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Marion Cotillard is one of France's most sought-after actresses
LA VIE EN ROSE

Who is Marion Cotillard? French actress who starred with Brad Pitt in Allied and mum of new baby girl with Guillaume Canet

The Oscar winner has become a mother for the second time

MARION Cotillard really is living la vie en rose after welcoming a baby daughter to the world.

The French actress and her partner, actor and director Guillaume Canet, already have a five-year-old son called Marcel.

But who is Marion Cotillard? Here's what we know.

 Marion Cotillard is one of France's most sought-after actresses
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Marion Cotillard is one of France's most sought-after actressesCredit: Getty Images - WireImage

Who is Marion Cotillard?

She was born on September 30 1975 in Paris, France and grew up in the city of Orleans, 70 miles southwest of the capital.

Marion has described her childhood home as a "bustling, creative household" with actor, teacher and award-winning director father Jean-Claude and actress and drama teacher mother Niseema.

She has younger twin brothers Quentin and Guillaume.

Marion is in a relationship with actor and director Guillaume Canet and they have a five-year-old son called Marcel and a newborn baby daughter, born on March 16 2017.

 Marion and partner Guillaume Canet have welcomed a daughter
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Marion and partner Guillaume Canet have welcomed a daughterCredit: Getty Images - WireImage

How did Marion get into acting?

She began acting as a child after appearing in one of her father's plays.

As a teenager she had small parts on stage and minor roles in TV shows and aged 17, she was cast in her first English-speaking role in the TV series Highlander but for just one episode.

Shortly after she began landing roles in films and her debut came in the French romantic-drama The Story of a Boy Who Wanted To Be Kissed.

Marion's first leading role was in the TV film Chloe, in which she plays a teenage runaway who is forced into prostitution.

In 1998 she was nominated for a Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in the action comedy Taxi, which she reprised for the sequels.

She was nominated for the same award in 2001 for playing twins in the film Pretty Things.

 Marion starred in Inception alongside Leonardo DiCaprio
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Marion starred in Inception alongside Leonardo DiCaprioCredit: Warner Bros

When did Marion make the move to the big screen?

In 2003, she was cast by director Tim Burton in his film Big Fish, her first American film.

She appeared in various French films during the early Noughties before being cast in Ridley Scott's romantic comedy A Good Year opposite Russell Crowe.

She also learned to play the cello after landing a role in the coming-of-age film Toi et Moi.

When did she become a Hollywood star?

In 2006 she was cast as legendary French singer Edith Piaf in the movie La Vie En Rose.

Director Olivier Dahan actually gave her the role before he'd even met her after noticing a similarity between hers and Piaf's eyes.

The film distributors reduced the money to finance the film worried that Cotillard wasn't a "bankable" actress.

 She won an Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose
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She won an Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En RoseCredit: Picturehouse

But she proved them wrong and her performance was widely praised with eminent theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn saying it was "one of the greatest performances on film ever".

Marion was given a 15-minute standing ovation at the Berlin Film Festival and she was signed by leading Hollywood agent Hylda Queally soon after.

Marion won the Golden Globe for a foreign language performance, the Bafta for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Cesar Award for Best Actress.

She also won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first woman to win a Cesar and Oscar for the same role. She was also publicly praised by the then-President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.

What else has Marion starred in since?

Marion played the girlfriend of Johnny Depp’s John Dillinger in Public Enemies in 2009, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises.

She starred in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

In 2016 she starred alongside Michael Fassbender in Assassin's Creed, a film based on the video game of the same name.

How was she caught up in the split between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie?

In September 2016, shortly before the film Allied, in which Cotillard stars alongside Pitt, was released, the news broke that Pitt and wife Angelina Jolie had split.

As rumours swirled about the reasons for the break-up, it was reported that Jolie hired a private investigator to spy on Cotillard and Pitt while they filming as she was convinced they were having an affair. She also reportedly refused to speak to Cotillard when she visited Pitt on set.

 Marion stars alongside Brad Pitt in Allied - which sparked rumours they were having an affair
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Marion stars alongside Brad Pitt in Allied - which sparked rumours they were having an affairCredit: AP:Associated Press

But Cotillard, angry at the rumours, took to her Instagram to address and deny that she and Pitt had been romantically-involved.

She wrote: "This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into.  I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously but as this situation is spiralling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up.

"Firstly, many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting. He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need.

"Secondly to those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you. This crafted conversation isn't distressing.

 

"And to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgement, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery.

"Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment.

"With all my love, Marion."

 

 

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