heartbreaker" (2010). Meanwhile, rumors began to swirl around the tabloid media that Paradis and Depp had split following 12 years together, despite appearances of a near-perfect relationship. While initially vague about the alleged split, Paradis assuredly stamped down the rumors while doing press for her next film, "Café de flore" (2011), saying unequivocally that said rumors were "false." She went on to say that magazines reporting such harmful falsehoods were fit for the fireplace or toilet.
By Shawn Dwyer
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Life Events
1980
Entered by uncle Didier Pain in the French TV amateur talent show "L'Ecole des fans"; performed "Emilie Jolie"
1985
Recorded an unreleased demo "Les magie des surprises parties" under uncle's guidance; caught attention of composer Franck Langolff and Etienne Roda-Gil
1987
Released hit single "Joe le Taxi", written by Langloff and Roda-Gil
1988
First pop album "M & J" is released
1990
Released second album "Variations sur le meme t'aime"
1990
Won a Cesar for most promising actress for her film debut "Noce Blanche/White Wedding"
1991
Signed a 3 million franc contract with Chanel to be the new face of their perfume Coco, photographed by Jean-Paul Goude
1992
Third album "Vanessa Paradis" hit record stores; this one had a 1970s sound and featured tracks on which she and Lenny Kravitz collaborated
1993
Gave 70 concerts in Europe; recorded fourth album "Vanessa Paradis Live" at L'Oylmpia in Paris
1995
Starred in second film, Jean Becker's "Elisa" opposite Gerard Depardieu
1997
Had featured role in "Un Amour de sorciere", directed by Rene Manzor
1998
Co-starred with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo in "1 Chance sur 2"
1999
Starred in "La Fille sur le pont"/"Girl on the Bridge" opposite Daniel Auteuil (released in the USA in 2000)
Family
Companions
