Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balaà ¡koviÃÂ; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice.
One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is as a lesbian in 1995's (French Twist). She won the 1996 César Award (shared with Telsche Boorman) for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, and was also nominated as Best Director. The movie was nominated for Best Film.
Balasko's other César nominations for Best Actress were for Too Beautiful for You (1989), (1993), and That Woman (2003).
Balasko began her career in 1973. She 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.
Balasco career exploded in 1977, when she appeared in seven films over the course of the year. She first appeared in Solveig et le Violon turc, with Eugène Ionesco and Dominique Lavanant. She played Simone in Une fille unique, alongside her boyfriend at the time, Bruno Moynot.
She appeared in Animal, directed by Claude Zidi, with 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 #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 in Monsieur Papa, directed by Philippe Monnier, and with dialogue written by Jean-Marie Poiré. Balasko starred alongside Claude Brasseur, Nathalie Baye, Daniel Auteuil and ÃÂva Darlan.
In 1978, Balasko 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.
Balasko 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, ÃÂva 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, Balasko 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 was very successful for Balasko. First, she played Louise in Clara et les Chics Types. Later, she had the leading role in the 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 played Colette, a supporting role, in Hotel America, directed by André Téchiné. It starred Catherine and Patrick Dewaere.
In 1982, Balasko 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, Balasko 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, Balasko played a supporting role in the comedy P'tit Con, directed by Gérard Lauzier. She had the leading role in the comedy, La smala, directed by Jean-Loup Hubert. Finally, she played a supporting role in the comedy La vengeance du serpent àplumes 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 directoral debut with the comedy Sac de noeuds, which she wrote, directed and starred in.
Since 1990, Balasko 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 (French Twist), in which she co-starred with Alain Chabat and gained her a César for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation and a nomination for Best Film. In 2006 she was re-united once again with the Le Splendid team for another Bronzés film .
In 2018, Balasko record a song with the rapper Mac Tyer on his album C'est la street mon pote.
In February 2019, Balasko received the Crystal Comedy Award during the 4th Festival International du Film de Comédie de Liège to reward her career.
Bruno Moynot was her partner from 1974 until 1981. In a second union with sculptor Philippe Berry (brother of actor Richard Berry), she had a daughter, Marilou Berry (born 1 February 1983), also an actress, and an adopted son, Rudy Berry (born 1988). She divorced from Philippe Berry in 1999 and married American actor George Aguilar in 2003, whom she met on the set of The Frenchman's Son in 1999.
Movies starring or featuring Josiane Balasko with more than one million tickets sold at movie theatres in France.