Sandrine Kiberlain

Sandrine Kiberlain — Biography

Sandrine Kiberlain (born Sandrine Kiberlajn; 25 February 1968 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French actress, singer and director. Alongside her work in cinema and television she has performed on stage, written screenplays, and now and then taken part in the creation of clothing lines.

She studied acting at the Cours Florent in Paris and entered the profession in 1986. One of her earliest screen roles to draw attention came with Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), and a steady run of parts through the 1990s established her as one of the prominent young faces of French cinema. Her work in En avoir (ou pas) earned her the César for most promising actress, and she also received the Prix Romy Schneider. During the same years she was seen in pictures such as A Self-Made Hero (1996) and For Sale (1998).

In the 2000s she shifted into the roles of her mature period through films like Alias Betty (2001) and Mademoiselle Chambon (2009). The 2010s stand as one of the busiest chapters of her career: The Players (2012), Violette (2013) and 9 Month Stretch (2013) rank among the memorable releases of that decade. Her performance in 9 Month Stretch brought her the César for best actress, giving her two wins out of eight nominations in total. Her filmography covers more than sixty features.

In parallel with acting she pursued music. Her debut album Manquait plus qu'ça... appeared in 2005, followed in 2007 by Coupés bien net et bien carré. Singles including La Godiche and La Chanteuse grew out of these records, and in 2016 and 2020 she contributed to separate versions of the song Vole.

She moved behind the camera in 2021 with the drama A Radiant Girl, her first film as a director. In her private life she married the actor Vincent Lindon, and the couple have a daughter, Suzanne Lindon. Kiberlain has been named a Knight of the French National Order of Merit and has received the Valois prize for best actress.