Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.

She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française

Comédie-Française

The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....

. She began playing small roles in films in 1949 and eventually achieved prominence as the star of Lift to the Scaffold (UK)/Elevator to the Gallows (USA)

Elevator to the Gallows

Ascenseur pour l'échafaud is a 1958 French film directed by Louis Malle. It was released as Elevator to the Gallows in the USA and as Lift to the Scaffold in the UK. It stars Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as criminal lovers whose perfect crime begins to unravel when Ronet is trapped in an elevator...

 (1958), directed by Louis Malle

Louis Malle

Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...

 and Jules et Jim (1962), directed by François Truffaut

François Truffaut

François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...

. Most prolific during the 1960s, Moreau continues to appear in films to the present day.

Moreau is the recipient of a César Award for Best Actress

César Award for Best Actress

List of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actress .-Winners and nominees:...

, a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...

 and a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award

Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)

The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of films at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.-Award Winners:-External links:* * ....

 for individual performances, and several lifetime awards.
Moreau was born in Paris, the daughter of Katherine ( Buckley), a dancer who performed at the Folies Bergère, and Anatole-Désiré Moreau, a restaurateur.