Josiane Balasko


Josiane Balasko is a French actress, writer and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice.

Career

One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is as a lesbian in 1995's Gazon maudit. She won the 1996 César Award for best screenplay, and was also nominated as best director. The movie itself was nominated for best film. Balasko's other César nominations for best actress were for Too Beautiful for You, Tout le monde n'a pas eu la chance d'avoir des parents communistes, and Cette femme-là.

1973–1980: The beginning

She began her career in 1973 and was 23 years old when she first appeared on screen, in the short L'Agression, with Patrick Bouchitey. She was in the movie L'an 01, directed by Jacques Doillon. After an absence of three years she returned to the screen in 1976 in the film The Tenant, directed by Roman Polanski, with a screenplay written by him and Gérard Brach. The movie was based on the novel written by Roland Topor.
Her career really exploded in 1977, with her appearing in seven films over the course of the year. She first appeared in "Solveig et le Violon turc", with Eugène Ionesco and Dominique Lavanant. Then, she played Simone in "Une fille unique" alongside her boyfriend at the time, Bruno Moynot. She made an appearance in Animal, directed by Claude Zidi, on a screenplay written by him, Michel Audiard and Dominique Fabre. It was a big success with more than three million attendances in France, the movie was #5 in 1977 in France. She appeared in Pardon Mon Affaire, Too!, directed by Yves Robert and written by him and Jean-Loup Dabadie. The movie was also a big success with more than two million attending in France alone, and was no.8 in 1977 in France.
She played Nadine in This Sweet Sickness, directed by Claude Miller, based on the novel written by Patricia Highsmith. The movie starred Gérard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Claude Piéplu, Dominique Laffin and Christian Clavier. She also acted, under the direction of Philippe Monnier, in Monsieur Papa, in which the dialogue was written by Jean-Marie Poiré.
She starred alongside Claude Brasseur, Nathalie Baye, Daniel Auteuil and Éva Darlan. Finally, she appeared in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, directed by Vincent McEveety, written by Don Nelson. With almost three millions attendances in France and nearly 30 million worldwide, the movie was a big success.
In 1978, she played in "Si vous n'aimez pas ça, n'en dégoûtez pas les autres", with Gérard Jugnot and Thierry Lhermitte, and in "Les Petits Câlins", directed by Jean-Marie Poiré, alongside Dominique Laffin, Françoise Bertin and Gérard Jugnot. Then, she was in La Tortue sur le dos.
She had the leading role in the comedy "Pauline et l'Ordinateur", for which she wrote the dialogue and where she acted next to Gérard Jugnot, Éva Darlan, Jacques Attali and Marie-Anne Chazel. Finally, she played Nathalie Morin in the cult comedy Les Bronzés, directed by Patrice Leconte, with her friends from Le Splendid, Marie-Anne Chazel, Michel Blanc, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte, Christian Clavier and Dominique Lavanant. The movie was a hit with more than two million attendances.
In 1979, she played Emma-Ammé in one episode of the TV Mini-Series, "Les Quatre Cents Coups de Virginie", alongside Anémone. Then Nathalie Morin again, in the sequel Les Bronzés font du ski with the same cast, which was also a success with more than a millions attendances. She also appeared as a client in the movie "Les héros n'ont pas froid aux oreilles", with Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Jugnot, Roland Giraud, Gérard Lanvin, Michel Blanc, Thierry Lhermitte, Marie-Anne Chazel and Christian Clavier.

