VIRGINIE LEDOYEN

Virginie Fernandez took her grandmother’s (a stage actress) maiden name,
Ledoyen as her stage name. She was born on November 15, 1976 in
Aubervilliers, France to parents who run a family business – a restaurant.

At the tender age of 2, she was already modeling for several TV and print
advertisements. And at 9, she got her first film role when an Italian director
saw her photograph and cast her in an instant. Her doting parents enrolled
her in a special school for the performing arts, appearing in several stage
productions.

At 17, she landed her big break in the film, “Cold Water” (L'Eau Froide, 1994),
playing Christine, a troubled adolescent. The film received rave reviews,
alongside with “Single Girl” (La Fille Seule, 1995) where she got a nomination
for Most Promising Young Actress at the 1996 César Awards. She was then
nominated for Best Actress at the Paris Film Festival for the film, “Jeanne
and the Perfect Guy” (Jeanne et le Garçon Formidable, 1998).

It didn’t take long till Hollywood beckoned. She starred opposite heartthrob,
Leonardo DiCaprio, in the movie, “The Beach,” adapted from the bestseller of
the same name by Alex Garland.

But instead of pandering to the Hollywood standard, she chose to stay in
native France. She went on to make a string of films including De l'amour
(2001), 8 femmes (2002), Mais qui a tué Pamela Rose? (2003), Bon voyage
(2003) (with Gérard Depardieu and Peter Coyote), and Saint-Ange (2004).

Virginie graduated from Paris' L'Ecole des Enfants du Spectacle. Aside from
being a celebrity spokesmodel for L'Oréal Paris, this beautiful brunette is
also an avid reader of Dostoevsky and Henry Miller no less, promoter of
several charitable causes, and a mother to her first child, Lilas. pay per click advertising