Charlotte Gainsbourg, a talented Anglo-French actress and singer, was born in London, England in 1971. Her parents, Jane Birkin, an English singer and actress, and Serge Gainsbourg, a French songwriter, singer, and actor, instilled in her a passion for the arts from a young age. Raised in Paris, Charlotte was surrounded by the rich cultural heritage of her parents' countries.
Charlotte made her motion picture debut in 1984, and her early success was marked by a César Award for "Most Promising Actress" in 1986. She continued to hone her craft, winning "Best Supporting Actress" in 2000 for her role in The Log (1999). In 1993, she made her English speaking debut in The Cement Garden (1993),a film written and directed by her uncle, Andrew Birkin.
Charlotte's stage debut came in 1994 with a production of David Mamet's Oleanna at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse. Her breakthrough role came in 1996 when she starred as the title character in Jane Eyre (1996),a film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's classic novel. This was followed by a string of critically acclaimed performances, including her role in Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep (2006),alongside Gael García Bernal.
In 2007, Charlotte appeared as Claire in Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There (2007),and she also contributed a cover of the Dylan song "Just Like a Woman" to the film soundtrack. Her performance in Lars von Trier's Antichrist (2009) earned her the award for Best Actress at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Charlotte's versatility as an actress was further demonstrated in her roles in the French/Australian production, The Tree (2010),and Lars von Trier's science fiction disaster film, Melancholia (2011).