1981–1990: directing debut

The year 1981 was very successful for Josiane. First, she played Louise in Clara et les Chics Types. Later, she had the leading role in the very successful comedy Les hommes préfèrent les grosses. The movie was a commercial success. It was directed by Jean-Marie Poiré, who co-wrote the film, with Balasko. After this, she was in another comedy named Le Maître d'école, directed by Claude Berri. This film was also commercially successful, the #9 movie at the French Box Office in 1981. She then played Colette, a supporting role, in Hotel America, directed by André Téchiné, also starring Catherine Deneuve and Patrick Dewaere.
In 1982, she was in another cult movie, Le Père Noël est une ordure, directed for the third time by Jean-Marie Poiré. The film was commercially successful.
In 1983, she had two comedy hits. Papy fait de la résistance, which was #7 in the 1983 French box office. and Signes extérieurs de richesse, another success.
In 1984, she played a supporting role in the comedy P'tit Con, directed by Gérard Lauzier. She then had the leading role in another comedy, La smala, directed by Jean-Loup Hubert. Finally, she played a supporting role in the comedy La vengeance du serpent à plumes directed by Gérard Oury. The movie was her biggest success of that year. In 1985, she appeared in the movie Tranches de vie directed by François Leterrier. That year she also made her directional debut with the comedy Sac de noeuds, which she wrote, directed and starred in.

1990 onward

Since 1990 she has enjoyed a busy career acting in numerous films in a very wide variety of roles but having an international directing success in 1995 with Gazon Maudit, in which she co-starred with Alain Chabat and gained her a César for best screenplay and a nomination for best film. In 2006 she was re-united once again with the Le Splendid team for another Bronzés film .

2012–present

In 2018, she record a song with the rapper Mac Tyer on his album C'est la street mon pote.
In February 2019, she received the Crystal Comedy Award during the 4th Festival International du Film de Comédie de Liège to reward her career.

Personal life

was her partner from 1974 until 1981. In a second union with sculptor Philippe Berry, she had a daughter, Marilou Berry, also an actress, and an adopted son, Rudy Berry. Divorced from Philippe Berry in 1999, she married Native American actor George Aguilar in 2003, whom she met on the set of The Frenchman's Son in 1999.
In July 2018, her daughter Marilou Berry announced on her Instagram account that she was pregnant with her first child. Her boy, Andy, was born in November 2018 and was Balasko's first grandchild.

Filmography

Actress

Director / Writer

Box-office

Movies starring or featuring Josiane Balasko with more than one million tickets sold at movie theatres in France.
FilmsYearFrance
12006
2Papy fait de la résistance1983
3French Twist1995
4Animal1977
5Le Maître d'école1981
6Didier1997
7La vengeance du serpent à plumes1984
8Neuilly sa mère!2009
9Les Bronzés1978
10Back to Mom's2016
11Les Frères Pétard1986
12A Crime in Paradise2001
13Pardon Mon Affaire, Too!1977
14Too Beautiful for You1989
15Grosse fatigue1994
16Les hommes préfèrent les grosses1981
17Le Père Noël est une ordure1982
18Les Bronzés font du ski1979
19The Race2002
20Nuit d'ivresse1986
21Absolument fabuleux2001
22My Life Is Hell1991
23The Roommates Party2015
24Neuilly sa mère, sa mère!2018
25Signes extérieurs de richesse1983
26Les Keufs1987

Theater

YearTitleNotes
1970La pipelette ne pipa pasalso author and director
1971Quand j'srai grande, j'srai paranoïaquealso author and director
1973Jeanne l'ébouriffée
1975Silence là-dedans
1976Le Pot de terre contre le pot de vin
1976Ginette Lacaze
1977Amour, coquillages et crustacés
1979Le Père Noël est une ordure
1982Bunny's baralso author and director
1985-1988Nuit d'ivressealso author and director
1989L'Ex-femme de ma viealso author and director
1992Soloalso director
1996-97Un grand cri d'amouralso author and director
2002Nuit d'ivressealso author and director
2006Dernier Rappelalso author and director
2009Tout le monde aime Juliettealso author and director
2011-12La nuit sera chaudealso author and director
2014-15Un grand moment de solitudealso author and director
2016-18The Woman Destroyed
2017Corps de bataille
2019Un chalet à Gstaadalso author and director

Writer